Social Movements - marches

Direct Action Everywhere

ms608@duke.edu — Tue, 08 May 2018 02:54:04 +0000

Description:

DxE is an international grassroots network of animal rights activists who use non-violent direction action tactics to further animal rights. Their tactics include open rescue of animals from farms, protests, and community engagement. They believe in both "total animal liberation" as well as "species equality".

https://www.directactioneverywhere.com/home#what-we-do

Goals:

The goals of DxE is to

- mobilize activists worldwide

- revolutionize public opinion

- transform politics

They do this through mass protests, open rescue, and community building in order to promote animal liberation.

Structure:

The leadership of DxE stems from their SF Bay Core which is the elected body of leadership for the entire organization. They include Wayne Hsiung (the founder and the Lead Organizer) as well as other members of the board. This Core then directly oversees the DxE Global Steering Committee which offers strategic guidance and oversees the entire DxE network and encourages the development of new chapters internationally.

DxE does not have individual members but rather has chapters and communities with which these members are a part. As a result, this open platform approach allows DxE to be open to anybody who desires to participate as long as they share the same ideals as DxE. They seek to create a community based on the following principles of Emergent Leadership, Integrity, Responsibility, Empathy, and Inclusiveness.

Genealogy:

DxE started in 2013 by Wayne Hsiung and a group of individuals who decided to bring environmental and animals right's protests inside stores and restaurants as opposed to boycotting outside.

From there, DxE has organized many restaurant sit-ins, die-ins, and international marches such as "The Earthlings March" which took place in over 40 cities internationally, They have since grown to over 80 different cities.

DxE has also taken on an open rescue approach to animal rights activism in which they actively investigate different farms following alleged claims that certain groups that have been marketed as humane are not actually truthful.

DxE now has internationally coordinated monthly days of action and have targeted grocery stores, restaurants, clothing stores, zoos, circuses, and labs in search for animal rights. Their activism has taken on many different forms including not only nonviolent direct action, but also open rescue and community building and education.

Campaigns:

The two main campaigns undertaken by the DxE have been targeting the exploitation of animals used in the food industry and the inhumane and sometime violent treatment of animals in research.

1) It's Not Food, It's Violence- animals in the food industry

2) Animals in Research: Not Ours to Use- animals in research

Oppositional Forces:

DxE has received criticism from all of the stores and restaurants they have targeted (including Whole Foods, Sprouts, and Norbest) as well as non-vegan consumers. They have also received criticism from the Independent Journal Review which has called their protest tactics bullying. Certified Humane has even said in an email to the Washington Post that "DxE is attempting to undermine consumer confidence in products which are in fact ethically produced and businesses working in good faith to reinvigorate a very desirable traditional business model".

Type of Organization:

Animal Rights Activist Organization

Tatics Used:

Web Exhibit Created By:

Matthew Sima

Public:

true

Caption:

Greenpeace

emk46@duke.edu — Sat, 05 May 2018 03:08:25 +0000

Description:

Greenpeace is a nongovernmental organization that seeks to promote environmental justice through a variety of methods of nonviolent activism. Greenpeace's website states the following as its mission: Greenpeace is a global, independent campaigning organization that uses peaceful protest and creative communication to expose global environmental problems and promote solutions that are essential to a green and peaceful future (Greenpeace).

Greenpeace is a truly global organization: it has offices in 55 different countries and activities in all seven continents. Described as "the most visible environmental NGO today," Greenpeace is known for its vast success in garnering public attention across the world (Mintzberg and Westley). Greenpeace's activism activities tend to be bold and radical, and although their efforts often inspire awe and engagement among the community, Greenpeace has also attracted a lot of critics over the years. Some of their tactics have been highly controversial, even illegal in some cases. They also have a history of "monkeywrenching" and "ecotage": numerous Greenpeace activists have destroyed property in their attempts to promote environmental justice.

