Power is in community, if we exercise it

Listening campaigns are traditionally part of organizing cycles. It is through listening that grassroots social justice organizations create power by centering the knowledge of their community as their primary source of expertise, thus incentivizing local ownership of organizing campaigns, and ensuring that organizing and political goals are grounded in the wisdom and desires of local communities. PAR was chosen as the framework to carry out the listening campaign because it is an antiracist research paradigm that shifts power to communities, establishes rigorous systems for listening and analyzing data, and requires that knowledge gained be used for action toward justice. From May through October 2021, FIA provided participating Federations with ongoing training and technical assistance to carry out local listening campaigns using PAR. Local Federations analyzed their people’s knowledge that emerged from listening sessions held from August to December 2021. After completing their Seasons of Listening, many Federations conducted public accountability events to proclaim the wisdom that emerged from their community’s knowledge and demand public accountability for addressing injustices. These public events took many forms including but not limited to press conferences, candidate forums, and community assemblies.