Thank you to Levana Saxon for posting an article about Movement Strategy Centre’s new blog site called “Let’s Talk”. I immediately started digging in.
Based in the bay area, the Movement Strategy Centre helps build collaborative and sustainable social movements. Pretty cool hey! Their blog allows their fellows, staff, and allies to share their insights.
Here’s a summary of two articles I like that they’ve just posted on their new website. Join their email list and stay in the loop for more insights.
“Movement Lies We Tell Ourselves”
We think we’re always right, but are we really? Thinking that we’re right and that our opponents or the public are wrong is just one of the many lies this article’s author, Julie Quiorox, believes activists tell themselves. Read the blog for other lies. I lie I think activists tell themselves is that overworked activists are effective and good activists. Not so. For one, I know many overworked activists who complain all the time, which doesn’t exactly do wonders for inspiring people to want to work and collaborate with you.
“Don’t Get Stuck in the Muck: Six Common Pitfalls of Emerging Alliances”
I loved this article by Jidan Koon because I spend a lot of time building coalitions. I have personally grappled with the issue of “who decides how we make decisions”, and I like their solution of establishing an interim process to make those big decisions. Another big issue they highlight is the difficulty of trying to get all the right people at the table before beginning. Sometimes you can’t get everybody at the table, and waiting can derail a process entirely.
I’m looking forward to seeing more of their work.