Welcome to Dispatch #47! In this issue we complete the two-part series we began a couple issues ago when we discussed the 4 roles activists must fulfill in a social movement. This week, we’re sharing Bill Moyer’s Movement Action Plan - an 8-part framework that describes the different stages of successful social movements. We believe this information is critical for anyone trying to get a better understanding of a social movement's lifecycle because we often know how to get started, but are not always sure about what comes next and what to focus on in each stage.
Moyer noticed that there was a stage when activists and organizers felt like they had failed in achieving their goals, but that was actually right before they had their biggest successes. When we look at today’s social movements, they still follow a similar pattern - whether that’s Palestine Liberation, anti-ICE demonstrations in the US, global anti-Data Center organizing, or the fight against the climate crisis. These movements explode onto the scene but then can feel like they lose steam or even failed, but Moyer’s Movement Action Plan reminds us that the moment when we feel like giving up is the exact moment we need to keep pushing toward victory.
Scroll below to check out a condensed version of Moyer’s MAP that we created for easier reading, other great pieces we think are worth your time, and the story of Angela Manno, a fantastic eco-conscious creative!
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Easy Actions to Take
⏱~3min | Tell your Rep and the UK Foreign Secretary to Close Loopholes in the Israeli Settlement Trade Ban
Why: The UK, Canada, and France have announced bans on trade with illegal Israeli settlements which only serves to further entrench Israel’s incursions onto Palestinian territory in the West Bank. The ban is a good step forward but we must continue applying pressure to keep it from being a purely symbolic move. Critically, we must demand that loopholes in the bill be closed so that complicit companies do not skirt around enforcement of the ban. Organized by Human Aid & Advocacy
Why: Social media companies have profited algorithms designed to optimize the most hateful and rage-inducing content in order to boost engagement, furthering political division and violence in our communities. A few years ago, the EU recognised this problem and acted. Under their Digital Services Act, users can challenge platform decisions through independent, certified bodies which have no stake in protecting the companies they oversee. Section 217 of the Online Safety Act gives the government power to establish independent appeals. But there's a catch: the Government must commence the law before Ofcom can take the first steps to make it a reality. Organized by Take Back Big Tech
⏱~3min | (US Only) Demand an end to the Pentagon’s Journalist Blacklist
Why: Under Pete Hegseth, Trump’s Department of Defense has evicted dozens of journalists, from the New York Times to NPR — and tried to force reporters to surrender their press badges unless they pledged to report only on government-authorized information. Now, The Intercept has learned that U.S. Central Command — which oversees military operations in the Middle East — keeps a secret blacklist of journalists. The free press is a foundation of democracy, and its independence from government censorship is critical to a well-informed citizenry. Organized by The Intercept
