The author, who prefers to remain anonymous, worked for several years as a field organizer for the largest public sector trade unions in the US, before becoming a teacher in a large urban district. He now organizes with his coworkers and students, most recently to secure greater education funding and driver’s licenses for undocumented immigrants.

I’ve been thinking about the advice I would have given myself ten years ago about getting involved in organizing. I’ve learned a lot and made a lot of mistakes. So here is what I would say based on some of my own experiences and mistakes. Just things for me to remember too; it’s not like I’m always great at all this.

Organize for clear, attainable goals that have benchmarks and ways to measure success. Catharsis and “raising awareness” are really immeasurable. Organize stuff that makes people’s lives better.

Going to protests is not what it’s all about. Sometimes they can be good, but there’s a tendency to think of protests as “doing something,” and to just hopping around to different protests.

Listen to people’s opinions. Listen to people first. See where people are at. Listen to people’s problems. Don’t assume what people’s opinions or problems are going to be.

Don’t just build with people from the subcultures and scenes and social groups you are most familiar with. It makes it so people who aren’t a part of that subculture don’t feel included.

Don’t get all caught up in super ideological dogmatic tiffs. People don’t care about little quibbles about something that happened in 1936 or your split with whoever. It is interesting as a hobby, the theory and history, and may inform some ideas, but the left is too obsessed with ideology as identity. Demonstrate your methodology through how you organize.

Respect collective process. Work through disagreements collectively. Plan things collectively.

Knock doors, make phone calls, contact people. Don’t use social media to organize.

Be consistent. Like a drumbeat. Be on time. Do what you say you’ll do.

Don’t write people off because they have a bad position on something. Don’t leave people behind or forget about people. People aren’t expendable.

Go to the people in the room that don’t already have positions of authority. Too often organizers walk into a room and approach the person who already has the most power.

Power is on the shop floor, not in boardrooms. Build with rank and file.

Don’t ask permission.

Stay close to the workers.

Build students’ organizing skills. Talk to students like they are adults or even peers, even knowing you are the teacher, because it’s about having real relationships. Make them laugh.

Don’t be afraid to disagree, but don’t be a dick about it.

Include people and make them feel welcome by approaching them and asking how their kids are and shit.

Don’t get super concerned with all the accoutrements of organizing. Posters and newsletters and socials are great, but you can’t have any pudding if you don’t eat your meat.

Organize the working class, not the left.

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