Mass mobilizations and marches are important to show public resistance to Trump’s billionaire agenda. And they’re even more impactful if we use them as springboards to deepen and grow our movement’s long-haul organizing work.
In partnership with unions and immigrant rights organizations, immediately after the end of Trump’s first 100 days in office, our May Day actions did just that. Through these events, 5,000 new people joined SURJ. Members took on leadership roles for the first time. We felt our power alongside our partners and strengthened relationships for the road ahead.
Here’s what Chari in Raleigh shared about her experience:
“My journey as an organizer with SURJ started a little over a year ago when I nervously asked my friends to join me for a potluck to learn about SURJ and take action together. Since then, I’ve organized several in-person events. And on May 1, I saw the full impact of my growth as an organizer. I looked around and realized I had a dozen eager partners—each of them there because I had asked, empowered them with a role, and trusted them to carry it out.I didn’t even know these people last April. What seemed intimidating a year ago now feels natural.“
“I’ve never done anything like this”– a sentence we hear often– quickly becomes a starting point for transformation. In the Twin Cities, longtime SURJ leader Erika supported a new member’s leadership on the planning team of the event. With Erika’s coaching, she led a warm and welcoming meet-up for SURJ members ahead of the action, and she gave a speech at the event that grounded people and got them fired up– her first time speaking in front of a group!
