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When we say that “government is the prize, not the problem” we mean that government is a contested space. We offer that winning governing power is a necessary step toward creating an inclusive multi-racial democracy. According to the Grassroots Power Program, governing power is the capacity to design, drive demands for, legislate, enforce, and defend a structural reform agenda that serves the interests of our people (rather than the wealthy few). That’s why governing power is our north star — it is the multi-racial majority’s vehicle to level the landscape and make society’s rules fair for everyone.

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In 1992, the Oregon Citizens Alliance asked voters to amend the Oregon constitution to declare homosexuality “abnormal and perverse.” The campaign to defeat Ballot Measure 9 mobilized thousands of Oregonians from all walks of life. Many flowers bloomed: new groups, creative ideas, unexpected alliances. Noxious weeds grew too. Hate crimes soared. Mental health indicators plummeted. Not everyone survived. No on 9 Remembered tells 30 stories from 30 years ago. What can this historic battle for civil and human rights tell us about today’s fight for inclusive democracy?

Learn more at https://noon9remembered.org/

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We define power as “the ability to act.” It is the ability to achieve a purpose. Power is what we need most to win a multi-racial democracy. The three “currencies” of power are organized people, money, and ideas. Our most valuable currency is organized people, as they are the root of any authentic demand, as well as the most accessible resource. Pro-democracy organizations have some organized money, but nowhere as much as the agents of authoritarianism. Organized people and money can lead to organized ideas, which are a currency of power that we refer to as narrative power.

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The authoritarian movement has a long-term plan to win minority rule. They successfully reshaped our social, judicial and political landscape over decades by following a long-term strategy. We need our own long-term plan to win a multi-racial democracy that counters their plan. Our strategy needs to be more like chess than checkers. Strategy requires us to change the terrain from an uphill battle to a more fair landscape. We do this through elections, movement moments and mobilizations, and narrative power. When we build power, we can find openings to make stepping stone policy changes that add up to structural change.

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The most important tool that pro-democracy organizers can use to sharpen their strategy is power analysis. Power analysis is an ongoing process of understanding our power and that of our opponents in the contest for governing power. It is a disciplined, ongoing process that continually asks questions that help us deepen our strategy and tactics: Who has power? How and for what do they use it? What do unequal power relationships have to do with the problems we face? What kind of power would it take for grassroots organizations to win the social change they want?

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Narrative strategies are critical to changing the landscape. The PopCulture Collaborative explains how this works:  Specific pop culture stories — shaped by narrative archetypes that carry new mental models into the cultural waters — gradually spark an inciting experience or series of experiences that inspire people to experiment with new behaviors. These behaviors, when routinely embodied by a person, gradually diffuse harmful mental models, creating space for these new mental models to live and thrive in the imagination. These new mental models and behaviors, once expressed by millions of people, create the momentum needed to achieve a specific culture change goal.

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In the battle for hearts and minds, we need to listen first. According to the Deep Canvass Institute, deep canvassing is a one-to-one conversation methodology that is scientifically proven to do two vital things: 1) Create lasting changes in how (or whether) people vote (and their stands on issues)by shifting the underlying emotions and attitudes that determine our political beliefs, and 2) Generate new trust and connection across difference or disagreement. Deep canvassing can persuade at a magnitude that is rare, persuade in an unusually lasting way, innoculate against. fear-based messaging, and depolarize and create new connections across difference.

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Disinformation is false information spread deliberately to deceive people. It's a subset of misinformation, which is any false information, regardless of intent. Disinformation can have serious implications for democratic processes, public trust, and the integrity of information ecosystems. Solutions to disinformation are multifaceted and require cooperation across various sectors, including governments, civil society, academia, and the tech industry. This can include regulatory measures, public education, and fact-checking. It's important to note that while countering misinformation and disinformation are crucial, efforts must also respect freedom of expression and avoid political censorship.

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Political violence is force or violence, including threats and intimidation, used with a political motivation, to achieve a political goal, to assert political power over another group, or to disseminate a political message to an outside audience. It can take the form of direct threats and physical violence targeting individuals. It can also take the form of implied threats and intimidation against onlookers and broader audiences. We have to go on offense to counter these threats and acts of political violence, in order to maximize backfire, defections, and extract costs on perpetrators. Defense alone will not cut it.

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According to the Bridging Divides Institute and their partners, de-escalation refers to strategies and techniques aimed at reducing tension and preventing conflict escalation, particularly in situations with a high risk of political violence. It involves proactive measures to prepare for and address contentious situations, such as elections, public meetings, and demonstrations. De-escalation training equips community members, local leaders, law enforcement, and others with the skills to recognize, prevent, and mitigate potential conflicts. These efforts are crucial for maintaining public safety and protecting the democratic process.

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Kingian Nonviolence is a philosophy and methodology for nonviolent social change inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It emphasizes the power of nonviolence as both a strategy and a way of life, advocating for courage, love, and understanding to fight injustice. The six principles are: nonviolence as a way of life for courageous people, the creation of the Beloved Community as the future, attacking forces of evil and not individuals, accepting suffering without retaliation, avoiding internal violence of the spirit, and faith in the justice of the universe. Nonviolence aims to advance social change through education, personal commitment, negotiation, direct action, and reconciliation.