Mintzberg, H., & Westley, F. (1999). Sustaining the Institutional Environment. Organization Studies,20(7), 71-94. doi:10.1177/017084060002000705

Goals:

Greenpeace's website lists the following goals of the organization:

"protect biodiversity in all its forms
prevent pollution and abuse of the earth's ocean, land, air and fresh water
end all nuclear threats
promote peace, global disarmament and non-violence"

In general, Greenpeace's aims to use means of nonviolent protests, creative communications, and other forms of activism to not only spread awareness and interest in environmental issues, but also propose solutions. Greenpeace seeks to promote and create open, informed debate regarding environmental issues in the global society. Two other goals of Greenpeace include maintaining independence and not forming any permanent allies or enemies.

Structure:

Greenpeace is an international organization, and it's international office is based in Amsterdam. Greenpeace has 55 regional offices all over the planet. These offices function independently, and although they often carry out global campaigns, they often times are based on local issues. Regional offices also seek out funding from donors for their activism activities. Supported by a "consultive international decision making process", Greenpeace International monitors the coordination of the various regional offices' global strategies. Other roles of Greenpeace international include assisting in activism efforts in countries that do not have a Greenpeace office, creating new regional offices, fundraising, providing IT assistance, and protecting the Greenpeace trademark.

Genealogy:

The origins of Greenpeace began with a concert, a voyage, and a mission to end nuclear weapon tests. In 1969, a group of protestors held an unsuccessful peaceful protest in an attempt to prevent the U.S. from detonating a test bomb in Amchitka, Alaska. In 1970, these protestors establish their own group -- the Don't Make a Wave Committee -- and organized a benefit concert to raise money to fund a voyage to Amchitka. The ship was named Greenpeace by activist Bill Darnell, and it set sail in 1971. Due to an interference by the U.S. Coast Guard and bad weather, the Greenpeace crew had to cut their voyage short, but their trip still garnered national attention, causing many Americans to become angered with the government's actions. Because of the widespread criticism, the U.S. decided to discontinue their nuclear tests.

Although it was still under the name of the Don't Make Wave Committee, this protest voyage is considered to be the beginnings of Greenpeace. The group officially changed their name to Greenpeace in 1972. The Greenpeace website lists the founders to be Bob Hunter, David McTaggart, and Dorothy and Irving Stow. Their second campaign targeted French atmospheric weapons testing. In the mid 1970s, Greenpeace began to expand the scope of its efforts, focusing on issues such as commercial whaling, seal hunting, and toxic waste. Around the safe time, independent Greenpeace groups began to surface throughout the globe. In 1979, Greenpeace International was established, and it set up a formal organizational structure that linked the local offices.

A set of comprehensive timelines covering the activities of Greenpeace in the past few decades can be found here: https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/about/impact/history/

The 1980s saw an increase in Greenpeace ships and offices throughout the world, and activism efforts were still focusing on nuclear weapons, toxic waste, and destructive whaling, seal hunting, and fishing practices.

The 1990s marked the beginning of Greenpeace's climate change campaigns.

In the 2000-2010s, Greenpeace expanded their activities to focus on a broad range of environmental issues, including pollutants, wars, hazardous chemicals, deforestation, coal, and oil rigs.

Campaigns:

The campaigns vary based on the regional location. Some examples of Greenpeace campaigns include saving the arctic, protecting forests, fighting global warming, protecting our oceans, living toxic free, promoting sustainable agriculture, defending democracy, working for peace and disarmament, and challenging nuclear power.

Communication Strategy:

Greenpeace's main forms of campaigning include direct action, lobbying, and public education. Greenpeace also utilizes many different forms of social media, including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Greenpeace occasionally uses unique, out-of-the-box visuals to communicate their ideas and mission during protests, such as the use of Aurora the giant polar bear.

Oppositional Forces:

Greenpeace works to fight against a number of industries, activities, and events that threaten environmental health, including but not limited to: nuclear energy issues, toxic waste, commercial whaling and seal hunting, overfishing, genetic engineering, deforestation, oil and coal industries, and issues of climate change. Greenpeace also frequently faces criticism from a variety of individuals, usually those who have stakes in any of the aforementioned environmental issues that Greenpeace seeks to eliminate.

