Compassionate Social Transformation and Economic Justice

At the January 15 Compassionate Politics Workshop, one of the breakout groups will discuss: How can we contribute to compassionate social transformation by promoting economic justice?

The participants will respond to this question, listen to feedback, and then, if they want to, ask others to meet after the workshop to consider their idea more fully. Myself, I plan to present a summary of the following proposal and ask folks to join a team to improve and act on it.

My primary recommendation is that we first define the kind of national organization that we would ideally like to support. Structure and process are important. We need to be careful about how we organize. For many of us, our current methods may not be adequate because they are too impersonal. We want new, more compassionate models.

After we agree on what kind of organization we seek, we can then consider what to do next.

Your comments on our focus question and/or my proposal would be greatly appreciated. I’ll share your comments with workshop registrants beforehand and carefully review them, which may prompt me to amend my proposal prior to the workshop.

I believe a project focused on compassionate social transformation and economic justice needs to:

1. Establish that its governing board and staff will be inclusive, with strong representation from relatively disenfranchised communities. (Often white folks start a project and then try to recruit people of color to join them. In this case, concerning this proposal, I’ve consulted one-on-one primarily with people of color, who’ve been very supportive and helpful.)
2. Seek the comprehensive transformation of our society into a compassionate community dedicated to the common good of all humanity by fostering ongoing self-improvement, mutual support, and cultural change, as well as steady political and socio-economic improvements. (A comprehensive, holistic, systemic approach that nurtures simultaneous personal, social, and cultural change is essential. Having a long-term vision can help hold members together over time. At the same time, we need to be hardheaded and practical by concentrating on winnable, short-term goals.)
3. Promote efforts to establish the social conditions, including living-wage job opportunities, that individuals need to enjoy life, realize their potential, and participate fully in community affairs. (Providing everyone with adequate, decent opportunities to flourish is critical. The economy is the top concern among the general public. Popular movements need to address popular concerns.)
4. Declare that establishing those conditions is both a universal moral responsibility and in everyone’s enlightened self-interest. (Deepening moral commitments is important, but doing so does not preclude the acceptance of self-interest. We can love others as we love ourselves.)
5. Focus initially on promoting tax fairness in order to fund increased federal revenue sharing to local governments so they can hire more public-service workers to meet pressing social and environmental needs. (If tax rates for the superrich were the same as they were in 1970, we could hire millions of unemployed and underemployed individuals to do important work.)
6. Develop small home-based teams consisting of members who live in the same Congressional District and meet at least monthly to share a meal, report on their self-improvement efforts, support one another in those efforts if only by listening to those reports, and decide together how to support the work of the organization. (Such groups could provide members with the opportunity to participate fully in collective projects, grow deep social ties, and nurture spiritual strength through intentional efforts, all of which can help sustain activism over the long haul. Being based in Congressional Districts can facilitate building strong relationships with Congresspersons, who are particularly responsive to local pressure).
7. Enable all members to elect the governing board. (This can help ensure that the organization is member-controlled, which can boost enthusiasm because members know they have a voice in shaping the project.)
8. Be prepared to engage in nonviolent civil disobedience based on the principles of Martin Luther King if and when it helps achieve winnable goals. (King’s principles include a commitment to “justice and reconciliation—not victory.” This refusal to scapegoat “enemies” but rather love opponents is fundamental. However, if sincere efforts to elicit support from elected officials and key organizations are initially unsuccessful, respectful nonviolent actions such as sit-ins can gain their attention, garner public support, and lead to fruitful negotiations.)

Once we’ve agreed on the kind of organization that we want, we could look for one that meets our criteria, or is willing to move in that direction. If we’re unable to find one, we could incorporate a new organization. Or we could engage in public-education efforts to encourage the development of one, while asking individuals and organizations to pledge to actively support it if and when it launches.

This entire project is an ambitious undertaking. I make no assumptions about our prospects. But I believe this effort is urgently needed, want to give it my best shot, and hope that an inclusive team will form to pursue it. The San Francisco Bay Area has sparked new movements many times before. Perhaps we can do so again.

Tax fairness is going to be a major issue for years to come. If we lay the proper groundwork, we may help grow a grassroots movement that contributes to stronger legislation than would otherwise be the case, as a first step toward further reforms that benefit everyone.