Jill Reese, The Alliance for a Justice Society The Alliance for a Just Society’s mission is to execute local, state and national campaigns and build strong affiliate organizations and partnerships that address economic, racial, and social inequities. The Alliance is a national network of 14 racial and economic justice organizations. How to build a sustainable grassroots resistance movement

Strategies for Making Progressive Change Direct action c3 and c4 civic engagement and electoral strategies Consistent dues paying membership outreach Deep investment in leadership development Power mapping for strategy development Coalition building State legislative work On line organizing / engagement Framing and strategic message development Engagement with labor

Grassroots Organizing: Building and Challenging Power Power relationships are unequal In order to challenge power, you have to present a credible threat We cannot compete in the realm of money We must invest in organizing - building and developing a base of people who are consistently engaged in work We must confront power directly

Coalitions and Collaborations Building coalitions and collaborations are about building power Coalitions are built around a common goal Collaborations are built around a specific issue Permanent, temporary, single or multi-issue, geographically defined, limited to certain constituencies

Some Questions to Consider Who is behind the coalition? What’s your organization’s self-interest? How can your members participate? What is the decision making structure? How will participation build your organization?

Benefits of Structured Alignment Win what couldn’t be won alone Build an ongoing power base Increase the impact of individual organizations’ efforts Develop new leaders Increase resources Broaden scope

Common Challenges  Distracts from other work  Weak members can’t deliver  Too many compromises  Inequality of power  Individual organizations may not get credit  Dull tactics  Messaging by consensus

Principles for Success ✓ Clear staffing roles, whether hired or contributed ✓ Choose unifying issues ✓ Develop a realistic coalition budget ✓ Understand and respect institutional self-interest ✓ Agree to disagree ✓ Be strategic with tactics ✓ Recognize that contributions vary ✓ Structure decision-making carefully ✓ Help organizations to achieve their self-interest ✓ Achieve significant victories ✓ Urge stable, senior board representatives ✓ Clarify decision-making procedures ✓ Distribute credit fairly

Power Analysis Our assumptions include: 1.POWER relationships are unequal right now and this is key to why we have the problem / issue that we are working on. 2.POWER is being exercised and there is an agenda at work. 3.A more systematic way of understanding POWER and how it is exercised is necessary to making long term social change.

Power Analysis We use this tool to map out current power relationships and to then think through: how to shift those relationships to increase our power how to move groups with power to our agenda ultimately, how to shift the power relationships to pressure decision-makers to concede

11 Power Analysis Strategic Power Analysis: Analysis of the political landscape of a defined region including key problems, conditions, strategic decision-making centers, major battles, primary opposition forces, organized progressive forces (actual/potential), and important unorganized social groups.

Environmental & Economic Justice Project Power Analysis Training - Chart 7 4 Taken into Account Can Get Attentio n 3 6 Power to have Major Influence decision- making 8 Active Participant in Decision- making 10 Decisive Decision making Power or Influence 2 Not on Radar Die Hard Inclined TowardsActive Support Inclined Towards STEP 1: Define the major economic, political, and/or social Conditions which are negatively impacting primary constituencies Could be economic conditions such as poverty, unemployment - social conditions such as discrimination, persecution - political conditions such as disenfranchisement - or a combination of all the above. STEP 2: Sketch the Competing Agendas. The agenda of the forces who are causing or perpetuating the problems, and your agenda (i.e. the conditions you want to bring about) STEP 3: Sketch the major centers of Decision-making Power over the problem conditions Board of Supervisors State Legislature City Council STEP 4: Sketch Major Issue/Policy Battles related to problem conditions which are going on STEP 8: Analyze picture (strengths/weaknesses, organizing opportunities, etc.) STEP 5: Sketch major organized Opposition STEP 6: Sketch Organized Progressive Groups STEP 7: Sketch key unorganized social groups STEPS TO DEVELOP A STRATEGIC POLITICAL LANDSCAPE POWER ANALYSIS

CONGRESS Mayor State Legislatur e Board of Supervisor s City Council Environmental & Economic Justice Project Power Analysis Training 4 Taken into Account Can Get Attentio n 3 6 Power to have Major Influence on decision- making 8 Active Participant in Decision- making 10 Decisive Decision making Power or Influence 2 Not on Radar Die Hard Inclined TowardsActive Support Inclined Towards “Middle Class” 17% Upper Middle Class 25% People of Color 63% 17% People on Public Assistance Poor & Working Families 47% Shifts in use of Public Capital Rightwing Ballot Initiatives Welfare Reform Privatizatio n DEVELOPERS BUSINESS ASSOCIATIONS MAJOR CORPORATIONS BANKS Rightwing Think Tanks Small Businesses CHURCHES COMMUNITY GROUPS SOCIAL SERVICES UNIONS Large Non-Profits Progressive Churches CFJ Progressive Academics LAANE Metro Alliance Grassroots Groups AGENDA SEIU 1877, 434B, 660, 347 METROPOLITAN ALLIANCE Community Coalition Other Unions CORPORATE/CONSERVATIVE AGENDA + Creation of low-wage, unregulated environment + Cutbacks in social spending + Use of Public Capital to subsidize agenda SOCIAL/ECONOMIC JUSTICE AGENDA + Decent Quality of Life for All + Fairness, Equality, Opportunity + Authentic Democracy LOS ANGELES LANDSCAP E ANALYSIS

Resources and Fundraising Looking beyond foundations Membership dues Small donor / large donor Grassroots fundraising Mapping in-state money