PicoBlog

I will admit it, I used to be steeped in progressive, social justice, movement work. For over a decade I was in “the movement” in one form or another and I helped produce work that was designed to strengthen and support movement builders. As part of the organization the Active Element Foundation we developed a searchable online database and a book to accompany it called The Future 500. My job was to find people that were youth organizers all across the country. We found folks in every state and this was in the dawn of the “google” era so most of the “finding” was done the old fashioned way. I worked at the Movement Strategy Center based in Oakland and we supported organizations and coalitions. But then I felt like something was dreadfully wrong and I needed to get away from that work. 

My initial critique was that progressive 501c3’s were simply stuck in a model that hampered their effectiveness. Because structurally they were subject to the laws of the country, which in the 1970’s had created “non-profits” that they were inherently built to fail. Why does a social justice organization need to have a structure that mimics a corporation? Time and time again organizations have failed because they lacked a structure that fit their values and the government imposed approach to structure seemed designed to exacerbate the gaps.

Another problem I had was with “identity politics”. It seemed to me that we could talk about our identity until we were blue in the face, we could win, we could become the ones in power and then we would have no idea how to manage or run anything that did not have anything to do with our identity. That is why I started thinking about infrastructure and how human beings relate to, and interact with, major systems of water, waste, energy, food, and transportation. I became an expert in how NYC makes some of these critical decisions. I went to graduate school and studied how cities organized themselves and then worked in the Bloomberg and deBlasio mayoral administrations working in these areas. The people I knew and know that were still steeped in leading with their identity in their work, I figured, would never actually get it and were stuck pushing forward ideas that were not fully grounded in peoples reality.

This is not to say that I have become anti-movement work but more to the point that I have recognized that one values and ideological positions are not only expressed in one arena - I grew up and recognized that there are many ways to be in, live in, and work in the world, have impact and that it is best to no just stay in one sector but rather the full expression of some of the ideas I have are best done outside of movement spaces.

All that being said is because I have just read the paper by Maurice Mitchell, the National Director of the Working Families Party, titled; Building Resilient Organizations. In it he articulates some of the failings and traps of movement organizations today which echo the critiques that I was feeling over a decade ago. My gut feelings were the tip of the iceberg. Maurice systematically defines some of the problems progressive organizations face, their fallacies, then offers a framework for solutions and practical problem solving. For those in the world that are as interested in what work we focus on as how we go about doing that work then this paper will be very relevant. For those that are leading any organization of any size and structure and with any mission and purpose (minus those that are intended to exclude and hurt others) and you may have folks that are younger and/ or steeped in a social justice orientation then this paper is critical to read. 

One “elephant in the room” that he does not specifically name is the generational gap that exists in movement (and damn near every) organizations. There are real issues that exist that are generally inked as part of the culture war. I think that if an organization takes the steps that Maurice suggests these issues will have a container so that we are not canceling out people with experience, maturity, and ideological rigor.

Overall, I think Maurice has done a great service. It also goes a long way for those of us who lean to the “left” but are not ideologically “pure” according to todays standards. I hope it encourages some healing across organizations and generations. I applaud his efforts and encourage folks to take a serious look at this paper. When you do, take out a note pad, think about yourself, the work you do, your organization/s and how you can be part of building resilient organizations.

ncG1vNJzZmihkqeuqbXMmpmdrZyirrW1zWeqrpqjqa6kt42cpqZnoGS6unnRnq2inadivKd5wa6gpZyZo7RuvsSsoKWhlaPBbrvRoJinoaqWwaq7zaw%3D