WHY OBAMA IS GOING TO WIN

Good old fashion hard work and organizing. It is really that simple.

Across the country, in all 50 states, organizers for Barack Obama are building committees in villages, small towns, cities and large metropolitan areas. The structure is simple and effective.

This is how it works: (1) organizers are sent into an area where they begin cold contacting people who have signed up for the campaign online, (2) When they establish a group of people who are willing to do some work they hold a organizing meeting and make these individuals "team captains." (3) each of these "captains" are then responsible for recruiting a five person committee with these positions: Team Captain, Data Coordinator, Volunteer Coordinator, Resource Coordinator, Phone Bank Coordinator, Canvass Coordinator (4) Groups are given responsibility for areas where they live usually based on wards and precinct maps from the city etc. (5) from here the different teams begin to organize different events e.g. canvassing, phone banks, house parties, persuasion parties, anything to get people together. (5) calls are made based on voter registration lists usually supplied through the Democratic Party. Here in Michigan that list is known as the Voter Activation Network (VAN) (6) The entire effort of this structure is geared toward Get Out The Vote (GOTV) on election day.

So here we have a well-documented, successful and proven method of organizing and mobilizing people to accomplish an agreed upon goal, in this case electing Barack Obama president. With the Obama campaign there is a emphasis in their meetings on telling personal stories, i.e. why they are here, what Barack Obama means to them personally etc. All of this is important because it creates a sense of belonging as well as an emotional investment in the future success of the campaign.

How easy would it be for Xicano organizers working in grassroots organizations to take this same model and apply it in the neighborhoods and towns where they live? In the society we live in, this is one well established route to political power. It is not rocket science, but it does take determination, hard work and the ability to try new things to make this happen. Unfortunately, that is where many of us fall short. If we see someone doing work and we think (usually based on political differences) that person is a vendido then we (unfortunately) make the connection their process is also corrupt and or not worth learning.

There are of course many different ways to approach this so my goal here is not try and press on anyone this is the way, it is one way and it is something we as a community are not looking at on a large scale. The bottom line is this type of organizing can provide something RAZA isn't used to seeing - victory.

Anytime we are working in a community, even if it is one we grew up in there must be a recognition of power differentials. So within organizing developing a pedagogy or a way of teaching is vital to our personal and community success. Paolo Freire, the Brazilian educator was very clear about this in his advocacy for talking circles among other things said, "The revolutionary's role is to liberate and be liberated with the people - not to win them over" (Freire).

How often do we go to RAZA with unrealistic goals about revolution, Aztlan, things people are not prepared to think or talk about. Using the strategy above and applying it even to organizations that already exist would provide another outlet for the frustration and hopelessness people feel. Our job is not to provide people with answers. It is to work along side others to create organization.

Change is inevitable - how that change is made is what we have control over.

Proaction - not reaction.

If you are reading this blog you probably get messages like this one all the time. 

"ATTENTION ALL LATINAS!

FRIDAY, AUGUST 22ND

4 PM 

JOIN US IN PROTEST AT I.C.E. OFFICES ACROSS THE NATION!

It is imperative that we send a message to I.C.E., President Bush and the upcoming Democratic Party Convention that there must be AN IMMEDIATE MORATORIUM ON ALL RAIDS, DEPORTATIONS, INCARCERATIONS AND SEPARATION OF FAMILIES!" 

The press release goes on to urge all to make some type of response about this very situation. It is a legitimate, important and ultimately futile appeal. 

This is why. 

As long as we continue to react to the structures that surrounds us we will forever be one, two, three steps behind those in power planning our future. Organization means planning. Planning not based on reactions to someone else's laws, attitudes or conception of the world. Organization and planning are initial counter hegemonic steps that allow us as RAZA or simply a community to begin and shape the world around us according to our own vision. 

Take the idea of a political party for Xicanos/Mexicanos and other Latinos in the United States. Most elected positions available on a local level across this country are non partisan. Which means you do not have declare a party affiliation to run. However, since our entire political system is dominated by two parties the reality of each situation is Democrats are running against Republicans. 

