Donald Trump has once again ascended to the Presidency. Below we lay out
our recommendations for how to respond. ---- Included at the bottom of
this text are a collection of articles, audio pieces, and other
resources that provide what we are calling "on-ramps" to organizing. by
Black Rose/Rosa Negra's External Education Committee (EEC)
1. No Choice But to Fight
The "choice" of this election, like all elections, presented us with no
choice at all: one program of open reaction and the other friendly-faced
genocide. Still, a Trump victory was far from inevitable.
Presented with an opportunity to overhaul their platform, the Democratic
Party instead swapped one stand-in for another without any significant
change in position. This was most glaring in Biden and later Harris's
willingness to sacrifice the votes of Muslim and Arab Americans by
refusing to even slow-let alone stop-US facilitation of Israel's
genocidal wars in Gaza and Lebanon.
But other factors prevailed too, including the Democrats' failure to
articulate anything resembling a plan to address compounding crises
around profit hungry price-gouging, the cost of living, housing, bodily
autonomy, or healthcare.
It is impossible now to argue that Trump is an aberration. He is as
American as apple pie, a product of the system of domination that
structures our society. If we are to confront a second Trump
administration, we must also confront this system of domination-a task
that will require organization, bravery, and commitment.
So here we are. While you might be feeling fear, anger, and despair
right now, it's not a time to back down. It's time to step up.
2. Hit the Streets
Mass demonstrations and protests play an important role in lifting
spirits, creating a sense of shared purpose, and publicly displaying the
potential power of organized movements. They are especially important in
the moments immediately after a crisis or major event-like the one we're
living through right now.
But demonstrations won't be enough. For decades we have seen the limits
of mass protest marches. While symbolically powerful, they fail to
create the kind of leverage needed to dramatically shift the course of
events. To create this leverage we have to...
3. Get Organized
Bring the energy from the streets back home by getting organized and
building power in everyday institutions of social life. This might mean
organizing a union at work, a tenant union at your apartment complex, an
assembly in your neighborhood, or a student organization at school.
In places where these organizations already exist, our task is to build
rank-and-file capacity to lead from below and turn them into effective
fighting organizations.
Don't get us wrong, none of these things are simple or easy to do-that's
the point!
If we want to create real material leverage that can meet the moment,
fight back the worst of what Trump has planned, defend ourselves, and
ultimately transform society from the bottom up, we have to build
durable organizations that can exert popular power in the places where
we work, live, or study.
For pointers on where and how to get started with organizing to build
power, check out our "on-ramps" for organizing at the bottom of this
article. We need to get organized so we can...
4. Grow Our Movements
As we saw with the first Trump term, millions of people will now be
looking for places to channel their frustration-many are going to be
open to developing a systemic critique of capitalism and the state. We
must be prepared to welcome these newcomers with open arms, patience,
and kindness.
Rejecting both paternalism and structurelessness, our movements have to
be places that educate and arm people with the tools to fight
effectively, while also maintaining truly democratic and bottom up
structures.
We're not building exclusive activist clubhouses, we're building
combative mass movements that can fight back and win. Movements and
movement organizations that are truly welcoming, democratic, and led by
the rank-and-file have the potential to...
Movements shut down airports around the US during the 2017 Trump "Muslim
Travel Ban".
4. Put the Hurt On
Days of action reinforce that we're not alone in our outrage. But
protest leaders rarely direct that righteous anger against the people
and institutions that play crucial roles in supporting or carrying out
repressive policies.
Amidst Trump's first term, movements learned to focus collective
pressure. For example, targeting airports with mass shutdowns and
welcoming parties for migrants stymied his first attempt at a Muslim
ban. Later, thousands set up encampments outside Immigration and Customs
Enforcement (ICE) facilities to demand an end to the administration's
vicious kids-in-cages and child separation policies.
To counter the repressive policies of the incoming administration, we
must identify strategic targets and force them to reckon with our
collective strength.
Still, while protest marches or even prolonged actions might disrupt the
normal function of society for a short period, organization in everyday
sites of struggle-our workplaces, neighborhoods, and schools-can create
deeper, more prolonged disruptions that really put the hurt on. We saw
examples of this too during the first Trump term, where some
experimented with neighborhood assembly models that had success in
protecting migrants by disrupting the activity of ICE.
