The Diaspora Organizer Gathering this year, lasting only four days, was jam packed with programming to prepare advocates to lobby and develop year-long advocacy plans. I immediately found that the experience in the room was staggering. Each organizer presented a unique and necessary skill set; we were met with entrepreneurs, feminist activists, academics, and community organizers. No two organizers were the same, either in situation or experience. It has been eye-opening to see the multitude of ways that people can engage and relate to information.
The geographic stretch was vast as well; we had advocates that hailed from all corners of the globe. Whether our organizers were Haitian, Burmese, Rwandese, Venezuelan, Ethiopian, Congolese, or Korean it became abundantly clear that there was a throughline that could connect organizers from any location.
Regardless of country, this throughline was built on the demand to see a world free from militarism, here in the United States or abroad. The solidarity that can be built across borders is not just a helpful addition to advocacy. It is absolutely integral to any movement’s success.
With this crucial foundation, our cohort was able to organize and ideate as a team rather than as the individual activists which they arrived as. FCNL staff supported this effort in ways that will outlast this short weekend. With the help of staff, organizers were able to synthesize the legislative ask with their own background, have tangible support in their lobby visits, and create their own future plans to continue the advocacy they brought to Washington, D.C.
Outside of FCNL staff, organizers were able to connect with a myriad of guest speakers to offer different perspectives. Whether that be advice from cohort alums on how to effectively engage with media or tidbits from congressional staffers on the best ways to make inroads in contentious times—these guest speakers offered an opportunity for organizers to see that the work they do matters and has a tangible effect.
The 60s folk singer Joan Baez famously said, “Action is the antidote to despair.” I was honored and inspired to be able to join such a strong cohort of activists who were honest about their fears for the future and who know that their continued efforts are necessary.
