Effective Movement-Building: What’s Working, and What Needs to Change?
Although there have been breakthrough successes in some of our social and environmental struggles, others seem stubbornly resistant to change. Recent wins have occurred in labor organizing, Native nations reclaiming lands, independent journalism and in some progressive politics. Yet the defense of land, water and cultures against extractive industries and resistance to the onslaughts of the far-right and to erosions of racial and gender equity are not going nearly as well. In this session, three seasoned movement leaders discuss what it will take to lift up what’s working and strategize how we can collectively work to transform what isn’t. With: Taj James, founder at the Movement Strategy Center and Principal at Full Spectrum Capital Partners; Enei Begaye, Executive Direct of Native Movement; and Joshua Kahn Russell, Executive Director of The Wildfire Project.
Bay Room
May 14th | 2:45 pm to 4:15 pm
Panelists
Enei Begaye
Executive Director
Native Movement
Enei Begaye (Diné/Tohono O’odham), a longtime community organizer/activist, educator and facilitator, has, for the past 12 years, been Executive Director of Native Movement, an Alaska-based grassroots advocacy organization. Enei also co-founded the Fairbanks Climate Action Coalition and the Arizona-based Black Mesa Water Coalition and has served on a number of national social justice boards and foundations.
Taj James
Co-Founder and Curator
Full Spectrum Labs
Taj James, co-founder and Curator at Full Spectrum Labs, a Principal with Full Spectrum Capital Partners, and co-founder and a Senior Advisor at Movement Strategy Center, is a father, poet, strategist, designer, and philanthropic and capital advisor. Taj seeks in his work to connect community stewards with capital stewards in order to bring financial value into alignment with sacred values in ways that build community wealth.
Joshua Kahn Russell
Executive Director
The Wildfire Project
Joshua Kahn Russell is a social movement facilitator, leadership coach, and has trained thousands of activists across the globe. He is the Executive Director of The Wildfire Project, where he supports grassroots frontline organizations to transform their culture, strategize, heal, and grow. He has spent 20 years as an organizer, campaigner, and action coordinator, helping win campaigns — defending land, water, and workers rights — from banks, oil companies, logging corporations, and coal barons. His new podcast mini-series on Revolutionary Left Radio is called Dialectics & Psychedelics: Transformation and Social Struggles.
Keep Your Finger on the Pulse
Our bi-weekly newsletter provides insights into the people, projects, and organizations creating lasting change in the world.