America Must Relearn the Language of Struggle
Elections are not enough
Americans are living through a series of escalating crises. The planet is warming as geopolitical tensions grow. The global economy is teetering. Worse still, our ability to address these crises is held back by a deeply dysfunctional political system — one governed by an unelected conservative Supreme Court and which faces the possibility of an outright coup.
With a decisive midterm around the corner, it is tempting to feel powerless in the face of such immense tides, or to cling to the hope of permanent electoral victory. Neither of these options, however, is sufficient. Instead we must meet the urgency of this moment by organizing ourselves politically and employing proven tactics of change.
Following the election of Donald Trump, America’s left enjoyed a militant resurgence. The women’s march formed alongside a growing movement for black lives and heroic struggles of indigenous resistance. Groups like the DSA flourished, while progressives made impressive gains against the ineffectual Democratic establishment. These successes, however, did little to materially change the country. There were (impressive!) social gains in mainstreaming #MeToo and Black Lives Matter, to the point that major corporations adopted social justice framings knowing they play well with most consumers. However, these movements did not hold back the tide of reactionary politics. The Women’s March did not prevent Roe from being overturned, nor did the March for Science keep America in the Paris Agreement.
I do not mean to disparage the efforts to resist Trump. As someone who marched dozens of times, spoke at rallies, and even began my own moderately successful youth organization, I deeply appreciate all those who were motivated and took action in the Trump years. Indeed, the formation of activist communities in once-dormant liberal communities may be the most meaningful, lasting victory of the “resistance.” But, facing urgent crises, it is critical that we recognize our tactics were ultimately unsuccessful in coercing an unwilling government into changing its behavior. Most of our victories came from elections, and relying on elections is, frankly, what got us into this mess.
The main exception to this was, of course, the Black Lives Matter uprisings following the murder of George Floyd. It is easy to forget in the chaos of covid, but we all lived through the largest mass protest in US history — one which lasted months and featured the burning of precincts and even outright expulsion of police from some areas. While many of these victories were temporary, some were not. The conviction of Chauvin, for example, would have been vanishingly unlikely if not for massive, organized, and confrontational protests. In my own community, transitions of funding away from police and towards programs which actually reduce crime went from impossible to inevitable in only two years — a victory cemented by elections, but won through organizing.
What the 2020 uprisings can teach us, then, is that directly confronting the powerful wins concessions while visibility actions (like marches) are more suited / limited to network building.
Taking that lesson to today, I would urge you to look into organizing your community or workplace into a union for the purpose of developing real, confrontational power. Not all struggles are fought in the streets, and our greatest power may very well be our ability to withhold labor and rent. We live in a financial and political system which depends wholly upon our compliance and disorganization. If we were able to coordinate debt, rent, or general labor strikes, we could bring the powerful to their knees.
There was a time when Americans knew the power of organization. Our lives have been defined by institutions built by collective struggle, from the voting rights act to the national labor relations act & board. Though we must acknowledge that these institutions are crumbling, the fact that they were won in the first place — often in spite of a hostile and deeply violent ruling class — proves that we can win again. And with the rise of the Starbucks Workers, the Amazon Labor Union, national tenant organizing, and an increase in labor organization nationally, we are already beginning to feel our power build.
As a member of the Greater Boston Tenants Union I am relearning the languages of community and struggle. I work with my fellow tenants to educate them, organize them, and hopefully, to win concessions from landlords. I was fortunate to see Teamsters President Sean O’Brien speak in Boston months ago. Now leading one of the nation’s most essential and powerful unions, Sean called on us all to prepare for a general strike — an inspiring change from the tepid unionism of the 2010s. This same process is being replicated all over the US, both in existing labor unions and in new struggles. People are standing up to the crises we face and building the power to overcome them. You should stand with us.
If you, like me, fear for your future, it’s time to take matters into your own hands, and organize for a better world.
