Dear ROPnet,
February’s Meeting the Moment gathering helped us feel grounded and inspired. Over 60 of you joined us to build our strategy, skills, and analysis to Disrupt and Disobey in the coming months. Read on for a recap of that Zoom call, as well as what to expect from our upcoming Zoom “office hours” on Monday, February 24th from 6-7:30 pm PST!
Recap: February “Meeting the Moment”: Disrupt and Disobey
On February 10th, over 60 people from across the state gathered for our Meeting the Moment virtual gathering that focused on how we can disrupt and disobey the administrative coup we find ourselves in and how to build up to increasingly powerful disruptions in the months and years ahead.
We were joined by three amazing guest speakers:
- Daniel Hunter, author of 10 Ways to Be Prepared & Grounded Now That Trump Has Won and international trainer of organizers, currently based at Choose Democracy.
- Ahjamu Umi, organizer with the All African People’s Revolutionary Party and a longtime comrade of ROP.
- Cara Shufelt, organizer and former Co-Director of ROP, currently supporting our team part-time while raising a future movement leader.
In a dynamic fishbowl conversation, we drew on lessons we’ve learned from past campaigns that have made us more ready to meet this moment. Stay tuned for the recording! One participant shared:
“Hey there! The meeting was 🔥! That was prob the best thing I could have done to help myself feel like I have direction in this madness. The fact that others who know how to do this are there to listen to and learn from feels HUGE!”
Ahjamu also led us in a short safety training for organizers to build up and brush up on our skills. Stay tuned for the recording of the training on our YouTube. Let us know if your group could use some additional safety skill-building!
Some of the biggest takeaways, written in participants’ own words, were:
- “Disruption happens in increments – it is something we need to build.”
- “So many reminders of the things that we did in the 60s and 70s. The practice is really the most important part of the plan. It is the only way to go into auto pilot when the heat is on.”
- “Remembering the battle of Seattle filled my heart. We can get shit done. Cascadia in fact is uniquely effective. Generations of resistance.”
So what are these “office hours” and why should I come?
After our first few “Meeting the Moment” virtual gatherings around the election, we asked you all what would be most helpful. You answered that you wanted more spaces for building shared analysis and strategy, but also more spaces to connect face-to-face with other volunteer human dignity leaders around the state and build skills for your local campaigns. Our upcoming office hours are one way to do exactly that!
Register here for upcoming office hours on February 24th (this Monday!) and March 24th if you want support from ROP staff organizers on your local campaign planning, strengthening your group, or anything else related to your local organizing!
But wait, there’s more!
We’re going to need all the opportunities we can get in the coming months to gather together to build our analysis and power. Here are a few more gatherings coming up – put them on your calendar and register today!
- March Meeting the Moment: Defending Civic Institutions. Join us on Monday, March 10th with more brilliant guest speakers to discuss how civic institutions at different scales are either complying with the current administration’s coup or actively defying it, and how we as human dignity organizers can effectively defend civic institutions that are upholding democracy. Register here!
- The Rural Caucus and Strategy Session is the weekend of April 25-27th. Registration for the Caucus is now open! Register here by March 14 to receive the early bird rate and help ROP plan ahead. For more than 30 years, small-town and rural organizers and community leaders from across Oregon have joined together annually at the Rural Caucus & Strategy Session to reflect on the previous year and to set the direction and priorities for our movement for human dignity for the upcoming year. Join us to strategize about the organizing happening in rural communities and small towns across Oregon, connect with groups and community leaders from other parts of the state, and break bread together! Email sidra@rop.org and let us know what you are most eager to strategize around!
Warmly,
Sidra and the ROP team
PS. This year, Oregonians have access to Direct File, a FREE and easy online tax filing tool developed by the IRS.
