I have heard, and read, many people asking in the aftermath of the highly successful Women’s March, where do we go from here. If they still haven’t found an outlet for their activist fury maybe they haven't been looking in the right places?
Yesterday, in our small northern CA town (but not that far from Sacramento) we held our first ACLU People Power training event. Since the election, the ACLU has increased both its membership and donations by leaps and bounds. And they sure seem determined to use both in the smartest ways possible. (www.facebook.com/...)
They have asked for volunteers to organize by community to start making changes locally. Yesterday’s event was the beginning, a live event watched around the country by groups of people. The speakers emphasized rights and informed viewers what can and can’t be done legally with respect to those rights. But they didn’t stop there. They ended with a specific plan for Step 1. The groups were encouraged to approach their local law enforcement and discuss a 9 step plan to obtain their agreement on how they will handle undocumented citizens. Essentially creating what the ACLU is calling “freedom cities”.
Even though our county just last week voted unanimously to be a “safe and welcoming community”, what happens if our sheriff or chief of police retire? Is there still a guarantee that law enforcement won’t cooperate with ICE, which is their current policy. Approaching local law enforcement to indicate the community’s commitment and thank them for their support is still important.
Members of our 20 person group ranged from newcomers to the cause who are furious with recent events and wanted to join the resistance, to those who already are a part of Indivisible, Women's March huddles, etc. The host and I are both in training as OFA fellows for our counties. No one says, “well, I already belong to another group, so I’ll bow out.” People seem to realize that if you have multiple concerns, each group concentrates on one or two issues so joining in multiple events and groups can satisfy your need to organize for all of the items that impact your life.
OFA has returned to Obama’s roots and is working to train and encourage a new generation of community organizers to take the fight to the local level where changes can be made.
I guess I would like people to remain encouraged and to know that, even when things look bleak or immovable on a federal level, there is a groundswell of activism happening locally. I have found that the resistance is made up of all types of people, from all types of backgrounds, willing to do all types of activities to make change. It is the most encouraging thing I have seen come out of this mess of an election. It keeps me going every day when bad news is a daily fact. Which is a whole other diary, right?