The 99% Spring

Under the umbrella of the “99% Spring,” a broad coalition of progressive activist organizations plans to gather 100,000 individuals across the USA from April 9-15 to participate in trainings to “tell the story of our economy, learn the history of non-violent direct action, and get into action to win change.” Their call declares:

This spring we rise! We will reshape our country with our own hands and feet, bodies and hearts. We will take non-violent action in the spirit of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Gandhi to forge a new destiny one block, one neighborhood, one city, one state at a time.

The following letter offers some suggestions to the organizers of this promising project. You are invited to suggest changes or additions to these recommendations and to invite others to do the same.

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Dear 99% Spring:

Your call for action looks promising! The need for coordinated national action to address economic injustice and political corruption is immense. I’ve signed on and have encouraged others to do the same.

Particularly encouraging is your promise to be rooted in the spirit of King and Gandhi. Given this commitment, please consider honoring the following principles that were affirmed by King and Gandhi:

Focus on “winnable demands.” We need to build momentum by winning concrete victories that make a real difference. Achieving this goal eventually needs to include coordinated national action focused on governmental policy.

• Be willing to negotiate. Present proposals for action to key decision makers, try to discuss those proposals with them, and utilize public demonstrations when those negotiations fail
• Seek reconciliation, not victory. Our primary problem is our social system. We need not scapegoat particular administrators of that system, which we must transform. We can seek win-win solutions that benefit everyone in the long run.
• Adopt the three-fold path. Deep nonviolence integrates the personal, the social, and the political. By building alternative communities that nurture ongoing self-improvement as well as engaging in effective political action, we can strive to be the change we seek and better sustain our movement.
• Circulate a written pledge. Putting our commitment in writing can deepen and clarify that commitment. For a contemporary example, see the Occupy Be the Change Pledge.

In addition to those methods that were employed by King and Gandhi, please also consider the following recommendations.

• Home-based teams. Suggest that participants in this project who live in the same Congressional district meet regularly in a home or community center to share a meal, get to know and support one another in their self-improvement and political efforts, and decide together about activities to nurture a caring, activist community among themselves.
• Be open and transparent. Post on the Web financial statements as well as information about your decision-making structure, staff, policies, and plans for action.

Thanks for your consideration.

Carry it on,
Wade Hudson