Do we have the courage to defeat an authoritarian regime? I believe we do, if we organize strategically and effectively. There is no time to waste.
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Do we have the courage to defeat an authoritarian regime? I believe we do, but only if we unite as a movement for social justice to organize strategically and effectively.
It is time we recognize that the rules have changed. What worked for us in the past to expand and defend our rights no longer works. As organizers, we must rise to this moment, and share the most effective tactics to stop the destruction of democracy by those who aspire to endless authoritarian rule.
The time is now, and it is up to us. We have no time to lose.
These are the questions I raise in an article I just wrote for Nonprofit Quarterly. In it, I explain how we got here, and how People’s Action and our many allies - old and new - are adopting new strategic pivots to meet this moment.
Please read and share this article as widely as you can, with everyone you know!
As many of you know, at People’s Action we have been thinking about and preparing for this moment for some time. Our 2023 report, The Antidote to Authoritarianism, issued a call to develop a shared playbook of the most effective tactics to stop the rise of an authoritarian regime. We have now done this, and are moving into action.
Twenty national organizations endorsed our original call for an Organizing Revival. That number has since swelled to more than sixty, and more than four hundred state and local organizations, all across the country and in every state.
Together with these partners and new friends, such as the May Day Strong alliance, we have trained more than 1,200 organizers across the country and are training more every day, so we can defend democracy while we still can. We welcome anyone who wants to join us.
We just took action together in Chicago, calling on AT&T to drop its contracts with ICE and related federal agencies who have sought to turn Chicago’s streets into a war zone. They have failed, because of the strength and courage of Chicago’s communities and community organizations, who defend each other and refuse to back down.
We also refuse to back down. We will impose costs on anyone who seeks to profit from the denial of civil rights and human dignity. In coming, there will be more opportunities to take action together, and we hope to see you by our side.
For those of us who believe multiracial democracy is not only possible but a necessity in this country, there is no time to lose. It is up to us.
So please, read and share this new article, and as always I look forward to your thoughts!
