aka Ken Smith: Activism toolkit

How activism actually works? Knowledge, attitudes, skills, tools, allies, and healthy institutions. All the stories of activists who were victorious, or who came close, or who maneuvered so they at least had a fighting chance, all of those stories from history include all six of those things, generously understood.#

Knowledge, not just your issue, but how power actually works behind the facades, and how hearts can be brought alive.#

Attitudes, not just confidence and curiosity, not just openness to others, but backbone and a sturdy heart.#

Skills, not just how to run the mailing list and talk to the press, but how to use every piece of gear a journalist uses, and how to talk to people, and how to listen with real curiosity.#

Tools, not just the vote and the letter to the editor. The phone call, the standing search, the yard sign, the summons, the phone tree, the class action suit, and more.#

Allies, because if you're alone the powerful ignore you or bump you into the ditch, whatever they prefer, and because allies amplify each other's voices endlessly.#

Healthy institutions, or at least somewhat healthy, because if the courts are corrupt you can't put pressure on the police or the legislators, and if the legislators are corrupt it takes forever to clean that up, and if the schools are corrupt then young people are broken-hearted from the start. At least some somewhat healthy institutions.#

If and when and where activists have assembled this kind of six-part toolkit, generously understood beyond this sketch here, they have had a chance. No full toolkit, no chance. That's what the episodes of activism in history teach.#

And even with the toolkit it takes time.#