The Work Between Protests

Federal forces are occupying Minnesota as I write this. Life in parts of the state is being patrolled and policed by a paramilitary federal force. People are responding with protests, with public statements, with lawsuits, with visible resistance. This is action, and it's necessary.

There's other work happening too, work that's less visible: organizers coordinating safety protocols, building coalitions, planning legal strategy, maintaining communication networks, and preparing for the long haul.

And in our schools, educators are navigating how to talk with students about what's happening - both the immediate crisis and the longer arc of social change.

This is the difference between action and organizing. And understanding both is essential.

Action is the visible, public response to injustice. It's the protest, the rally, the walkout, the public statement, the disruption. Action is what makes injustice visible. It's urgent, necessary and often emotionally cathartic. It says, "This is wrong. We won't be silent."

Organizing is the sustained, often invisible work that happens between actions. It's the relationship building, the strategy meetings, the skill-sharing sessions, the coalition work, the administrative tasks that keep a movement functioning. Organizing is what builds capacity for long-term engagement. It's steady, strategic, and often unglamorous. It says, "We're in this for the long haul."

Both are necessary. Most of us are better suited for one than the other, and that's okay.

If we only show up for actions, we may burn out or give up when change doesn't happen on our timeline. If we only organize without action, our work remains invisible and pressure for change never builds.

Here's what we often get wrong: We treat action as the "real" work and organizing as secondary. We spotlight the people who show up to protests over the people who coordinate childcare so others can attend. We celebrate public speakers while overlooking the people who build the infrastructure that made the event possible. We want students to learn about social movements, but we teach them about the dramatic moments - the marches, the speeches, the protests - without helping them understand the years of organizing work that made those moments possible.

Consider these examples:

• The Civil Rights Movement didn't happen because of the March on Washington. It happened because of decades of organizing, including voter registration drives, freedom schools, local committees, legal strategy work, coalition building across communities. The march was one action in a much longer movement.

• Marriage equality didn't happen because of one Supreme Court decision. It happened because of decades of relationship building, local organizing, cultural shift work, legal strategy, and countless meetings and phone calls. The court decision was the result of decades of organizing.

• The movement for disability rights didn't happen because of one protest. It happened because of sustained organizing, including coalition building, legislative strategy, community education, infrastructure creation. Protests were punctuation marks in a much longer story.

The visible actions create pressure, visibility, and momentum. Organizing work is what makes those actions possible and what sustains the movement when the cameras leave and the crowd goes home.

Both are absolutely essential.

We need people who can drop everything and show up to actions when injustice demands an immediate response. And we need people who show up consistently to the work that happens in between. You don't have to do both. You don't have to be equally good at both. But sustainable movements need both.

If you've been feeling guilty that you're not at a protest, consider: What organizing work are you doing? Are you building relationships across difference? Do you know what planning meetings are happening? Can you attend them? How can you offer your skills to support infrastructure? Are you doing the invisible work that keeps movements functioning?

If you've been showing up to every action but feeling exhausted and wondering why change isn't happening faster, consider: What organizing work could you engage in between actions? How could you invest in long-term efforts that sustain movements across years?

Action and Organizing: Where Are You Engaging?

This week's reflection asks you to honestly assess how you're showing up for justice work.

Personal Inventory

• What actions have you participated in? (protests, rallies, public statements, visible responses to injustice)

• What organizing work have you engaged in? (planning meetings, relationship building, skill-sharing, coalition work, administrative support, infrastructure maintenance)

• What's the ratio between the two?

• Are you oriented toward immediate results or long-term change?

Consider your capacity and strengths:

• What kind of engagement is sustainable for you right now and long-term?

• Where do your skills and energy best contribute--action, organizing, or both?

• What organizing work could you commit to that won't show visible results?

• What organizing is already happening in your community?

Civic engagement has always been the heart of American democracy.