Once we've built the organization and power, we have to exert it through
labor, rent, and student strikes, as well as other confrontational mass
tactics and approaches that can disrupt business and politics as usual.
Like we said at the top though, Trump is one symptom of a broader system
of domination. To combat and ultimately end that system, we need a long
term strategy to...
5. Consolidate Popular Power
To confront this moment our most immediate tasks are building
organization and exerting power through disruptive tactics. But we can't
stop there.
Organized disruptions give us a taste of our real power: we make this
world run, and we can make it stop, too. But what would it look like to
democratically control where we live, work, or study...for good?
We call this popular power, the ability of combative social movements to
give people the leverage needed to begin exerting control over their own
everyday institutions. Building the organization and power to confront
our present moment is one step toward this greater popular power.
Members of Black Rose/Rosa Negra in a demonstration supporting the
liberation of Palestine.
6. Find a Political Home
While organizations rooted in everyday sites of struggle are the
frontlines of any effective mass social movement, we also recognize the
importance of having a place to develop political perspectives,
strategies, and tactics that extend beyond this moment and toward a
revolutionary horizon.
Black Rose/Rosa Negra is our political home. We strategize together so
we can act together, all pushing in the same direction toward our
ultimate objective of social revolution and libertarian socialism.
Our political program: Turning the Tide.
If you're engaged in organizing to build power, reach out to us.
On-Ramps to Organizing
If you're new to organizing in a way that aims to build power and not
just mobilize for marches and one-off actions, you might be wondering
how and where to plug in.
We've collected here an assortment of articles, podcasts, and other
accessible resources on political theory and action, with a focus toward
ongoing campaigns.
For a deeper dive on these topics, we suggest our pages on sectoral
organizing and anarchist theory.
Anarchist Political Theory & Strategy
Who Are the Anarchists and What is Anarchism? by Black Rose/Rosa Negra
Especifismo: The Anarchist Praxis of Building Popular Movements and
Revolutionary Organization by Adam Weaver
Strategy and Tactics for a Revolutionary Anarchism by Lusbert Garcia
Anarchism & Strategy: Revolution, Counterpower, Counterculture, and
Problems of Organization by Zabalaza Anarchist Political School
Toward Palestinian Liberation
Deep Organizing Against Genocide: Palestine and Rooted Social Movements
by Black Rose/Rosa Negra
Palestinian Youth Movement Announces 'Mask Off Maersk' Campaign by Law
and Disorder
One Year In, the Palestine Solidarity Movement Is Adapting Its Tactics
by the Real News Network
Organize Your Workplace
First Time Organizers Talk About Their Campaign by One Big Podcast
How to Start a Union: Step By Step by More Perfect Union
Pre-Majority Unionism by Labor Wave Radio
Secrets of a Successful Organizer Training Events by Labor Notes
Organize Your Neighborhood
How to Organize Your Building by Tracy Rosenthal and Rose Lenehan
Building Tenant Union Capacity by Omaha Tenants United
Why Popular Assemblies Sweeping the Country are the Building Blocks of
Resistance by Sarah Lazare
Organize Your Campus
Toward a Student Unionism by Jasper Connor
The Student Intifada by Research and Destroy
How Anti-Fascist Moms Are Pushing Back Against the Far-Right and Anti
LGBTQ+ Bigots in Southern California by Its Going Down
Fight for Bodily Autonomy
Strategies to Defend Abortion Access: Three Essays by Three Way Fight
Winning Unfettered Access to Abortion by Against the Grain
How Anti-Fascist Moms Are Pushing Back Against the Far-Right and Anti
LGBTQ+ Bigots in Southern California by Its Going Down
Fight for Abolition
The Quiet Rollout of Cop Cities Across the US Meets a Growing Resistance
by Victoria Valenzuela
Database of Proposed Cop City Projects by Is Your Life Better
#NoCopAcademy: A Campaign Against Chicago's 'Cop City' by Craft of Campaigns
"To Push the Struggle Forward" The Fight to Stop Cop City Continues by
Millennials Are Killing Capitalism
https://blackrosefed.org/dont-panic-organize-trump-election/
_________________________________________
A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C E
By, For, and About Anarchists
Send news reports to A-infos-en mailing list
A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
our recommendations for how to respond. ---- Included at the bottom of
this text are a collection of articles, audio pieces, and other
resources that provide what we are calling "on-ramps" to organizing. by
Black Rose/Rosa Negra's External Education Committee (EEC)
1. No Choice But to Fight
The "choice" of this election, like all elections, presented us with no
choice at all: one program of open reaction and the other friendly-faced
genocide. Still, a Trump victory was far from inevitable.
