THE GOOD FIGHT
Action 7: Build solidarity to create the society you want
7A. Reduce barriers to solidarity
When are your meetings scheduled? How easy is it for working parents to attend at such times and in such places? Can you help provide childcare, or change the times and locations?
If everyone in your gatherings is from the same demographic, contact opinion-leaders and organizers from other demographics to explain the value you’re adding and the acknowledge the value that your missing by not being in an alliance with them. Ask them what you could do for them, and explain what they could do with you in the fight against fascism and for a better society. That way you can build that working alliance.
Listen to people. You don’t have to agree at first or necessarily ever, but you’ll learn plenty by hearing and reading their ideas about what’s wrong and how to make it right. You might surprise yourself by how much insight you gain when you let your ears do the work for you.
7B. Create a fortress of justice
Support businesses, media, school, houses of worship, and other groups that are fighting fascism and other forms of extremism. Promote them so others can support them, too. Help them support each other in alliance.
7C. Learn your people’s history
Whatever your gender, background, faith, ideology, or language, people from your identity have fought fascists, extremists, authoritarians, and other villains. Learn it! Then share it with others, and let them do the same for you.
7D. Serve vulnerable people and other people doing that work
With your money, time, food, skills, or logistics, support and/or restart local chapters of groups such as Food Not Bombs, Doctors Without Borders, the Industrial Workers of the World, and other groups in your faith, gender, cultural, labour, and other communities. When people can meet their basic needs together through collective action, they see the meaning of solidarity in action. Then they’re far more likely to join the struggle for justice, because they directly experience how great it is when it works.
7E. Learn from people doing effective work
All the following is from the University of Winnipeg Race, Racialisation, and Racism Interdisciplinary Guide:
- Canadian Anti-Racism Community Directory of national and regional organizations.
Media
Research and Advocacy
How can you use and/or modify these tactics for your union, faith community, club, school, workplace, family, or other groups?
How can you reduce barriers to solidarity so that more people can support you, and you can support more people who want to organize, fight, and win?
Share your ideas with others in the struggle!