Together, we have the power to turn back the rising tide of hatred and division with a renewed sense of our shared humanity to create the country we need. Together, we can win.
“We are the Organizing Revival!” These words rang in my ears over the three days I just spent in Milwaukee, where over a hundred members of two dozen grassroots groups from nine states gathered with leadership from six nationwide organizations for three days of deep conversation and action to develop a shared mission.
We emerged with a strong sense of what we must do, now and in the future, to defeat authoritarianism and build the country we need, with room and opportunities for all. And we know we must do this together - because only together can we win.
This Midwest Organizing Revival, anchored by the Gamaliel Network, follows our national launch of the Organizing Revival at the People’s Action convention in Washington, D.C. last spring. It is the first of five regional gatherings which will culminate in a national gathering next year.
Each regional gathering is anchored by one of the national organizations which have embraced People’s Action’s call to build a stronger movement for social justice by collaborating to develop shared strategies and analysis, all grounded in the best practices of community organizing.
Gamaliel, which has been organizing multiracial, faith-based groups across the country for 40 years, welcomed members from WISDOM, Missouri Jobs with Justice, the Latino Union, Escucha Mi Voz Iowa, the Missouri Workers Center, Racine Interfaith Coalition, 482 Forward, MORE2, United Congregations of Metro East, The Pilsen Neighbors Community Council, MOSES, GROWW, the Ezekiel Project, the Asamblea de Derechos Civilies, Metropolitan Congregations United, the Ohio Organizing Collaborative, the Grassroots Collaborative, Faith Coalition for the Common Good, the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs, ONE Northside, Michigan United, Citizen Action of Wisconsin, and Community Voices Heard.
The national organizations who participated in the Midwest Organizing Revival are Faith in Action, the Workers Center for Racial Justice, the National Domestic Workers Alliance, Center for Popular Democracy, Community Change, Midwest Academy and the Grassroots Power Project, and the Fund to Build Grassroots Power, in addition to Gamaliel and People’s Action.
Yes, that’s a very long list! But that’s the point! We are coming together in new ways as a movement, something that to many never seemed possible. We all know we face unprecedented challenges, with immediate and dangerous threats to our rights and democracy, and we can only win if we share our strengths and support each other.
It was especially meaningful to me to be reunited with Ana García Ashley, whose leadership at Gamaliel has inspired me for years. Like me, she is a Latina transplant to the Midwest - Ana is from the Dominican Republic and lives in Wisconsin, where she has organized for over three decades. Fourteen years ago, she became the first woman of color to lead a national organizing network when she was named executive director of Gamaliel.
Ever since, Ana has been an outspoken and unstoppable force, creating new opportunities in our movement for the leadership of people of color and women, and winning a $500 million investment from banks in Milwaukee to invest in affordable housing. When I returned to lead People’s Action in 2022, she was one of the first people I called, and she has been an enthusiastic supporter of the Organizing Revival ever since.
Robert Kraig from Citizen Action of Wisconsin and Rachel Kincade and Yolanda Perkins from WISDOM got us into the spirit, then we got straight to work: everyone present knew we have no time to waste. So on Thursday, we dove into a discussion of what it means to build governing power, with valuable insights from Wisconsin State Senator (and Citizen Action of Wisconsin board member) Chris Larson.
With the November vote just a few weeks away, we engaged in scenario planning - including our organizing response - to the “Two Futures” we will face under either a Harris or Trump presidency, led by James Mumm and Amee Xiong from People’s Action. Dan McGrath from the Grassroots Power Project helped us strategize our next moves under either administration.
On Friday, we dug deeper into what the Organizing Revival means to our collaboration on the ground, as well as how we can collectively confront and defeat the rise of White Christian Nationalism. Throughout the gathering, groundings and encouragement was offered by the national leaders who were present, including Ana and myself, DaMareo Cooper from CPD, Bishop Dwayne Royster from Faith in Action, and Anna Duncan from the National Domestic Workers Alliance.
Then on Saturday, we hit the streets. Gamaliel brought in even more of its members to knock on doors in Brookfield, urging people to register and vote in November. Along with Juanita Lewis from Community Voices Heard, the chair of People’s Action’s board, I joined a crew from Citizen Action of Wisconsin to talk with voters in North Milwaukee.
We all know the stakes can not be higher. The outcome of November’s vote will determine if we can work to achieve a multiracial democracy and a sustainable economy, or if we live in a democracy at all. The Far Right has never been more intent on ending democracy as we know it, yet our shared resolve to stand together as a movement to achieve social justice has never been stronger.
Everyone I talked to on the doors in Milwaukee, however they plan to vote, shared a sense that they want to save our country. That everything is on the line right now. I agree, and came home with an even stronger sense that through the Organizing Revival, we have the power to not only turn back the rising tide of hatred and division, we can come together with a renewed sense of our shared humanity to create the country we need. We can win. Together.
