"Grassroots protest for change may emerge at any moment and be progressive, potent, and victorious. These movements gave new hope that a renewed focus on the "bread and butter" issues of traditional organizing - would result in new progressive organizing and social change."
No important social justice or welfare legislation has ever been passed without a significant fight or challenge over time. The fight for civil rights, social security, health care, housing, income, food security, women's reproduction rights, right to marry, have all been long term battles and are still being fought today (Mondros, 346).
They all got started on a small level and grew to become large scale endeavors that required good organizing and good ideas to over come the status quo. Beginning as grassroots movements, how did they progress to something more and what were the approaches to obtain social change?
When seeking to make social change, Mondros believes we require social action, legislative action, and political action to see the changes we wish to see. Being social workers mandates that we be active in the processes to help promote these changes and learn how to be advocates for those that are marginalized and oppressed (pg 346).
The NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) is an excellent example of a civil rights group that promoted social activism. Social action strategies are used by groups, like the NAACP, to try to gain enough power through power holders (like government officials, representatives) to change social conditions (Mondros, 347). Rosa Parks, famous for setting off the year long Montgomery Bus Boycott, was actually a member of the NAACP and had been for 12 years, serving also as a Secretary. The summer before she was arrested, Parks had attended a training at a labor and civil rights organizing school that lasted for ten days. During her training she learned about other civil rights activities and other acts of civil disobedience. Her education about social action and her involvement with the NAACP gave her the opportunity and education she needed to make a bold social action and statement that led to the famous boycott (Loeb, 2005).
This action to me represents a consensus approach to community organizing and social action. The NAACP took efforts to "engage citizens in developing their local leadership capacity and to equip them with the knowledge, skills, and organizational power to make positive decisions affecting their social, emotional, environmental, and economic conditions" (Ohmer et all, 237). It took years for the civil rights amendment to be passed, but the fight was a long battle that ultimately prevailed.
Legislative Action - Right to Marry
Any form of legislative action is an attempt to influence political leaders to pass laws that will uphold or provide rights and protections, or in some cases to prevent passage of legislation that will violate rights (Mondros, 347). This next stage also involves a consensus approach by meeting with elected officials, writing reports, and educating or contributing to spreading the message to a larger population. Using social media, gaining support from experts, pursuing issues in court, electing candidates that support social views, help create policy formation, and participating in demonstrations are all ways to make successful legislative action (Mondros, 348).
The fight for gay marriage is a great example of legislative action for equal rights. Freedom to Marry is a social activism group that focuses on promoting legislative change. It's "Road Map to Victory" consists of 1) continuing to gain majority support of gay marriage across the country, 2) winning to the freedom to marry in more states, and 3) ending federal marriage discrimination.
Founded in 2003, the organization has helped create the climate where 25 states now have the right to marry, gained a large majority support for same sex couples, and helped contribute to the dismantling of SCOTUS's "Defense of Marriage Act" in June of 2013 (Freedom to Marry). By using influence over the legislative branch, more and more couples are experiencing the freedom to marry.
Political Action - Planned Parenthood Action Fund
Political action requires building support and convincing voters the importance of voting for an organizations issue or candidate. Planned Parenthood Action Fund educates citizens on a local scale and engages in elections, influencing legislation, advocacy, voter education and organizing in communities. PPAF also has a high success rate of supporting candidates that are pro-choice and support healthy family planning. In 2012, the PPAF spent $5,039,114 and had a success rate of 98.76%. They supported 7 winning candidates and opposed 7 losing candidates, which is where 80% of their funds went that election year (Young).
Whether the action is social, legislative, or political, all of these actions attempt to transfer power and resources to change lives, all the actions of continuous and must be waged over a long period of time, and any of these actions can be done at the micro, mezzo, or macro level (Mondros, 351).
These actions can be done together, but they also have merits of being done separately. But it is agreed that "Power will have to be built from the bottom up one neighborhood at a time" (Mondros, 356).
References
Freedom to Marry. Retrieved from: http://www.freedomtomarry.org/pages/about-us
Mondros, J. (2013) Political, Social, and Legislative Action. In Weil, M., Reisch, M., & Ohmer, M. L. (Eds.). (2013). The handbook of community practice (2nd ed, pp. 345 - 360). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Ohmer, M and Brooks, F. (2013) The Practice of Community Organizing. In Weil, M., Reisch, M., & Ohmer, M. L. (Eds.). (2013). The handbook of community practice (2nd ed, pp. 233 - 248). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Loeb, P. (October, 2005) The Real Rosa Parks: Separating the myths around her life from the (far more inspiring) realities. Mother Jones. Retrieved at: http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2005/10/real-rosa-parks\
Young, Lindsay. "Outside spenders' return on investment". Sunlight Foundation. Retrieved from: http://sunlightfoundation.com/blog/2012/12/17/return_on_investment/
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