Written by Christy Pardew
SOA Watch is made up of hundreds of local groups around the hemisphere, doing work in their own communities to lay the groundwork for a successful campaign to close the School of the Americas.
Your work to connect with others in your own community is a key part of our movement's work to close the SOA.
Chances are, you do not need as many people as you think to do effective organizing. Three people are enough to begin a local group. Even if your group does not attract lots of members, you can still do important work in your area.
It's important to understand that people will put in varying amounts of time into organizing efforts. A few people will do lots of work; some will contribute every once in a while; others will show up at special events; some will only contribute financially. Rather than become frustrated that not everyone is putting in the same amount of work, learn to work with what people are able to do and make the most of what they are willing to contribute. That way, they will not become alienated from the work, and will hopefully later increase their commitment to the group.
You do not need to know as much as you think to do organizing work. Most successful organizers learn by doing and by trial and error. Don't become disheartened by failure and mistakes. It is through mistakes that one learns how to organize effectively. For every successful event or campaign someone organizes, they probably were involved in ten events or campaigns that did not work!
Local SOA Watch groups are listed on the SOA Watch website here:
SOA Watch On this page, you can look at groups by state and list your own group and contact information so that others in your area can find you.
Possible Activities for Local SOA Watch Groups
1. Form study groups to educate yourselves on the issues of the School of the Americas, U.S. foreign policy towards Latin America, institutional and personal racism and militarism.
2. Do education in your community. Host a public video showing of a film about the SOA. Table at local events and hand out flyers about the School of the Americas. Support the work of community organizations in your region, and work to connect local issues with the SOA. Cut and paste SOA Watch's flyers to make them relevant to current community struggles. Host a speaker in your community to talk about the SOA. (Visit the SOA Watch website or contact the office for a list of available videos, DVDs and flyers).
3. Coordinate petition or letter-writing campaigns urging Representatives to co-sponsor HR 1217 to suspend operations at the SOA/ WHINSEC. Ask Senators to sponsor similar legislation in the Senate. (Contact the office for more info and for updates on the legislative campaign and visit the website:
SOA Watch).
4. Coordinate, sponsor and actively participate in discussions, rallies and demonstrations addressing issues central to militarism, to US foreign policy towards Latin America, to racism and to the lives of those most affected by places like the SOA.
5. Conduct teach-ins and consciousness-raising sessions among your communities.
6. Promote activities which create dialogue and coalitions among activists working for justice.
7. With your local group, write letters to the editor of local papers responding to coverage of militarism, of Latin America, of community struggles for justice. (Visit the SOA Watch website or contact the office for sample letters and tips on media outreach.
8. Promote activities which organize and advance the leadership of youth, especially youth most affected by places like the SOA.
9. Use media advisories, news releases and follow-up calls to get media coverage of your community events, vigils, speakers or demonstrations. (Visit the SOA Watch website or contact the office for sample press releases and more).
10. Produce and distribute public information in the form of flyers, stencils, graffiti, posters, etc.
For many local groups, organizing to bring people from their community to the annual November vigil is the primary focus of their work for much of the year. People mobilize around fundraising for travel scholarship, filling a bus or van and getting the word out about their group's trip to Georgia.
Some SOA Watch local groups organize an event one or two months before leaving that draws in new people from their community and that lets people know about how they can become more involved and attend the vigil. One idea your group might want to consider is organizing an event around October 12, Indigenous Peoples' Day and Día de la Raza. This could be a great way to get the word out about the SOA and do coalition building with other groups mobilizing for this international day protesting the legacy of colonialism and continued repression of indigenous rights.
So you're ready to organize?
There are many aspects to organizing an effective and powerful local group, and there isn't enough space here to expand of many of them. On the SOA Watch website, however, you'll find many more resources for organizing, including information on fundraising, research, developing a campaign plan, planning actions, organizing meetings and mobilizing for the November Vigil to Close the SOA.
It's critical to think about what kind of structure and decision-making plan your group will adopt, to build community together and to develop allies.
