About Us

SEVEN WEEKS

Strive always to maintain a positive message of hope and change, history is on our side and we are going to win.

Stay de-centralized and keep organizational structure to a minimum. We don’t need cumbersome organizations and big budgets right now as much as we need people in the streets.

Encourage participants to express their anger and determination in creative, thought-provoking and peaceful ways. Remember always that the images and sounds of your actions may reach millions of people who have not yet made up their minds about this issue.

Respect the media and law enforcement officers you encounter. They are doing their jobs and may well support our goals. Report instances of police abuse, but seek cooperation and communication at every opportunity.

Avoid attacking people’s religions. When engaged in actions at places of worship be cautious and consider carefully how your actions will be perceived. Individual worshippers are not necessarily opposed to us and consider their places of worship to be sacred. Hate language is always inappropriate.

Take your actions to downtown retail centers, transportation hubs and shopping malls for maximum impact during the holiday shopping season. “All we want for Christmas is equality!”

Reach out immediately to racial and ethnic minorities, immigrant communities, labor unions, progressive religious denominations and other organizations working for social change. Every action you organize offers an opportunity to build coalitions with other communities and movements.

When planning civil disobedience, make sure the potential legal consequences are clearly understood by all participants. Consult with lawyers before proceeding. Insist upon a commitment from all participants to non-violence.

Study the history and traditions of non-violent action and seek advice from members of your local communities with experience in civil disobedience.

Angry marches and rhetoric are exciting and can be cathartic, but do not necessarily help win hearts and minds to our cause. Effective forms of non-violent civil disobedience often follow the peaceful, dignified and disciplined examples of Gandhi, the Quakers and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Keep the focus on our most important demand: immediate action from the Federal Government and President Obama to ensure equality under the law throughout the United States. Only the President and Congress and Supreme Court have the power to guarantee all our rights in all fifty states.

Remember always, and reflect in all your actions, that we are not fighting against anyone, or anything. We are struggling FOR equality.

TASKS AHEAD

Build local committees to coordinate your activities. Recruit volunteers, grow your network, collect email and text addresses of supporters.

Maintain and increase our presence in the streets with a variety of creative actions including, marches, rallies, picket lines, sit-ins, street theater and other actions.

Organize local workshops and training in non-violent civil disobedience strategies and techniques.

Create local plans for transportation to Washington DC for Inauguration Day. Finding housing in DC will be a challenge, start planning now.

Share your experiences organizing in your community with others through the internet. Post photos and video of your actions.

Network with organizers in neighboring communities to build regional actions and support each other’s local events.

We will march and protest until November 20, 2009, then halt all actions to observe the inauguration of President Barack Obama. Those who cannot travel to Washington DC should hold vigils in their local communities on the night of January 19th. We will wait for President Obama’s response to our appeal before we determine the next phase of our campaign for equality.