Through serious and thoughtful discussions, we've come to a collective Analysis of the Moment. As our 2016 Strategic Planning Process continues, we'll now begin a similar discussion around what Metro Justice holds as its Theory of Change. While we often think that agreement on the issues of the day are sufficient for us to have real unity, often we find that the most difficult conversations happen when people who have similar values begin to discuss how we create effective and lasting change.

While we don't expect, or even hope, to create a very narrow conception of Metro Justice's Theory of Change, we do hope to find what unity already exists. Our Theory of Change should dictate much of our daily work in the coming years.

Key Themes to Address: 

• Electoral politics
• Direct action
• Popular power
• Charity vs. solidarity
• Race as primary? Economics as primary? Collective Liberation?
• How do we develop intergenerational movements?
• How do we develop interracial movements?
• Are popular movements single issue or broader?

Suggested Readings and Videos:

• From a Place of Love, Interview with the Catalyst Project
• Instruments for Doing Politics, by Marta Harnecker
• The Alinsky Model: A critique, by Staughton Lynd
• Radical Social Change: Search for a New Foundation by Adjoa Florencia Jones de Almeida in The Revolution Will Not Be Funded
• Money for Our Movements Conference Debate in 2010
• Charity and Solidarity by Tim Wise (video)
• Direct Action: An Introduction by LibCom

Meetings that will discuss the plan:

• April and May Metro Justice Council Meetings
• Movie Night TBA
• April 21st Noam Chomksy, members attend and discuss online.
• May 14th Focus Group Meeting with Bill Fletcher Jr.
• May 15th Annual Dinner Speaker Bill Fletcher Jr. and online discussion after
• May 22nd Left Forum in NYC: A group will attend and bring reflections home
• June 4th Cookout TBA
• For members there is continued discussion happening on the Strategic Planning Facebook Group.

Conclusion:

• A written document outlining our Theory of Change will be written and added here by June 11th.