Presented with an opportunity to overhaul their platform, the Democratic
Party instead swapped one stand-in for another without any significant
change in position. This was most glaring in Biden and later Harris's
willingness to sacrifice the votes of Muslim and Arab Americans by
refusing to even slow-let alone stop-US facilitation of Israel's
genocidal wars in Gaza and Lebanon.
But other factors prevailed too, including the Democrats' failure to
articulate anything resembling a plan to address compounding crises
around profit hungry price-gouging, the cost of living, housing, bodily
autonomy, or healthcare.
It is impossible now to argue that Trump is an aberration. He is as
American as apple pie, a product of the system of domination that
structures our society. If we are to confront a second Trump
administration, we must also confront this system of domination-a task
that will require organization, bravery, and commitment.
So here we are. While you might be feeling fear, anger, and despair
right now, it's not a time to back down. It's time to step up.
2. Hit the Streets
Mass demonstrations and protests play an important role in lifting
spirits, creating a sense of shared purpose, and publicly displaying the
potential power of organized movements. They are especially important in
the moments immediately after a crisis or major event-like the one we're
living through right now.
But demonstrations won't be enough. For decades we have seen the limits
of mass protest marches. While symbolically powerful, they fail to
create the kind of leverage needed to dramatically shift the course of
events. To create this leverage we have to...
3. Get Organized
Bring the energy from the streets back home by getting organized and
building power in everyday institutions of social life. This might mean
organizing a union at work, a tenant union at your apartment complex, an
assembly in your neighborhood, or a student organization at school.
In places where these organizations already exist, our task is to build
rank-and-file capacity to lead from below and turn them into effective
fighting organizations.
Don't get us wrong, none of these things are simple or easy to do-that's
the point!
If we want to create real material leverage that can meet the moment,
fight back the worst of what Trump has planned, defend ourselves, and
ultimately transform society from the bottom up, we have to build
durable organizations that can exert popular power in the places where
we work, live, or study.
For pointers on where and how to get started with organizing to build
power, check out our "on-ramps" for organizing at the bottom of this
article. We need to get organized so we can...
4. Grow Our Movements
As we saw with the first Trump term, millions of people will now be
looking for places to channel their frustration-many are going to be
open to developing a systemic critique of capitalism and the state. We
must be prepared to welcome these newcomers with open arms, patience,
and kindness.
Rejecting both paternalism and structurelessness, our movements have to
be places that educate and arm people with the tools to fight
effectively, while also maintaining truly democratic and bottom up
structures.
We're not building exclusive activist clubhouses, we're building
combative mass movements that can fight back and win. Movements and
movement organizations that are truly welcoming, democratic, and led by
the rank-and-file have the potential to...
Movements shut down airports around the US during the 2017 Trump "Muslim
Travel Ban".
4. Put the Hurt On
Days of action reinforce that we're not alone in our outrage. But
protest leaders rarely direct that righteous anger against the people
and institutions that play crucial roles in supporting or carrying out
repressive policies.
Amidst Trump's first term, movements learned to focus collective
pressure. For example, targeting airports with mass shutdowns and
welcoming parties for migrants stymied his first attempt at a Muslim
ban. Later, thousands set up encampments outside Immigration and Customs
Enforcement (ICE) facilities to demand an end to the administration's
vicious kids-in-cages and child separation policies.
To counter the repressive policies of the incoming administration, we
must identify strategic targets and force them to reckon with our
collective strength.
Still, while protest marches or even prolonged actions might disrupt the
normal function of society for a short period, organization in everyday
sites of struggle-our workplaces, neighborhoods, and schools-can create
deeper, more prolonged disruptions that really put the hurt on. We saw
examples of this too during the first Trump term, where some
experimented with neighborhood assembly models that had success in
protecting migrants by disrupting the activity of ICE.
