Grassroots Activism
Grassroots Activism is when people like you and me take action to make change. It means taking responsibility and action for your community using a variety of strategies including registering voters, fundraising or just encouraging and engaging others in political conversation. Grassroots is just what it sounds like; starting from the ground and building up. It involves making change
at the root of your community and getting on the grass to make that change happen. If you are serious about bringing about changes in social policy then grassroots activism may be the simplest and most effective way to do so.
How to Get Started
What you’re doing right now, actually, reading. Educate yourself on grassroots organizing. Understand the difference between global, federal and local activism. This will help you to find the type of activism that sparks your inner flame. How strong is your desire to make change?
Contemplate the level of involvement you believe you can commit to. Decide whether you have the time, energy and discipline to be an organizer, member, volunteer or just a supporter.
Then dive right in. Start joining organizations like the ACLU, the AntiDefemation League, the NAACP, the AFL-CIO, the National Womens Law Center and Planned Parenthood are just a few.
Do an online search for “advocacy groups near me” and “civil rights organizations”. For the
recent (2020’s) politics in the U.S. I recommend going to MoveOn.org.
Use Your Voice
It should go without saying, vote. Vote in every election. That means every year. Yes! There is an election every year. In the United States election day is always the first Tuesday in November. Go to usa.gov/when-to-vote for details. In Canada go to canada.ca . Read the ballot measures in your local area. Who is running for Sherriff, City Council, School Board, etc.? And then vote for the one who supports your morals and views. These local officials make and enforce the laws which affect your family most directly.
Read every flyer from your kids’ schools and the parent organizations and participate in the meetings. Get the agenda for your local City Council meetings and if there’s a subject that you are interested in, go! To bring something up you typically need to attend a meeting during the designated “public comment” period. Prepare the details of your request, perhaps engage a member or friend who agrees and make a day of it. You can find out where you can address the council about an issue that concerns you by sending a written request to the Office of the City Clerk, usually by providing your name, address, and a concise statement regarding the topic.
Social Media
Online platforms can be very helpful, but also harmful. If you are still on “X”, formerly known as Twitter, and you are not a right-wing-leaning person or organization, get off of it NOW! I don’t care if you have 1M followers. X has been taken over at the core by a group who specifically
allows and promotes hard right views and opinions. Much like the incoming 2025 government, there are no regulations and no guardrails. Facebook,Instagram and TikTok still have some rules, monitoring and reporting.
How to be socially safe from Trolls:
- Be sure that you are using ALL of the privacy tools available on the platforms.
- Take every comment with a pinch of salt. Choose the option to allow or disallow comments before they post to your page.
- Avoid commenting on things that make you mad. Say it to yourself or the screen out loud, but don’t give them the satisfaction of upsetting. That is more fuel for their fire. You keep your energy and your power to yourself. You’ll need that fire to spark the change you seek. Immediately block them and move on.
- Do post and share things that you feel will help to spread the word about important topics and helpful tools.
- Don’t spread conspiracy theories or un-verified information. Do your research and confirm “what you’re hearing” is the truth.
- Research popular subjects and hashtags and include them in the text and tags on your posts.
Organize and Mobilize
If you have decided to start your own grassroots movement it means to plan to dedicate a good portion of your life to your cause. If you are not ready to be an organizer start smaller by participating in meetings and/or Zoom calls with those organizations whose purpose matches your own. Ask for their toolkits and resources to spread the word. Volunteer to stuff envelopes, knock on doors, use specific hashtags on social media. Donate to organizations asking for funds. It takes money to staff, advertise and mobilize. Get involved in improving your community by “keeping your side of the street clean” as Taylor says. Volunteer at your local food banks,
soup kitchens, schools and local events.
If you are really fired up and want to start your own grass roots organization good for you .It is a big challenge so the first thing you must do is commit. Understand that the majority of your time and finances will be spent on, in and for your organization.
First accomplish these steps (according to Campaign Now):
- Gather the right people to buy into your ideas and goals.
- Make the right connections with the movers and shakers in your community.
- Motivate people to commit to being involved in order to make a difference
- Effectively spread the word so you can grow and accomplish your goals.
Here is a free online toolkit that may help you get started rightsanddissent.org https://www.rightsanddissent.org/resource/local-grassroots-organizing-toolkit/ .
Before you start any of these activities I recommend that you write down a mission statement.
What is it that you are trying to change? What are you upset about? What are you committing to do about it?
Grassroots organizing and activism are the forces that have made the most significant changes to our world, locally and globally. From the abolition of slavery, to the suffragettes, the end of apartheid, the civil rights movement and the election of the first black president all of these changes started with grassroots organizing.
Edward Hale, author, historian and Unitarian minister said “I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something, and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something I can do.”
Remember, as Jackie O said “One man can make a difference and every man should try.”
gdba 