Gabriel Thompson's Calling All Radicals: How Grassroots Organizers can Help Save our Democracy should be required reading for everyone involved in progressive and/or radical social movements. Following in the tradition of Saul Alinksy, Thompson presents an updated and--dare I say--entertaining book on the practical aspects of organizing. Thompson, who was an organizer at the Pratt Area Community Council (PACC) in Brooklyn, shares important lessons that are too often neglected while placing organizing work into a larger context that sees it as a vital component of "democracy."
Thompson begins his book with an introduction titled "Community Organizers as Builders of Democracy: Sparking a Revival Beyond the Vote" in which he argues that organizing can foster greater participation in the political process than voting by encouraging people to take charge and address the problems that are affecting them. From this starting point, Thompson offers practical advice on organizing mixed with brief case studies and personal stories relating to the topics being discussed. Throughout his book, Thompson focuses on the fact that social movements are built not by charismatic leaders but by committed individuals and groups and emphasizes the importance of building leadership skills so that we can all be "leaders." Moreover, Thompson acknowledges and discusses issues of race and class privilege and how they relate to organizing.
Thompson focuses on several important aspects of organizing including media, direct action, conducting research, developing leadership and skill sharing, and relationship building. Thompson shares his experiences and discusses each topic from a position of compassion and genuine interest; none of his writing seems stale or disinterested--a welcome fact for a "how-to" book. There is plenty of practical advice for new and experienced organizers alike, with advice on everything from conducting research to scouting for actions. At the end of the book, there is a useful list of organizations that readers can contact for more information as well as a list of books that cover the topics he discusses in greater detail. Thompson also discusses history and how it relates to organizing, in terms of both how it gives organizers inspiration and how it can be used to bring people together.
Thompson also examines the difference between "organizing"--which is the focus of his book--and "mobilizing." Unfortunately, coming out of the antiwar movement, the student movement, and the anarchist movement, much of what I have been involved with has tended more towards the "mobilizing" model. Groups I have worked with have done a good job turning people out for protests, getting folks to attend press conferences, writing letters, or doing direct actions, but we have not done so well at organizing people to build real power. I think this is one of the weaknesses of many progressive and/or radical movements and shows one of the ways in which Calling All Radicals could help build stronger movements. To be sure, antiwar organizing is different from neighborhood organizing, but we would do well to consider the techniques--from selecting strategic targets to building strong leaders-outlined in Thompson's book.
Calling All Radicals--while touching on familiar themes for those already involved in various social movements--is an important reminder of the type of work we should be doing. Too often, we fall into the trap of doing what is easy, mobilizing the same people to attend the most recent protest against injustice, often selected for convenience and outside of strategic campaigns. Thompson's book is full of examples of how organizing can lead to successes and concrete victories, in addition to helpful advice on avoiding burnout and the personal rewards of organizing. This is essential reading, but more
Gabriel Thompson, Calling All Radicals, (Nation Books, 2007).
