Organizing To build power

NATIONAL TRAINING 2016 GOALS Participate in collective decision-making and agenda setting about how to move the organization forward. Foster deep relationship building to demonstrate collective power, unity, and energy of Million Hoodies Develop strong new member-leaders with sharp political analysis and skills to build local power. Gain clarity and deeper understanding about the story, function, and roles of Million Hoodies.

Leadership Development Training Praxis Landscaping Political Education Leadership Development Strategy Development

Why do we organize?

Dante’s story Talk about why Dante started organizing

Building a radical democracy In a radical democracy, people at the base of society participate in all aspects of the political system, from holding elected officials accountable to running for local planning boards Radical democracy is ordinary people participating in active community institutions where they discuss politics and ideas as they work for a better neighborhood, city, or state.

What would full participation by young black and brown people look like?

Building community power Getting people to understand the source of their social or political problems, then devise solutions, strategize, take on leadership, and move to action through campaigns that win concrete changes. “Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.”

“If a white man wants to lynch me, that’s his problem “If a white man wants to lynch me, that’s his problem. If he’s got the power to lynch me, that’s my problem. Racism is not a question of attitude; it’s a question of power.” Stokely Carmichael

Building community power Power over Power for Power with

Building community power Organized Money Power represents itself through institutions such as banks, multinational corporations, trade councils, and other business interests. Organized People Nonviolent movements rely on organized people for their base of power. People can be organized through political parties in elections or in institutions with members. Organized Violence Organized violence can be seen in the power of the state, as expressed in the military or police, which use violence or the threat of violence to maintain power over individuals or groups

Organizing in a power-based model Power based organizations view its problem as a lack of power within the political decision-making process. Therefore, it builds clout so that interests are better represented in the public sphere. Organizers use conflict and confrontation to demonstrate their power and pressure to powerholders to concede to their demands. Video 1: Protestors clash with Baltimore State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby Video 2: BYP100 DC disrupt US Attorney Police and Community Event

Organizing in a power-based model Youth from Standing Rock occupying the lobby of the Clinton campaign headquarters for hours to demand a statement from Hillary Clinton. No compromise.

Components for building community power Build a base of members: more people means more power. Get members to understand what organizing is: action fosters commitment. Develop members to be leaders: leaders learn by doing. Implement strategic campaigns: campaigns deliver wins. Engage members in the social justice movement: neutrality is not an option

Build a base of members Get people involved Move decision makers with numbers Get members to make decisions

Action fosters commitment Guide members to see the roots of problems Move members to action

Develop members to be leaders Let leaders do the work Conduct political education

Implement strategic campaigns Run winnable campaigns Analyze power

Engage members in the social justice movement Build the movement State an ideology

Main concepts of power building Relational organizing starts with a group of people who have relationships with each other. It includes base building, political education, issue identification, training and action.

Base building A base is a group of people who can think together, work together and grow together. Base-building is increasing the number of people who share the same vision and who are developing the strategies (doing the work) for moving that vision forward. For us, that vision is about intersectional politics that builds power and self- determination for oppressed people.

Base building IS … Continuous – You constantly build your base, even while engaged in other activities. Non-Linear – People enter the organization in a range of ways and organizers must adapt to that. Analytical and nuanced – Exercise judgment about how much time to invest in each person, to deepen their involvement in the organization. Persistent – You call people many times to get them to commit and to remind them to turn out to actions. You contact them in-person, by mail, and by phone.

Base building IS … Time intensive – You spend a great deal of time bringing people into the organization, keeping them involved, and developing their leadership. About relationships – You talk to dozens of people on a regular basis. Everyone you recruit and develop has a relationship with you, with other members, and with the organization. Directive – You have a focus – you bring information and people into the organization. You look for people who want to build power

Everyone is involved in base-building A large base helps show the people with institutional and political power that our power is broad and deep in the community. Base-building is a core organizational concern. Everyone is involved in the base-building activities of recruitment, involvement, leadership development, and tracking.

What are some examples of base building?

Political education (PE) PE is a structured process of study that is used by social movement organizations to strengthen an organization’s commitment and accountability to those who are most marginalized by systems of oppression. Leadership development is a primary goal of PE. Critical thinking and principled struggle are emphasized rather than indoctrination and passive agreement Through political education, you communicate and develop the ideology or worldview of the organization

How are you using political education in your organizing?

Issue identification Issue identification is the process of naming and defining problems and struggles in a community or group of people who have relationships with each other (a neighborhood, a school, etc.). Once problems are named and defined, they are prioritized based on the needs of the community. Many people use training and action in community organizing to find solutions and resolve issues.

Main concepts of power building Action – A collective action, which we often refer to simply as ”an action,” is a public showing of an organization’s power. Actions take place during campaigns. A person can also ”take action” as an individual to support a campaign or organization Strategy – In a campaign, strategy is the way or ways a community power building organizations uses it power to win what it wants. Effective organizations are strategic in everything they do.

Main concepts of power building Winning – Organizing focuses on winning. It results in positive, concrete change in people’s lives. Evaluation – The process of assessing your actions and determining what worked, what didn’t, and what you would do differently next time. Sometimes we refer to an evaluation as “debriefing”.

Steps in relational organizing Break isolation and silence through storytelling (builds connection & relationship) Identify common themes and similarities Analyze root causes and discuss its relationship to power Identify where chance might be possible Gather information, do political education, bring additional people into the process Develop strategy Develop skills to meet those strategies Take collective action Debrief results Develop next strategy

What are the ways Million Hoodies has built power?

Organizing principles to build power Power – Build an organization with as many members as possible that represent their interests on issues such as jobs, education, and policing Action – Directly engage and negotiate with powerholders and be willing to be confrontational to win. Self-determination – Build, manage, and represent the organization. Take ownership of the direction of Million Hoodies Shift the parameters of the debate – Shift the public and political debate to include what YOU believe would make a real difference in our communities

What is YOUR ROLE in building power for Million Hoodies?

An organizer builds a group of people or institutions to address a common problem through collective action. An organizer plays the role of convener, agitator, teacher, student, motivator, and coach.

BREAKOUT SESSION: 25 minutes How would the world change if Million Hoodies succeeded? What would we need to do to build power? What are we doing that isn’t building political power? What roles do we need? What campaigns must be built?