Creating egalitarian structures
Most organizations concerned with social justice find themselves in the dilemma of fighting for equality in a society while at the same time working within hierarchical structures.
They struggle with forming structures to work in that mirror the society they want to create. This task is very difficult, but here are some thoughts on how to begin.
It's important to hold structured meetings with a rotating facilitator, and to let each person choose her own role and title. The group can then collectively agree upon expectations for each role. In meetings, always let someone who has not spoken talk before someone who has. Rotate leadership positions.
It is critical to develop clear structures of accountability. Establish a common understanding of what should be done if someone is not able to fulfill their assigned tasks. Often in more egalitarian organizations, individuals may not hold formal positions of power, but they do hold informal positions of power. As a result, it is often difficult to address these problematic dynamics because they are informal. Establish within the group some process that allows people on a regular basis to assess and discuss the power dynamics within the group.
For major decisions, vote using a consensus model that requires everyone to agree on an outcome that is best for the project. Remember that smaller decisions can be left to individuals. For the consensus model to work, however, everyone must take responsibility for the group process and realize that consensus is built on compromise. Thus, if an individual feels strongly enough to block consensus on an issue, she should also come up with an alternative suggestion that can bring consensus. Test the impact of tough decisions with trial periods.
Keep stirring the pot: co-sponsor projects with communities you do not already attract. Broaden your issues to diversify your following.
We all have something to teach, as well as something to learn, so provide equal access to skills and knowledge. Build community by making time to do fun activities and celebrate together.
Building Community
To organize effectively, it is important to both build communities of support and involve pre-existing communities in your work. Here are some issues to consider in building community.
1. Define the communities in which you will work.What are the various and groups and communities to which everyone in the group belongs (geography, ethnicity, religion, occupation, etc.)? Which of these communities is most directly affected by the issue you are working on?
2. Plan your outreach When and where do you naturally come in contact with the other people in your communities? What mobilization strategy would work best for the community and the issue? Door-knocking? School organizing? Individual networking? What individuals or groups might be a little more difficult to get involved, and what would facilitate their participation?
3. Design the materials What basic printed materials are needed to give people an idea of the group and your issue? How do the materials need to be crafted to appeal to each group with which you want to work?
Handing our materials to people is not a substitute for personal interaction. How can material distribution be complemented with other forms of outreach?
4. Identify leadership and specific skills What types of skills or equipment are needed for the campaign? Computers? Artists? Good public speakers? Who else should be involved? How can they be approached?
Developing Allies
One you have developed a base from which to organize, you want to develop as many allies as possible to support your campaign. Here are some suggestions for building allies.
1. Reach out What resources to you still need and what other groups or organizations might have them? Is the issue one that other organizations will have an interest in? Does your organizing effort encompass the diversity of the community? If not, how can you expand your effort to bring more people in?
2. Find potential allies Make a list of groups or organizations that might have an interest in the issue. Make a list of groups outside the community with potential interest in the issue. Who, within these target groups, do you already know? Who do you know who might know members of target allies?
What potentially sympathetic groups may have greater access to the decision-makers and the power-brokers for your issue, and how might you approach them? Do not be quick to write off some groups as the "enemy." With creativity, it is often possible to frame an issue in such a way to build relationship with groups that might initially seem to be your opponents.
What alliances can you build outside your local area? All local issues have regional, national and global implications. How can you build alliances on these levels to further your goals?
3. Approach allies For those groups with which you do not have a direct link, who is the best person to approach that group? A member of a similar group? Someone who knows someone in the group? What types of commitment and arrangements do you want from allies? Endorsements? More substantial participation? Funds? Other resources? What all the options for involvement? If they are not willing to participate on the level you wish, what other ways can they participate?
What components of the effort are you willing – or not willing – to compromise on? Goals? Strategies? Tactics? If a group is so ideologically different from your group to make a formal alliance impossible, are their informal alliances that might be possible to carve that would still further your goals?
Approach all potential allies with respect – offer them a real role in the campaign. Develop a schedule for talking with potential allies, plus some activities to get them involved.
Many thanks to Incite! Women of Color Against Violence for much of this organizing information.