Type of Organization:

NGO

environmental organization

Tatics Used:

Hashtags:

activism, greenpeace, environmental, environmental activism,

Website

Twitter

Facebook

Web Exhibit Created By:

Emily Kian

Public:

true

Caption:

The 2009 Labor Party National Convention Lofoten Protest

cjb73@duke.edu — Fri, 04 May 2018 19:42:23 +0000

Concerned Student 1950

apj9@duke.edu — Sun, 29 Apr 2018 20:47:17 +0000

Description:

The main student protesters’ from the University of Missouri's 2015 protest was a group called Concerned Student 1950, which refers to the year the first black students were admitted to the university.

Goals:

Concerned Student 1950 demanded that Wolfe be fired and that diversity training be established on campus. On October 20^th, Concerned Students 1950 and their supporters asked for more representation of minorities among the University of Missouri’s staff. The protesters gave the university eight days to respond to their requests.

Historical/Political Context:

The group was created during racial struggles, incidents and rejection at the University of Missouri and under then-President Tim Wolfe's authority.

Structure:

Concerned Student 1950 was a student led organization on campus that was comprised of students at the University of Missouri.

Genealogy:

On October 20th, Concerned Students 1950 declared their goals to the rest of the University of Missouri, as well as local media.

On October 24, a Nazi swastika was drawn using excrement on the wall of a hall bathroom. Two days later, President Tim Wolfe met with students of Concerned Student 1950. No plan was established to answer their demands or punish those who were the source of racist slurs and acts on campus.

Concerned Student 1950 dissolved throughout the Spring of 2016.

Campaigns:

Concerned Student 1950 used social media and Jonathan Butler's hunger strike to campaign against The University of Missouri's administration.

Ideological Composition:

The group was mostly constituted of Black students.

Communication Strategy:

The group organized on campus and was very active online during the timeframe of the protest, using hashtags and tagging other users in its posts.

Created New Spaces:

Concerned Student 1950 enabled students at the University of Missouri to organize protests, camp outs on the lawn and peacefully stand on the campus with banners.

Oppositional Forces:

The main oppositional force to Concerned Student 1950 was the administration of The University of Missouri who they were fighting against, as well as racist White students on campus.

Type of Organization:

Tatics Used:

social media hashtags

social media statements

Hashtags:

#ConcernedStudent1950, #MizzouHungerStrike

Twitter

Web Exhibit Created By:

AnnaPJ

Public:

true

Caption:

Sports Protests

apj9@duke.edu — Sun, 29 Apr 2018 18:07:23 +0000

Description:

For centuries, sports have not merely been seen as a way to exercise or be entertained. Sports have been tied to politics and have become a platform for peaceful protests. Sports draws people together. In the last few decades it has become a gigantic business but throughout history, sports have also led to propaganda and boycotts.

As an athlete, I have always been fascinated by the power of sport: the power it has to change lives and influence those watching. Within the context of global protests, sports protests have mainly occurred in the United States. Here are five examples of American sports protests linked to labor movements.

“The Human Rights Salute”

On October 16, 1968, at the Olympic Games in Mexico, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, two African American sprinters, won the gold and bronze medals for the 200 meter track and field event. As they stood on the podium and the American anthem was played, the two athletes lowered their heads and lifted their fists in the air, protesting racial segregation in the United States. Smith and Carlos were then accused of trying to introduce politics within the stadium. Both received their medals shoeless to emphasize black poverty. Both had planned to wear a pair of black gloves, but since Carlos forgot his, Smith gave Carlos his left glove. Smith wore a black scarf to represent black pride, while Carlos, in solidarity with blue-collar workers in the United States wore his tracksuit unzipped, as well as a bead necklace.
“The beads were for those individuals that were lynched, or killed that no-one said a prayer for, that were hung and tarred. It was for those thrown off the side of the boats in the middle passage”. After Smith and Carlos were evicted from Mexico, three of their teammates: Larry James, Lee Evans and Ron Freeman won gold, silver and bronze in the 400 meter event. They protested in their own way by walking onto the podium with black berets on their heads and fists in the air, but took them off as soon as the national anthem started to play. Black American athletes were divided after this political protest that highlighted the 1968 Olympic Games. In the end, The Human Rights Salute only got Smith and Carlos kicked off the team in 1968. Today, it is considered one of the most powerful and famous peaceful protests in sports. The 1968 Olympics are associated with The Human Rights Salute. The athletes may not have had the response they were hoping for from the IOC, but all Americans knew what happened and the protest made the front page of newspapers.

