the.com/community activism
democracy practiced between elections, usually by people with day jobs and no budget.
means organized, grassroots effort by residents to change conditions in their own neighborhood or city.
from the term crystallized in 1960s america as civil rights, tenant, and welfare-rights movements shifted power from distant institutions to block-level organizers, building on older traditions of mutual aid and union organizing.
saul alinskywrote the 1971 organizing manual still taught today
low costoften runs on potlucks, flyers, and volunteer hours
scales uplocal tenant unions have toppled citywide policies
backfires possiblenimby activism uses identical tools for opposite goals
for instance
montgomery bus boycott — 1955 alabama, neighborhood carpools broke segregation law
young lords — 1969 harlem group forced better garbage pickup and healthcare
acorn housing fights — 1970s-2000s, blocked evictions across dozens of us cities
standing rock — 2016 north dakota, local tribe drew global pipeline protest