What is political organizing? When I began working toward a May Day action back in December, I had only one mental image of organizing. I imagined meetings with dozens of attendees, motivational speeches given at core moments, and sprawling actions organized by a dream team of friends and co-conspirators. I imagined it would be easy to get 1,000 students out of class on May 1; we just had to do the work. We didn’t get those 1,000 students, but this is far from a story of failure and defeat.
Over 100 community members and students rallied on Friday at the Tappan bandstand. It was cold and gray, but we cheered, sang songs, and came together to celebrate joy and action in the face of fear. In that moment, I felt connected not only to my Oberlin community but also to the hundreds of thousands of other people around the country fighting for what is right. All of us were demanding that the system work for us and not against us, that the people should hold the power, and that students deserve to have a say in how their institutions are governed. We got to this point by creating a community passionate about making events like May Day happen. It is an inherently social process, one rooted in shared responsibility and decision-making. Ours was connected to thousands of other similar communities around the country. On May 1, we joined with at least 5,000 other protests happening in all 50 states.
Nationwide events with thousands of separate actions, like May Day, aren’t simple. They require hours of work from hundreds of dedicated people with coordination, care, and joy. The second definition of organizing, then, is the hard, intentional work of making a community. At Oberlin, this was not an easy process. I know that I failed more times than I succeeded, and I’m proud to admit it because it means I was learning. We organized for months with many caring, smart, and strong hands, and we still have a lot of work to do. To make lasting change to the world and its systems, we need to be connected and thoughtful about what we do and how we do it. We need to be organized.
It’s easy to write and think about getting involved in organizing, but it’s another thing entirely to actually do it. I want to end this piece with some recommendations and requests. The first step to involvement is to explore what you’re passionate about. You don’t have to settle on one thing, but once you have some ideas, find a group that is doing what you care about. We have so many student groups on campus that I guarantee one of them will interest you (or you could start your own! It’s fun, I promise). Sign up for their email list, and congratulations, you’ve taken the first step. You’re making progress, but you’re not done.
Once you’ve gotten involved in an organization, I urge you to put in the energy to make your experience truly wonderful. That may mean setting aside a couple of hours every week to talk to people in the organization, it may mean taking on a leadership role, or it may mean a hundred other things in between. The more effort you put into building a community and sharing the responsibility of leadership, the more return on your investment you’ll feel.
My last request is that you learn. This can take so many forms. Talk to your peers who have been in the organization in the past. I guarantee that they have valuable information about the dynamics and systems at play. You can also read about previous organizations that have done similar work and learn from them. I know I have learned so much just from reading about ACT UP protests during the AIDS crisis. There are also people who may have the information that you may not think of. At Oberlin, professors are an incredible resource for the history of organizing on campus (and beyond). You don’t need to blaze a completely new trail when a trail already exists.
The only way we make the world a better place is by organizing. The only way we organize is by doing the hard process of learning and working together. What will you do today?
