Printable Version Email to a Friend This Article Brought to You By:

Grassroots Organizing and Fear

Fear is a natural part of life, though we don't like to think about it much. This is not entirely a bad thing. If we hadn't had someone in our lives who was afraid we would run out into the street, or fall into the river, many of us would not be here to read these words.

But eventually, just to get through life, we have to learn to cross the street, even knowing that we could be hurt or killed by a car. We have to find ways to deal with fear. For example, we have to figure out how to respect real risk (a speeding car is just as dangerous to a 21- year-old as to a 4-year-old) but still step off the curb and start walking.

We have to go through the same kind of process when we get involved in issues that impact our lives. Itês embarrassing, but when it comes to grassroots action, a lot of us adults have hardly stepped off the curb.

These days, it also seems that a lot of us are especially scared. We see in the media that our country is deeply divided. A lot of people out there are angry and intolerant of other peopleês opinions. Many of us who live in –conservative” areas ã and thatês most of Virginia ã seem to feel that we are going to be shut down if we speak up. Weêre not sure quite how this will happen, but it still keeps us a little quieter than we might otherwise be.

Yet we also know that there are a lot of people out there who are effectively changing the conditions that concern them, whether it be from a conservative or faith-based or anti-racist or government platform or some other perspective. How are these people different from the majority that is still waiting to –cross the street” into effective action on the issues that matter to us? In particular, how do these effective grassroots leaders deal with their fears and anxieties?

They know why they want to –cross the street”

Effective grassroots leaders all start as inexperienced people standing there, wondering how to get through the crazy world of politics and issues and policy-making. But they have a reason for taking action ã a reason that makes it all worthwhile. It might be an immediate issue of keeping their loved ones safe from dangerous traffic or a mismanaged polluted landfill, or it might be a yearning for world peace or a more moral society. Whatever it is, it is important to them.

Why do you want to make a difference? What is the difference you want to make? If you get that clear in your mind and keep it clear, short-term risks wonêt bother you as much. As the old saying says, –Keep your eyes on the prize.”

They understand the –rules of the road”

To a 4-year-old, a busy street is just a confusing mass of moving vehicles and occasional open spaces. If his ball goes out in the street, he runs after it where the ball is; thatês as good a place as any. But once heês out there, things can get confusing and scary very quickly.

Someone who is effective at changing unfair institutions understands that there are times and places to –cross the street.”

When you get concerned, or even outraged, about something that seems wrong to you, and you want to get it changed, you may jump right in to make that change. Of course, you have a right, guaranteed by the United States Constitution, to speak up about what concerns you.

But letês face it. Not everyone in power wants you to feel comfortable exercising your rights. Those who donêt want to hear what you have to say will often tell you that you did the wrong thing, came to the wrong place, and are talking to the wrong people. You may find yourself alone and embarrassed, not knowing who to talk to or what to say to get your problem dealt with.

The next time, you may decide not to rock the boat at all.

A person effectively making change at the grassroots level stops and figures out what agency or decision-maker is the right one to go, knows what form to file or question to ask, and how long to wait for an answer. (Of course, you donêt always have to follow the rules ã but you do have to know what they are.)

They know the –normal traffic patterns”

Decision-making, whether in government or business, is governed not just by written rules, but also by unwritten rules. Reporters are interested in certain kinds of stories; government officials respond more quickly to certain kinds of pressure; and so on.

Grassroots organizing is a lot less scary when we have a sense of what to expect.

A lot of us, when we think about grassroots organizing, think about the wildest things that could possibly happen. If we hold a press conference, Good Morning America might show up and give us nationwide coverage ã which would be great, but scary. If we put a sign in our yard, we might get arrested or shunned by all of our neighbors and relatives ã bad and scary. If we talk to our neighbors and a few of them say they will come to a meeting, they wonêt come, but other people will come and picket the meeting ã very scaryã or hundreds of people will come, and we will have to moderate an enormous rowdy meeting ã even scarier.

Every one of these things has happened to somebody. But will any one of them happen to you? Probably not.

An effective grassroots leader isnêt constantly scaring her- or himself with what-if scenarios. She learns about what has happened in similar situations, and then prepares for the reasonable possibilities.

