In October 2022, FCCAN hosted a community workshop, along with Dignity in Schools Week of Action to share some of the experiences from FCCAN community organizers, with a focus on teaching what our theory of change is- specifically some of the differences between what is community organizing, activism and healing justice work.
We hope this resource will serve as a helpful resource to ground in the theory and knowledge that informs our work & begins to defines what we’re doing and why. Making a difference is not just about charismatic leaders and huge protests. Social and political shifts are usually the result of sustained, unseen work. In order to make it real, we have to understand that every relationship with other people, or with the land we are on, is practice ground.
As an organization we believe that you can’t effectively organize across communities unless each respective community is building their own power. This is our theory of change, which informs our politics of coalition building. We wouldn’t have been able to accomplish or do the things we have done if we saw ourselves as just a singular group- that everyone is the same or we are all impacted by the same things in the same ways… This would have softened our politics. We understand that we aren’t all positioned the same or given the same opportunities ( what it means to be in solidarity) that is in regards to gender, ethnic markers, social status, etc. It actually makes us stronger and sharper to understand those differences, then have power to come together.
Our core ideological tenets of our organization that through each affiliate, campaign, direct action and program we are seeking to advance:
- FCCAN is a feminist organization which means we are constantly thinking about how we to defeat patriarchy , abolish patriarchy violence/ institutions- have analysis that police is form of gender based violence
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FCCAN is working to Advance Community control - the oppression we’re facing stems from colonial, white supremacist, capitalist control base of this country — We’re working to be able to self determine around safety, sovereignty and democratic control.
So, how do we define activism? Why does it matter and how does it differ from organizing and healing justice? This blog post will cover the first question, continiung in a series that will cover organizing & healing justice.
What is Activism?
Invitation to reflect:
- What is a social issue you are passionate about?
- What role do you want to play?
- What you want to do?
- How you want to do it?
- Why you want to do it?