Do you know what the bread and butter of organizing work is? Conversations.
My job is one-on-one conversations which build into group conversations which build into action. When my organizing is focused on federal legislation, like the For The People Act, the conversations are very intentional. And if you pay attention to the media coverage, Senator Manchin kept me talking a lot this past weekend.
I was in a lot of conversations with people who weren’t real sure about what the For The People Act was about, which is understandable since it’s like 800 pages long. I never minded taking the time to explain stuff like this because it’s important and it means that people are becoming concerned and/or interested, which is exciting to me. Some conversations ended with a promise to support the work being done while others were filled with people naming work that needs to be done.
Sounds good, right? I mean, noticing gaps in messaging is helpful. But pointing out the gaps as part of someone else’s honey-do list is. Well, not so helpful.
I can’t tell you how many conversations that I ended with a call to action on “their” part have been twisted around to be something that someone else needs to do. It’s the old bob-and-weave of organizing. We agree “this” is the problem (be free to substitute Manchin’s support of racist voter suppression laws here), but we don’t agree on whose job it is to change it. Let me give you an example:
Me: I’m glad you see the need for this bill to pass. Will you commit to write a letter to the editor/invite 5 friends to the next event/host an event to help move this?
Them: Those are good ideas, but what someone needs to do is have their employer write a letter and find someone to pay for radio ads.
Me: Great ideas. So, taking this back to you …
Them: I bet you can find someone to make the phone calls.
Me: Would you be interested in doing that?
Them: Oh no. I don’t have the time for any of that. But I bet you could call her and ask for his phone number and then you can … and then try …
And that’s really not the way this is supposed to go. I’m supposed to find other people passionate about the same issue to get involved.
Some asks are easier than others. If it’s something that people experience daily and makes their lives difficult then they’re typically quicker to respond “Yes” to taking action. But if it’s something lofty, something that they can’t immediately see in their lives, then the ask is a little more difficult to fulfill, in my opinion. And people are more interested in attending an event than hosting/organizing one.
The hardest part of organizing is, in the words of my first mentor, not doing for someone what they can do for themselves. Most organizers I know are doers. It’s hard to not do the work, especially if you’re used to being the one asked to do the work. It’s especially hard if the people you ask to take on a task throw it right back on you.
We organize all the time and don’t even realize it. If you’ve hosted a gathering, say a lunch date with a group of friends, then you’ve organized. I think it’s a term that most of us were unfamiliar with until President Obama took office. It’s not usually glitzy; organizing is the most demanding job I’ve ever had, to be honest. Working with people is messy, especially when they are emotionally charged about something.
There’s this line you can’t cross when you work with people. You don’t want to make them mad because that reduces the chance of them doing something for you. You also don’t want to keep them in a space of crisis, which is hard at times when it’s the crisis that brought you together in the first place.
I love my job. I actually feel as if this is what I’m supposed to be doing. But it’s rough. I sit and reflect on each day, what went well, what didn’t, and relying on people is actually getting in touch with people, so answering machines and unanswered emails are a drag.
But here’s the thing … I’m going to get up tomorrow and do it all again. I’m going to reach out to strangers, acquaintances, and friends to see if they are interested in reaching out to Sen. Manchin and asking him to be on the just side of social justice. I will get some who say yes and others who say no. And I will know it’s worth it.
Get involved. Someone out here is waiting to sign you up.
Onward,
Amy Jo