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Research and monitoring of the authoritarian movement involves a multifaceted approach to understanding and countering the influence of these groups. Key principles include interdisciplinary dialogue, strategic insights, and actionable research to disrupt and compete with movements undermining democracy, justice, and human rights. Strategies involve tracking political donations, analyzing the spread of misinformation, and exposing the connections between donors and right-wing organizations. It requires collective work by research and monitoring organizations, and the training and resources they provide, to expose the infrastructure and tactics of the authoritarian right, aiming to safeguard democratic institutions and multi-racial democracy.

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Election protection strategies ensure the integrity and security of the electoral process. Key strategies include election monitoring, which involves independent parties observing the election to assess its conduct against national legislation and international standards. Preventing election-related violence is crucial before, during, and after election day. Organizing neighborhood election protection groups engages communities in nonviolent action and organizing to protect democracy. Counting every vote is a fundamental principle. Election security measures, such as engaging with election officials about election security and educating voters on how to remedy security failures and sabotage, are also key.

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Peacebuilding is an approach to achieving sustainable peace by addressing the root causes of conflict and fostering reconciliation among communities. Peacebuilding emphasizes nonviolence and conflict transformation through dialogue and strategic nonviolent actions to address and transform conflicts. The arts are integral to peacebuilding, offering avenues for expression, healing, and intercultural collaboration. Effective peacebuilding relies on community partnerships to ensure initiatives are locally grounded and supported, enhancing legitimacy and sustainability. By addressing the root causes of conflict, fostering dialogue and understanding, and engaging communities in creative and collaborative efforts, peacebuilding aims to achieve lasting peace and reconciliation.

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Our allies at the Midwest Academy define organizing as “the process by which people impacted by injustice take collective action to build power to win meaningful change in their lives and communities. Organizing often involves winning changes in policy, practice, and resource distribution made by decision-makers of public or private institutions.” Community groups are vehicles to advocate for inclusive multi-racial democracy, and a place to practice democracy. Community organizing is the antidote to authoritarianism, and it’s available to all of us right now.

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Art is not a tactic; it is a way to engage people’s entire selves in the work of social change. We all need art to be fully seen and heard, and we all need organizing to feel the collective power that is humanity’s birthright. As artists and organizers, we owe it to one another to meet at the strategy table, conduct our power analysis together, and co-create vision, strategy, campaigns, and actions that advance racial equity, democracy, and block authoritarianism in creative ways that will speak to everyone’s deep longing to be whole and free through collective action.

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It Did Happen Here is an independently produced podcast and a collectively written book about anti-fascist struggles that took place in Portland, Oregon following the 1988 murder of Ethiopian immigrant Mulugeta Seraw by racist skinheads. This is the story of how disparate groups used a diversity of tactics to fight neo-nazi violence and right wing organizing in the Rose City in the 1980s and 90s.

Learn more at: https://www.itdidhappenherepodcast.com/

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Photo: INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence

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Restorative and transformative justice are approaches that seek to address and heal harm without perpetuating further violence or relying on the carceral system. Restorative justice focuses on repairing the harm caused by wrongdoing through inclusive processes like restorative circles, where affected community members and the person responsible engage in dialogue to understand the impact of the harm and collectively make amends. Transformative justice extends this by aiming to address the root causes of harm and transform the conditions that allow violence to occur, emphasizing healing, accountability, resilience, and safety for all involved.

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Community and organizational safety strategies are practices aimed at protecting individuals and groups from various forms of harm. These strategies are crucial for marginalized communities and organizations working in high-risk environments. They are also multifaceted, encompassing legal preparedness, community policing and engagement, the building of community safety infrastructure, unarmed civilian protection, engagement in policy advocacy, education and training, and community peace-building initiatives. These strategies are essential for creating safe and resilient communities, particularly in environments where traditional law enforcement methods may not be effective, trusted, or wanted.

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We construct multi-racial majorities by building relationships and alliances across constituencies and geographies. The leadership of our Bigger We are the people under attack by authoritarians — BIPOC communities, working families, low-wealth communities, women, LGBTQIA+ people, people with disabilities, Jews and Muslims, and more. Our majority also includes constituencies with pro-democracy values who can follow the leadership of this formation and help it make up a majority. We can only address the roots of problems through an alignment of different social forces, representing different racial communities and different classes.

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The untold story of how philanthropy and the Civil Marriage Collaborative helped America embrace marriage equality.

On June 26, 2015, history was made when the U.S. Supreme Court made marriage equality the law of the land. There were many forces at work in this historic change: tenacious leaders and litigators, coalitions of diverse lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) organizations, straight individual and organizational allies, elected officials, celebrities, and most important, hundreds of thousands of individuals, couples and families at the grassroots level.

Learn more at: https://www.proteusfund.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Hearts-and-Minds-CMC-Publication.pdf