Workshop: Moving a Campaign Forward Through Direct Action

Direct Action can be a crucial part of the success of a campaign, but it must be used strategically. A successful action can help build a power base, shift public perception, and put pressure on power holders. We’ll be joined by several seasoned organizers to explore how to use direct action strategicaly to move a campaign. We will examine the Tar Sands and Keystone XL direct action campaigns, as well as others, to examine how to use an escalation of tactics to move your opponent. We’ll explore why and when to use direct action, what makes an action “stick,” and how to organize a successful action.

Debra Michaud - Founder, Rainforest Action Network Chicago (RAN Chicago) Debra Michaud has organized for social change for the past 15+ years. She cut her teeth as an activist while an undergraduate at Hampshire College where she started a campaign to challenge racist lay-offs on her campus, a movement that spread to the neighboring 5 colleges and gained national attention. In the years 2000-2002 she helped to build the Pacifica Movement in NYC, a winning nationwide corporate campaign to reverse the power of the largest progressive radio network in the country. She continues to work with RAN Chicago since its founding in 2008. RAN Chicago has been instrumental in shutting down Chicago's 2 coal-fired power plants and continues to raise awareness through campaign work and community education on the climate, tar sands, fracking, and environmental justice.