Building Political Power Through Local Organizing

Family,

Without local organizing, there would be no Movement for Black Lives. Improving Black life and demanding the dignity we deserve requires Black political will and power. Throughout history, as we have built social movements from the ground up, we have tapped into the collective, sustainable power needed to dismantle systems of violence, and we will continue uniting in that fight in defense of Black lives until all of those oppressive systems are gone. Local organizing is key toward making that a reality, so we are investing in it more than ever.

As a part of building the Black future we’ve been dreaming of during this Black Futures Month, M4BL is taking organizing to the next level with our Local Power Initiative. The Local Power Initiative is a five-year strategy that builds long-term power for Black communities through organizing, base-building, electoral justice, and storytelling. Each community is unique and therefore requires a unique approach to building long-term political power. We know our neighborhoods, schools, and local politics better than anyone from outside the community, so it’s up to us to seek out neighbors, family, and friends, and get them involved in local power-building efforts. There is no power without the people.

Our Local Power Initiative is critical to transforming our Vision for Black Lives from a vision to a lived reality. We envision a society that is safe for all Black people. Through an intentional process, our Local Power sites are building campaigns that ensure Black autonomy and that make our communities safe.

At M4BL, we are building the world we need, and our Local Power sites use Black queer feminist, abolitionist, and anti-capitalist politics to dismantle oppressive systems of violence and rebuild our communities with our well-being in mind. M4BL’s Local Power Initiative currently exists in 15 cities across the United States and shares these five interconnected strategies:

1. Build functioning Black alternative infrastructures and systems: developing innovative systems that supplant antiquated and violent institutions like policing and prisons and create a model of public safety that works for everyone.
2. Weaken the power of the carceral state: the carceral state is the system of punishment in the United States and includes all aspects of life in which people are subject to surveillance and the threat of punitive policies under the premise of safety. Bailing people out who could not afford to free themselves is just one strategy our sites take to weaken this system.
3. Build effective Black-led coalitions: In order to build real, long-term power, M4BL organizations build alignment and coalition with other Black and multiracial organizations that share our vision for a world in defense of Black lives.
4. Develop strong local engagement: No one knows our communities like we know our own communities. So we must engage the people in those communities into this work. Nothing changes without the will of the people behind it.
5. Keep an eye toward a statewide strategy: As we build mass power in cities nationwide, we will turn our attention to multi-city organizing and state-based strategies.

Follow us on our socials below as we highlight some of our incredible Local Power sites, and learn how you can support their essential work!

In solidarity,
Movement for Black Lives

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