The Miami Heat Hoodies

On March 23, 2012, Lebron James, NBA Miami Heat player posted a picture of his team wearing hooded sweatshirts to support Trayvon Martin’s family after the teenager was killed wearing a hoodie. On March 21, 2012, a demonstration also known as “the Million Hoodie March” was held in New York City to put an end to racial profiling. Lebron James’ post included the following hashtags, following a broader campaign against racial injustices and unequal treatment of people of color in the U.S.. #WeAreTrayvonMartin #Hoodies #Stereotyped #WeWantJustice. Though the Miami Heat did not have an impact on the impact of the Trayvon Martin trial which occurred a year later, they rose awareness and spread hashtags to mobilize people to speak up about discrimination and unjustified violence against people of color, particularly Black Americans. Though a one-time campaign, the picture circulated on social media and attracted much attention.

“I Can’t Breathe”

On December 8, 2014, MBA Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James and guard Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets' Kevin Garnett, Deron Williams, Jarrett Jack and Alan Anderson all wore "I Can't Breathe" t-shirts before their game in support and remembrance of African American Eric Garner, who on July 7th , 2014 died at age 43 in Staten Island, NY, after being heard in a video saying “I can’t breathe” as he was brought to the ground in a chokehold by an NYPD officer. According to MVPIndex, between December 1st and December 11, 2014, nearly 50 instances of NFL players posted and retweeted nearly 50 times the "I Can't Breathe" phrase across social media. This did not have any effect on the professional athletes careers; instead it brought attention to the racial injustices and sports protests themselves. The Lakers also joined the “I can’t breathe” sport protest wearing the same white print on black T-shirts on December 9, 2014, as a way to stand up for their rights. The players were not able to wear the T-shirts during the game, in which they were required to wear their jerseys, but tensions regarding the case within the team did not emerge. The demography of this protest was mostly constituted of African Americans who used social media and organized mass peaceful gatherings. Overall, I wonder how many protestors undertook in the peaceful marches, the “I can’t breathe” campaign thanks to the athletes.

Kolin Kaepernick – more than kneeling, an activist

In November 2016, two dozen football players for the National Football League (NFL) knelt on the field during the national anthem to silently protest racial inequality. They were strongly criticized by President Trump who shared an inflamed declaration, stating, “Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a bitch off the field right now. Out! He’s fired. He’s fired!’’’. The players’ protest mainly took place during the week of Thanksgiving 2016 but continued throughout the football season. While some players kneeled during the anthem, others raised a fist, and one stayed off the field. On April 21, 2018, Kaepernick was honored by Amnesty International who gave him the ambassador of conscience award for kneeling at games to protest racial inequality. Kaepernick’s activism is not new. As a college football player, he was known to have spoken up against excessive use of force in America against Blacks and defend his personal rights. A major factor in the NFL protest led by Kaepernick was the question of race. In a Duke University event for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Professor of African and African American Studies and the founding director of the Center for Arts, Digital Culture and Entrepreneurship (CADCE), Professor Mark Anthony Neal stated that “[a white player] who is mediocre and protests is more accepted than an excellent player of color”. He then added “athletes are really good figures to speak up and protest. One should be able to give their opinion no matter what age or race they are”. Kaepernick’s knee inspired more athletes such as American soccer player Megan Rapinoe who was the first and last white American soccer player to take a knee before the U.S. Soccer Federation passed policy 604-1 forbidding players to kneel during the national anthem: “All persons representing a Federation national team shall stand respectfully during the playing of national anthems at any event in which the Federation is represented”. Kaepernick often shares quotes and his thoughts on his twitter page, which often stays free of hashtags, but isn’t spared from tags of him and his activism. While the kneeling infuriated President Donald Trump, who considered the gesture a "total disrespect" to the United States, Kaepernick was successful in establishing a national commitment across many football teams. Kaepernick’s gesture created much debate and division across America, as White and Black players showed their support, but white male NFL team owners showed their discontent and disagreement with the kneeling, mostly because they support President Donald Trump and believe the controversial protests would make them lose money. Kaepernick did not respond to Trump directly, instead continuing his engagement, sharing political messages on his social media and continuing his gestures at games. He faced challenges from his team owner, himself pressured by Trump to find a rule to oblige the players to stop kneeling during the national anthem.

