(no subject)
Ai-Jen Poo (Director of National Domestic Workers Alliance, at the Grassroots Fundraising Conference) says:
"Taking a step back, let’s think about what we are up
against: economic and ecological crises at scales we are
still struggling to understand. A fundamentally violent
and unequal system that is deeply and historically
rooted-that is run by the corporate lobby and fundamentally
set up to fail the working majority of this country and the
world, that criminalizes entire communities and puts profit
before people. The rapid growth of the Right. The forces
that we are up against are enormous, entrenched and
incredibly well resourced.
Now, imagine for a second a social justice movement-
with strong leadership and broad organizing among poor and
working-class communities of color, united together with white
working-class communities organized to scale-say we had all
of the 11 million displaced workers in the economic crisis, and
we had millions of students and youth in campuses around the
country, and we had the millions of precariously employed pro-
fessionals, and we had a movement culture and infrastructure
that could hold anyone and everyone you meet walking down
the street who shares our values, from San Francisco to Omaha,
Nebraska, where anyone could join or contribute tomorrow and
find a home in our movement. Imagine the force of that kind of
movement directing its energy together.
Given what we’re up against, we’re going to have to build a
movement like that in order to realize our vision for another
world.
Like domestic work and organizing, fundraising is a labor of
love. It is really, really hard, but we do it because we know it is
fundamental to our survival and growth as a movement.
Like domestic work and organizing, there is tremendous dig-
nity in fundraising. If we approach it as providing opportunities
for connection and relationship, it can be as transformative and
powerful as it is challenging.
As people, we spend most of our lives chasing love-we are
completely committed to the notion that we need love, will
find love, should be in love. Love helps us feel less alone in the
world, it brings us joy, helps us feel connected. It’s also incred-
ibly generative. It changes us, it helps us feel that the impossible
is possible, that we can reach our human potential.
It’s been our experience in the domestic workers movement
that, given the right conditions, most people will choose love
and connection, to be a part of something positive.
It’s up to us to create those conditions and frame the work we
do so that people can see their own human potential in it. We
must create the everyday opportunities for millions of people
to demonstrate-with their time or their money or both-their
love for humanity, human dignity, and the earth."
"Taking a step back, let’s think about what we are up
against: economic and ecological crises at scales we are
still struggling to understand. A fundamentally violent
and unequal system that is deeply and historically
rooted-that is run by the corporate lobby and fundamentally
set up to fail the working majority of this country and the
world, that criminalizes entire communities and puts profit
before people. The rapid growth of the Right. The forces
that we are up against are enormous, entrenched and
incredibly well resourced.
Now, imagine for a second a social justice movement-
with strong leadership and broad organizing among poor and
working-class communities of color, united together with white
working-class communities organized to scale-say we had all
of the 11 million displaced workers in the economic crisis, and
we had millions of students and youth in campuses around the
country, and we had the millions of precariously employed pro-
fessionals, and we had a movement culture and infrastructure
that could hold anyone and everyone you meet walking down
the street who shares our values, from San Francisco to Omaha,
Nebraska, where anyone could join or contribute tomorrow and
find a home in our movement. Imagine the force of that kind of
movement directing its energy together.
Given what we’re up against, we’re going to have to build a
movement like that in order to realize our vision for another
world.
Like domestic work and organizing, fundraising is a labor of
love. It is really, really hard, but we do it because we know it is
fundamental to our survival and growth as a movement.
Like domestic work and organizing, there is tremendous dig-
nity in fundraising. If we approach it as providing opportunities
for connection and relationship, it can be as transformative and
powerful as it is challenging.
As people, we spend most of our lives chasing love-we are
completely committed to the notion that we need love, will
find love, should be in love. Love helps us feel less alone in the
world, it brings us joy, helps us feel connected. It’s also incred-
ibly generative. It changes us, it helps us feel that the impossible
is possible, that we can reach our human potential.
It’s been our experience in the domestic workers movement
that, given the right conditions, most people will choose love
and connection, to be a part of something positive.
It’s up to us to create those conditions and frame the work we
do so that people can see their own human potential in it. We
must create the everyday opportunities for millions of people
to demonstrate-with their time or their money or both-their
love for humanity, human dignity, and the earth."