So how do we get started?

1. Picking your issues shouldn't be that hard. Our community is faced with a multitude of different problems people want to address. Keep it simple. Build a platform around addressable issues in the community. It is important to have direct conversation with people about their problems and what can be done to change our situation as people.

2. Decide the non partisan position you or your slate wants to run for. I suggest something local and kind of small.

3. Every incorporated entity be it a village, town, city, county has someone that acts as a clerk. This person's job is to keep records. (1) Lists of voters that have names, phone numbers and address, sometimes if you ask a record of when (not how) the person has voted. These lists are public record and fairly easy to obtain. (2) At this office will also be a map of the area you are campaigning in which will show you how the area you live in is divided up politically. This map is also easy to obtain.

This first exercise is about coming to an understanding of the politics around us and how they are physically carried out. Seeing how your city or town is already be subdivided and mapped to make the process of representational democracy easier to facilitate will help you be creative in figuring out how to take advantage of this in your own organizing. 

Finally, whether you whole heartedly agree with someone or not find a candidate who needs some help and volunteer for their campaign. This is a good way of getting a least a ground level introduction into how to get something like this done. 

Getting Organized

In Portland, OR., there is a controversy brewing around the renaming a portion of a highway and some street in the city after Cesar Chavez. While, public monuments are good and certainly a part of who we are as a civilization, maybe even the human race, they are almost always an attempt to capture the sentiment of a time that has pasted. 

In Lansing, MI., in 1993, we too had a community wide controversy over the renaming of a street as a way to honor Cesar. By decree of the City Council Grand Avenue, a street running through the downtown of Lansing was renamed Cesar Chavez Avenue after a very aggressive one man petitioning drive by life long Lansing resident Paulo Gordillo. To make a long story short, a local attorney, Fred Stackable and a local shock jock wannabe named Tim Barron teamed up for a petition drive to put the renaming of the street up to a vote among the citizens of Lansing. As a result the bid to keep the name Cesar Chavez Avenue was overwhelmingly defeated and the street was returned to its former name. We bear the distinction of being one of two cities in the country to have this happen. The other is Fresno, CA,. 

It was my first real look at politics, organizing and why sometimes it is important to vote.

Over the years I've seen first hand that if we really want to honor Cesar or any of the others who sacrificed so much (in the case of some their very lives) we would take the time to learn the skills needed to carry on their very important work. Never before has the ability to run community campaigns through grassroots engagement or organizing, whatever you want to call it been so important and badly needed. 

I understand how important something like this street can be but I truly believe it is about us getting it right, not them. As we work to build broad based coalitions across the country that will move RAZA toward a greater realization of what social justice can mean what greater tribute to Cesar could there be than for us to get organized?

Of course, the reality of that effort is much easier said than done. The first steps toward building mass mobilization efforts in our communities across the country must begin with attainable and realistic but challenging goals on the local level. 

Grassroots broad coalition mobilization in the Xicano/Mexicano community is the only political process that is capable of bringing the community together to work on common issues facing our RAZA. This type of work is accomplished through (1) organized direct contact and (2) collective activities designed to advance a common vision and challenge prevailing beliefs.

An important step in strategic planning is to (3) set goals for building mass mobilization capacity because define goals produce results. These (4) goals should be agreed upon by the members of your group or organization.

The recent immigration march in Dallas at least in reading about it on the web is a good example of how something like this might look. This article does a good job in showing a large cross section of the Dallas community that turned out for this immigration rally.

Their does not always have to be 500,000 people present for an event to be a success. Grassroots mobilization or Low Intensity Organizing works within communities to build resistance over a period of time. This allows groups of people to become educated about the political process not just issues. It is powerful because it (5) demonstrates the strength of your position by mobilizing community support, (6) is a proven method to defeat the rich and powerful, (7) builds real community power, (8) is effective on small budgets and (9) is a foundation of authentic democracy. 

Learning how to organize is important. Understanding and believing in what we can do with organization is even more important.