EP 1: How To Become an Organizer (my story)

Overview: I take you through the last ten years of my journey in grassroots organizing. From navigating police tactics and planning marches to holding meetings and developing strategies for change, I share key lessons that have shaped my path. Whether new to activism or a seasoned organizer, this episode offers insights into direct action, anarchism, and the powerful movements that have shaped our world.

Key Themes:

  • Personal radicalization

  • Grief as a political awakening

  • Learning through action

  • Why storytelling matters in organizing

Discussion Questions:

  • What does “direct action” mean to you after watching this video? How does the speaker's definition compare?

  • How do personal experiences and traumas shape one’s political development?

  • The speaker discusses the gap between online political discourse and real-life organizing. Why might that gap exist, and how can we bridge it?

  • What are the implications of relying on digital platforms for political learning and safety?

  • How can movements support people transitioning from politicization to tangible action?

  • What does it mean to be a “militant” or “radical,” and how are these identities shaped by broader societal forces?

Activities:

  • Write or record your own "Why I organize" story.

  • Create a personal timeline of political awakenings or radical encounters.

  • Pair up and practice storytelling in a small group—each person gets 5 minutes to tell a moment that shaped them.

  • Make a collage or visual representation of your organizing values using magazine cutouts, drawings, or photos.

  • Watch the episode with a group and pause to reflect on each chapter of the story.


Books to learn more

Podcasts

  • Movement Memos (Truthout)

  • How to Survive the End of the World by adrienne maree brown & Autumn brown

  • It Could Happen Here (focus on organizing and collapse narratives)


Research Resources on Movements & Tactics:

Occupy Wall Street — A mass protest that catalyzed new direct action strategies in the 2010s.
Resource: Occupy Archive

Black Lives Matter — Movement framing racial justice through both direct action and digital organizing.
Resource: BLM Founders’ writings

Mutual Aid Networks during COVID-19 — Grassroots direct action in crisis.