“Strategy is the road resistance walks to freedom.” – David Swanson, How the People Got Their Groove Back: What a Bunch of Farmers Can Teach a Bunch of Occupiers About How to Keep on Going
Over the last few months human dignity groups and newly developed Occupations in over 40 Oregon small towns have held creative and inspiring community actions. Groups have come together for statewide actions by and for rural Oregonians including 5 towns holding simultaneous “Occupy Walden” actions at Congressman Walden’s offices, and 23 communities Occupied their Post Office on December 19 to save rural post offices. As far as we can tell, Oregon leads the country in rural, small town occupy organizing.
This is an exciting moment in history. How do we best build from this moment? What are the next strategies for the Occupy movement in rural and small town Oregon?
Sometimes we need to step back and reflect. We need to set aside the time to analyze where we are, how the context we are organizing in has changed (or not), and think strategically about how we move forward.
What is the activity? This month’s Kitchen Table Activism asks your group or Occupation to gather activists, volunteers, and leaders to spend some time reflecting on strategy and next steps. (Below are two great articles to prime the pump for this conversation!)
The Rural Organizing Project is holding a series of Occupy Strategy Sessions to step back, reflect and think through the big questions around this movement. These are “think tank” conversations - it doesn’t matter if you have joined Occupy work or find your activism somewhere else. The purpose is two-fold: to help shape thinking for rural and small town strategy across Oregon and to share ideas and strategies that are relevant for local organizing.
Steps to Complete this Activity:
1. Use these articles to frame a conversation about next steps for building this movement in your community. Send these two article links out to your human dignity group and Occupy activists:
Occupy Wall Street: Why Now? What’s Next? Naomi Klein and Yotam Marom in Conversation
2. Contact the ROP to schedule a Strategy Session with your group to help shape statewide strategies and actions. ROP is eager to set up a “think tank” with your community to compare small town strategies that are working across the state and to think critically about how we build on this moment in rural and small town Oregon. (Or contact us to talk through ideas for your group’s conversation on the articles and some next steps!)
3. Mark your calendar for the Rural Caucus and Strategy Session on Saturday, May 12th in Woodburn. We will bring the thinking, learnings, and ideas from these Strategy Sessions to the “Occupy track” of the Caucus this year. Email cara@rop.org for a registration form.