They take risks, but not unnecessary risks

If your child has chased that ball across the street and now is crying and bewildered, you have to get over there quickly, even if it may mean holding up your hand and stepping into traffic. But you donêt do that every time you cross the street. Most days you can walk up to the corner and wait for the light to change, or wait until there are no cars in sight.

People who work effectively for justice donêt jump into dangerous situations without planning carefully. And they donêt take risks they donêt need to. That goes for any kind of risks, not just the dramatic risks like being hurt or jailed.

If you just got a job in a restaurant, you may not want to be the spokesperson for your group on a local food safety issue if it might get you fired. That shouldnêt be a problem for your organization. Somebody else can stand up on the issues this time.

Any time we see a real risk for someone, including ourselves, we should just be reasonable. No one in a grassroots organization should be put in a position to fear for their job or their family or their personal safety, unless there is a very good, well-understood reason for it.

Often, though, there is no specific risk like that. Instead, we are just kind of nervous; we know there are people out there who disagree with us, and we make them into the bogeyman.

Someone who is effective in grassroots action thinks through the risks, for her- or himself and for everyone else in the group. He or she takes precautions, and makes sure that the person taking the risk is able to handle it if things go wrong.

It helps to ask yourself –whatês the worst thing that is likely to happen?” If itês a nasty question from a reporter, or a crank call to your home ã well, those things arenêt fun. But if you are ready for them, they sure wonêt kill you.

Even if you are going to be a hero some day (and most of us wonêt), that day is not necessarily today. Choose your risks, think about them ã and then do what you need to do to deal with the actual situation you are facing. No more, and no less.

Theyêve just gotten used to –crossing the street”

Scary things usually get less scary with time. Even the most sophisticated, eloquent and calm community leader started out as nervous as anyone else. But, many meetings later, having seen a lot of wins and some losses, she can get up in the morning and just go wherever her heart and her goals take her.

There is something you did today that you used to be really scared to do. Maybe itês some part of your job, like giving an injection or driving an 18-wheeler. Maybe itês talking to somebody who once was a scary stranger, and is now your spouse or partner or best friend. Over time, it got a lot easier. The same goes for organizing.

They have a support system

Most of us cross the street alone. But even then, we are part of a whole community. If we fall down or get hurt, we can usually rely on someone being there to assist us. If we have a green light, or are crossing at a stop sign, we can usually count on the other people in our community to obey the rules and stop for us. If each of us was totally on our own, with everyone against us, we might never get across the street.

People seeking to change institutions are usually as effective as the connections they build. And those connections go a long way towards calming our fears. Even if we must be out front at a meeting ã as the spokesperson, maybe even appearing on television or speaking to a large group ã we know there are other people cheering us on. For that matter, even bringing the brownies or folding up the chairs after the meeting might be a big deal at some point in our lives. But when we are supported by other people, itês a lot easier.

They believe

Belief is a hard thing to talk about. But you canêt get across the street, let alone work on a long-term campaign on an issue that matters to you, without some kind of belief that gives meaning to what you are doing.

Whether your belief is a religious faith, or a set of political ideas, or just a gut feeling that life can be fairer than it is, it will help you get through scary moments.

Faith isnêt a substitute for being aware and strategic. After all, our intelligence and our support system are part of what we have faith in.

There is an old story about a church-going man who was in a massive flood. When people came by to save him in boats and even a helicopter, he sent them away, saying that his faith would protect him. Eventually, though, he drowned. In Heaven, he insists on complaining to the Person in Charge. His complaints ã –I thought I could rely on my faith! Where were you? Why didnêt you rescue me?” were carefully listened to. Then the answer came ã –I sent you two boats and a helicopter.”

Letês use all the gifts, talents and support we have been given (and letês keep alive whatever belief supports us and makes us strong).

To sum up, working for justice and democracy at the grassroots can be scary, and there are some risks. But every one of us does some scary things every day ã scary things we have learned how to do and that we no longer worry about most of the time. How did each of us get to where we are now? We got there because we wanted to, maybe we needed to. And we did it one day, one step at a time. Being effective for social change is no easier ã and no harder ã than that.

When we look at the society around us, we see that millions of people are simply ignored or treated with contempt. Their needs arenêt met; their concerns arenêt listened to; their problems and struggles are invisible to the mainstream media and policy-makers. Grassroots organizing is the best single way to change this situation. Can we afford not to take one step at a time, one day at a time, and slowly but completely, working together, gain power over our fears?