Organizers from People’s Action affiliates in seven southwestern states took part in an unprecedented regional gathering to strengthen their organizations and organizing skills.
“We know how incredibly difficult it is to be organizing right now, in this political climate, when a lot of the things and people we care about are under attack,” said Jo Jo Franklin, an organizer from the Colorado People’s Alliance. “So we’re organizing to continue to fight and create a better future.”
In Albuquerque, People’s Action members joined more than 150 fellow organizers from grassroots powerbuilding groups and networks from across the region, including dozens of local groups that are members of Faith In Action, the National Domestic Workers Alliance, Popular Democracy and the Grassroots Global Justice Alliance. In workshops, participants discussed strategies to break down the growing polarization they witness in their communities.
“We often find ourselves looking at our neighbor as a problem, more than people who are maybe in similar situations to us,” said Franklin. “And it really is more so that we need to unite, and we need to come together than be separated.”