A single twig breaks, but the bundle of twigs is strong” – Tecumsah
The Social Movement Round Table of the South Sound held its 3rd meeting on November 15, convening more than 40 groups and organizations who are building local resistance and solidarity in the face of hostile bosses, the federal administration’s actions, and other issues that plague our community.
The Round Table’s aim is “to share knowledge about different struggles, to break down silos between groups, and hopefully draw some conclusions about how we can act strategically together to face the current moment and achieve our shared goals.”
Building upon the work of previous Round Tables, several “sectors” were identified and discussed in break-out groups, which addressed ongoing organizing efforts as well as ways to move forward together.
Most groups were from Olympia, but the meeting included groups from Seattle to Portland who feel called upon to proactively respond to today’s threats to democracy and human rights, and the affordability and environmental crises.
The cost of living crisis, now made worse by the Trump administration’s upward redistribution of wealth through the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill,” has cut vital social and health services impacting healthcare, food security and housing.
These cuts, as they spread through the wider population, present an opportunity to build mass solidarity by correcting misconceptions that scapegoat those most impacted by these cuts, (people of color, immigrants, trans people) and focus on fighting back against these policies.
Building Community and Protecting the Environment through Mutual Aid
When our basic institutions fail to provide people’s legitimate needs, connecting people and resources within the community becomes a viable strategy. Mutual aid groups like White Center Solidarity in South Seattle are working to build “a network of Neighbor Unions” that bring communities together, recognizing that knowing your neighbors and sharing skills and resources is a prerequisite for more organized forms of political and economic power. The Northwest Cooperative Development Center helps businesses become coops and manufactured home park residents purchase their community. Closer to home, the Olympia Community Apothecary works to make basic healthcare accessible to more people by supplying herbs to local community projects, several groups distribute food to those in need, and the Olympia Food Co-op has a Pay-it-Forward Program that collects donations at its two stores for a mutual aid fund. The Haki Farmers Collective unites BIPOC farmers in the Chehalis River Basin to grow sustainable culturally relevant food and reclaim traditional foodways.
The Thurston Climate Action Team has been a leader in the environmental movement in Olympia, preparing for the impacts of climate change. It campaigned to provide heat pumps to low-income residences, organized community meetings where residents strategized around regional climate response and helped secure a rejection of the federal government’s demand that DEI language be removed from the regional transportation plan. Other groups are working tirelessly to protect legacy forests and challenge the timber industry’s hold on local and state government. All these actions help to bind us together with the goal of a healthy environment that sustains life.
Building Worker Power – Labor Unions Fight for more than Contracts
Several labor unions, including the Thurston/Lewis/Mason Central Labor Council, emphasized the need for more rank-and-file organizing as unions face increased union busting tactics. Local unions shared their successes tapping into community support, and the failure of the Worker’s Bill of Rights which suffered from a smear campaign and lost despite overwhelming public support. Unions’ traditional focus on winning contracts, which can end up being mediated by the government, has begun to shift to direct action and building worker power directly. With unemployment rising and the threat of AI threatening more jobs, there is room for growth in the labor movement, which could use its collective power to fight for a shorter workweek and living wages and for every workplace to be unionized or a worker-owned coop.
Protecting Constitutional Rights
Attacks on basic democratic rights, like due process of law and privacy, are being resisted wherever they occur. The Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network documents arrests by ICE and DHS and teaches community members what to do if they witness an ICE raid. They also advocate in the legislature for programs that ensure affordable health care for immigrants.
There are others who are challenging the use of Flock cameras in Olympia, which photograph cars and their drivers going through surveilled intersections. Though the Olympia Police Department policy is not to share information from these cameras for the purpose of immigration enforcement, there are approximately 88 police departments in the state that have full access to Olympia’s data, several of which do share information with US Border Patrol. A recent court decision that deemed this data to be subject to the public records act makes it accessible to anyone who asks.
Building Global Solidarity and Challenging Imperialism
As the world becomes more and more connected, our relationship and responsibility to an ever-widening circle of interest becomes clearer. The ties between American government, American business interests and corporations and foreign policies towards Israel and, more recently, Venezuela, are more clear. American imperialism can be, and is being challenged locally by recognizing the overlap between foreign policy and the climate movement. Boycotts of Chevron, which supplies 70% of Israel’s energy and also has devastated the Amazon rainforest and local communities, connect the actions of our daily lives with those of people on the other side of the world. Tech workers who object to the use of technology to support repressive governments focus on trying to convince powerful corporations, like Amazon, Google and Microsoft, to drop their contracts with Israel, and help organizations to switch their email and other tech connections to companies whose values are not compromised.
Building a Regional Coalition – What the Times Demand of Us
The Round Table’s efforts to increase the level of local organization to confront growing federal repression is designed to reach more people and include a wide diversity of organizations and perspectives with overlapping purposes and goals. It recognizes that not every tactic will be supported by every group, but it also recognizes that no group should sabotage another’s efforts. The inevitable political differences need not lead to infighting. The Round Table Planning Committee believes that “by collecting our efforts, building unity, and strategizing together, we will all be better positioned to take advantage of the opportunities that lay in front of us.” The overarching goal of fighting for control over our own lives and futures will require time and energy. It will also require, as one participant stated, that we stay humble.
To contact the South Sound Round Table, you can email
southsoundroundtable@protonmail.com
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