Parsing the Freedom Together Foundation's critical new report. Plus, Vu Le's new book on nonprofits and philanthropy and lessons from the Defiance in Chicago.
FTF's plan sounds a lot like what Indivisible has built - thousands of local chapters united by shared values who take a variety of power-building actions together including protests, mutual aid, and winning elections. And it didn't take philanthropic millions to launch Indivisible - it took a google doc.
Indivisible was the lead organization behind both No Kings marches that broke records for nationwide protests. Which leads me to wonder why Indivisible doesn't get the credit and respect it deserves both from organizers and organizing theorists.
thanks for this clear set of observations , analyses, and suggestions for where and how to go forward. Organization is pretty much everything and calls for careful planning and implementation.
This is excellent. I also would like to recommend Finton O’Toole’s November 20 piece about the Democrats, ostensibly a review of Harris's book, in the New York review of books.
As you know, the perfect example of this is the Democracy Movement in Israel. We literally have all of the things you mention, and have been running the resistance here for 3 years, week after week. How unfortunate that the American Left is unable to see Israel as a role model, and that were you to mention it in your post it would turn off many of your intended readers.
Great post overall. Definitely will check out both the "Bigger We" and "Reimagining Nonprofits and Philanthropy."
But three quibbles:
1. While you quickly (and rightly) move on, you do begin with a ritualistic "gave in on the government shutdown with nothing to show for the forty-day effort" denounciation of the Senate Democrats. I'll be honest that I have no idea what people were expecting to get from the show down. Joe Klein has the best take on the issue that I have seen:
2. You wrote "It’s also tricky terrain for a major funder--is FTF suggesting that it doesn’t want groups to lead with land affirmations and declarations of preferred pronouns?"
That seems like a very weaselly sentence. I assume, given the sentences that preceded these, that you believe, as I do, that "land affirmations" and "declarations of preferred pronouns" are ridiculous virtue signaling that do nothing constructive while helping drive people away from the Democrats. But if that's what you believe, say it. And if it's not what you believe, then mount a defense of them.
3. Boycotting Target, Amazon, and Home Depot for being "complicit." Come on. Let's keep the focus on Tesla and Elon.
FTF's plan sounds a lot like what Indivisible has built - thousands of local chapters united by shared values who take a variety of power-building actions together including protests, mutual aid, and winning elections. And it didn't take philanthropic millions to launch Indivisible - it took a google doc.
Indivisible was the lead organization behind both No Kings marches that broke records for nationwide protests. Which leads me to wonder why Indivisible doesn't get the credit and respect it deserves both from organizers and organizing theorists.
thanks for this clear set of observations , analyses, and suggestions for where and how to go forward. Organization is pretty much everything and calls for careful planning and implementation.
(And I think you meant to write Jane McAlevey)
This is excellent. I also would like to recommend Finton O’Toole’s November 20 piece about the Democrats, ostensibly a review of Harris's book, in the New York review of books.
As you know, the perfect example of this is the Democracy Movement in Israel. We literally have all of the things you mention, and have been running the resistance here for 3 years, week after week. How unfortunate that the American Left is unable to see Israel as a role model, and that were you to mention it in your post it would turn off many of your intended readers.
Great post overall. Definitely will check out both the "Bigger We" and "Reimagining Nonprofits and Philanthropy."
But three quibbles:
1. While you quickly (and rightly) move on, you do begin with a ritualistic "gave in on the government shutdown with nothing to show for the forty-day effort" denounciation of the Senate Democrats. I'll be honest that I have no idea what people were expecting to get from the show down. Joe Klein has the best take on the issue that I have seen:
https://josephklein.substack.com/p/into-the-streets
2. You wrote "It’s also tricky terrain for a major funder--is FTF suggesting that it doesn’t want groups to lead with land affirmations and declarations of preferred pronouns?"
That seems like a very weaselly sentence. I assume, given the sentences that preceded these, that you believe, as I do, that "land affirmations" and "declarations of preferred pronouns" are ridiculous virtue signaling that do nothing constructive while helping drive people away from the Democrats. But if that's what you believe, say it. And if it's not what you believe, then mount a defense of them.
3. Boycotting Target, Amazon, and Home Depot for being "complicit." Come on. Let's keep the focus on Tesla and Elon.