So you're ready to start a movement!
Is something really bothering you? Do you want to
change it? First, see if there's some organization already working
towards this goal, get involved with them - no
use in duplicating
organizations - you'll just spread your numbers thin. If there's not,
(which is much more likely for a local or single issue than for a national
or broad one), you may want to start something on your own.
First, you'll need people to work with - no one can do it completely
alone. You may want to start by talking with friends and seeing if
anyone around you is interested in the issues you are. Keep your eyes
and ears searching, and don't hesitate to approach someone who sounds
motivated - even if you don't know them. You can place ads in papers,
post to newsgroups, make up and hand out flyers, write on the ground in
chalk, or anything else you can think of to find people. You can
schedule a meeting and see what kind of response you get.
Once you have even two or three people to back you up, you're ready
to get started working. More people will show up as your visibility rises.
Different types of problems call for different types of activism. You
need to decide how you want to approach it. You should not simply say,
"hey, let's do this." You should compare the problem to the situation to
the message you want to send. There's no simple formula, and there are
many complex, intertwined issues, but it is possible, and useful, to
discuss what sorts of protest work best in what sorts of environments.
First, you must determine your problem. You need to be able to
articulate what is wrong with how things presently are. Choose a
specific, attackable issue. You can't say, "I don't like the University".
You can say, "I don't like the way the University tries to silence us by
having its controversial decisions made while students are not on campus."
It is often helpful to come up with some alternatives to be able to site
to people who challenge you.
Next, you must analyze the situation. How much power do you have?
What kind of power is it? Economic, political? Who has the authority to
change what you want changed? Is there a specific individual you can go
to, or is your target dispersed? Who are your allies? Your enemies? Do
you want to change one little things or do you want to create an entirely
new system? Don't forget timing. Will people be available to help out?
Will you be overshadowed by some other event?
Third, what sort of message do you want to send? Do you want to seem
willing to work within the system? Do you want to reject the system? Do
you want to make the public aware of the issues or do you want to target
those in power? Do you want the media involved?
Once you've done this, you are ready to determine what the best tactic
is in response to your issue. Here are some useful ones:
Meetings - Before holding a major demonstration, make sure
that those in power know you feel something is wrong. This works best
when there is a clear person in charge, but if not, meet with a
representative who can them speak with the rest of those in power. This
is a good starting place to find out how seriously those in power plan to
take you.
Flyering - When informing the public and this issue is your
goal, flyering is the tool. Make up sheets that are easy to read, and the
people passing by you can't help but become informed. You can inform
people orally as you pass out flyers, but you don't have to. It only
takes 1-4 people, and it raises consciousness. It's also a good
opportunity to help you find people interested in joining your cause.
Pamphlets - Pamphlets are a lost art today. Longer and more
informative than flyers, they were several pages of informative or
inspirational text. Sometimes, several would be put together into one
product. The pamphlets were then sold for a quarter or so to pay for their
production. They were most commonly sold to people interested in the
topics, but not yet knowledgeable about them.
Letters to newspapers - Sending a letter to the editor is a more
widespread way of informing the public, but often harder to achieve.
This is mainly consciousness-raising and trying to get people
interested. It works well on college campuses which have their own
newspapers because you are likely to be published.
Educational workshops - Change the ideas within a society by
educating its members. This is good when the problem is very widespread
and there is no target. Prejudice and stereotypes can best be beaten in
ways like this - by interacting directly with the public.
Petitions - Good when an individual or a group is in power and
will benefit by listening to you. (Re-election, continued sales, etc.)
The number in power is not important because you can send out many copies
of the same petition. Your cause will not get much media, and may be
ignored by those in power. However, petitions are beautiful, not in
their immediate success, but because they inform all they are asked to
sign that there is a problem, and gets people to make a written
commitment towards the issue. Once they have done this, social
psychology has shown that they will see themselves as more in favor of
your cause. (Sabini, 1995, p. 551-552)
Letter-writing campaigns - Great when you know who is in power
and you want to approach them directly, showing your willingness to work
within the system. Works best when the person in power is an elected
official who has shown himself to answer to his constituents. (Note the
Electronic Activist
as a way to e-mail members of Congress and here as a list of
the snail mail addresses for all members of congress. Snail mail is
more work, but is usually regarded more seriously than e-mail.)
Phone-in campaigns - Again, useful when there's specific
elected official you can target. This tactic is more useful for people
who seem not to respond to the public, because the phone calls can be
quite a nuisance.
Boycotts - Ideal when money is involved. Take the customers
away from a place, and what can they do but change? If they don't adapt,
they'll fail. Of course, this only works when your cause if popular enough
to get people to boycott a place.
Demonstrations - Ideal for informing the public and getting
them involved. Useful when you want to show how many people are
interested. Great in terms of media coverage. This tactic works well
for organizations which really heavily upon public image for this
reason. It works well in situations where power is in the hands of a
committee, because it becomes their responsibility to communicate amongst
themselves. You do not need to demonstrate in front of each person in
power individually.
Picket lines - Traditionally used by unions, picket lines a
great if you want to prevent people from using a service, patronizing a
store, etc. It's very public and makes people think twice before
entering. It works well with boycotts, again where the power is economic.
Sit-ins - Sit-ins try to stop the day-to-day actions of an
organization. They work best of university campuses, where students have
access to buildings, but also can work in offices, etc. However, you must
beware that you can be declared trespassing and arrested. IF this is the
image you want to portray, great! If not, make sure you are working with
an institution which will not have you arrested, perhaps in the name of
saving face.
There are also types of protests which are specific to the issue. Voter
registration campaigns for underrepresented groups, strikes by workers,
etc. are useful and should be considered based on your cause.