Once we've built the organization and power, we have to exert it through
labor, rent, and student strikes, as well as other confrontational mass
tactics and approaches that can disrupt business and politics as usual.
Like we said at the top though, Trump is one symptom of a broader system
of domination. To combat and ultimately end that system, we need a long
term strategy to...
5. Consolidate Popular Power
To confront this moment our most immediate tasks are building
organization and exerting power through disruptive tactics. But we can't
stop there.
Organized disruptions give us a taste of our real power: we make this
world run, and we can make it stop, too. But what would it look like to
democratically control where we live, work, or study...for good?
We call this popular power, the ability of combative social movements to
give people the leverage needed to begin exerting control over their own
everyday institutions. Building the organization and power to confront
our present moment is one step toward this greater popular power.
Members of Black Rose/Rosa Negra in a demonstration supporting the
liberation of Palestine.
6. Find a Political Home
While organizations rooted in everyday sites of struggle are the
frontlines of any effective mass social movement, we also recognize the
importance of having a place to develop political perspectives,
strategies, and tactics that extend beyond this moment and toward a
revolutionary horizon.
Black Rose/Rosa Negra is our political home. We strategize together so
we can act together, all pushing in the same direction toward our
ultimate objective of social revolution and libertarian socialism.
Our political program: Turning the Tide.
If you're engaged in organizing to build power, reach out to us.
On-Ramps to Organizing
If you're new to organizing in a way that aims to build power and not
just mobilize for marches and one-off actions, you might be wondering
how and where to plug in.
We've collected here an assortment of articles, podcasts, and other
accessible resources on political theory and action, with a focus toward
ongoing campaigns.
For a deeper dive on these topics, we suggest our pages on sectoral
organizing and anarchist theory.
Anarchist Political Theory & Strategy
Who Are the Anarchists and What is Anarchism? by Black Rose/Rosa Negra
Especifismo: The Anarchist Praxis of Building Popular Movements and
Revolutionary Organization by Adam Weaver
Strategy and Tactics for a Revolutionary Anarchism by Lusbert Garcia
Anarchism & Strategy: Revolution, Counterpower, Counterculture, and
Problems of Organization by Zabalaza Anarchist Political School
Toward Palestinian Liberation
Deep Organizing Against Genocide: Palestine and Rooted Social Movements
by Black Rose/Rosa Negra
Palestinian Youth Movement Announces 'Mask Off Maersk' Campaign by Law
and Disorder
One Year In, the Palestine Solidarity Movement Is Adapting Its Tactics
by the Real News Network
Organize Your Workplace
First Time Organizers Talk About Their Campaign by One Big Podcast
How to Start a Union: Step By Step by More Perfect Union
Pre-Majority Unionism by Labor Wave Radio
Secrets of a Successful Organizer Training Events by Labor Notes
Organize Your Neighborhood
How to Organize Your Building by Tracy Rosenthal and Rose Lenehan
Building Tenant Union Capacity by Omaha Tenants United
Why Popular Assemblies Sweeping the Country are the Building Blocks of
Resistance by Sarah Lazare
Organize Your Campus
Toward a Student Unionism by Jasper Connor
The Student Intifada by Research and Destroy
How Anti-Fascist Moms Are Pushing Back Against the Far-Right and Anti
LGBTQ+ Bigots in Southern California by Its Going Down
Fight for Bodily Autonomy
Strategies to Defend Abortion Access: Three Essays by Three Way Fight
Winning Unfettered Access to Abortion by Against the Grain
How Anti-Fascist Moms Are Pushing Back Against the Far-Right and Anti
LGBTQ+ Bigots in Southern California by Its Going Down
Fight for Abolition
The Quiet Rollout of Cop Cities Across the US Meets a Growing Resistance
by Victoria Valenzuela
Database of Proposed Cop City Projects by Is Your Life Better
#NoCopAcademy: A Campaign Against Chicago's 'Cop City' by Craft of Campaigns
"To Push the Struggle Forward" The Fight to Stop Cop City Continues by
Millennials Are Killing Capitalism
https://blackrosefed.org/dont-panic-organize-trump-election/
_________________________________________
A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C E
By, For, and About Anarchists
Send news reports to A-infos-en mailing list
A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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