Goals:

"The Human Rights Salute"

The athletes were protesting for civil rights and equal rights for all Americans: white and black.

"I Can't Breathe"

The basketball players protested against racial injustices, after the white police officer was not indicted for killing unarmed Eric Garner.

Throughout various sports protests, athletes have mostly fought for civil rights equality, protesting unequal treatment based on race or gender within the United States.

Like the University of Missouri 2015 football protest, these four protests all have the same aspirations: to improve the rights and conditions of working people, stand up for their rights and question justice systems and those in power who may be abusing their authority.

Sports protests raise awareness and invite spectators and fans to become engaged and speak up. Most sports protests are organized to defend equal rights for all, especially people of color who have been unequally treated for centuries in the United States. The athletes' point is to get people engaged and aware of certain issues, be it race, religion, gender, social class or previous activism or engagement.

Most sports protests occur during professional athletes’ careers at games broadcasted on the national television. Their tactics differ but current protests are often heavily linked to social media using hashtags and pictures. Thanks to the athletes’ fame, the protests are then covered by newspapers, magazines, and fans who link the information to the wider public and share the information with their own followers and readers.

Historical/Political Context:

“The Human Rights Salute” - October 16, 1968

The protest occurred in the middle of the Cold War, when President Lyndon B. Johnson was in power, the year when North Korea captured American surveillance ship USS Pueblo, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy were assassinated. The Human Rights Salute today is regarded as one of the key moments of 1968.

The Miami Heat Hoodies

On February 26, 2012, Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old from Miami was on his way to his father’s girlfriend’s home in the suburbs of Orlando. That night, George Zimmerman, 28, reported the teenager to the police, describing him as “suspicious”. While Zimmerman was told by the police not to follow the teenager wearing a hoodie, Trayvon Martin was found dead several minutes later killed by a gunshot to the chest which had been fired by Zimmerman who claimed to have “acted in self-defense” though Trayvon Martin was unarmed. The protest took place during Barack Obama’s presidency, who defended equal treatment for African Americans, attaching a personal importance to the case declaring “Trayvon Martin could have been me 35 years ago”. The protest took place during Barack Obama’s presidency, who defended equal treatment for African Americans, attaching a personal importance to the case declaring “Trayvon Martin could have been me 35 years ago”.

“I Can’t Breathe” - December 8, 2014

This protest also occurred under President Barack Obama and was one of many protests related to the slogan “I can’t breathe”. A march in Washington D.C. and in New York City also arose to fight against prejudices of White police men against African-Americans in the United States.

Structure:

Sports protests have not been organized by one particular group of people, organization or team and have had non-traditional ways of organization. Protests in the world of sports mostly occur at games or world sporting events. Athletes are able to use their followers as a platform to spread a message.

Most sports protests were organized by male players in response to current societal problems, deaths, or movements that arose beforehand. They occur during professional athletes’ careers at games broadcasted on the national television.

Genealogy:

- “The Human Rights Salute” on October 16, 1968

- The Miami Heat Hoodies on March 23, 2012

- “I Can’t Breathe” on December 8, 2014

- Colin Kaepernick, November 2016

Communication Strategy:

The Miami Hoodies

Just after “the Million Hoodie March”, Lebron James used his Twitter platform to show support and solidarity with the protesters and Trayvon Martin’s family. To this day, Lebron James has 41.5 million followers on Twitter. His post was retweeted almost 11,500 times, with over 580 comments and 1450 likes.

"I Can't Breathe"

The Cavaliers and Nets used their platform to show their support and help with the mobilization.

All Sports Protests

Athletes use the media to communicate their engagement or campaign. Since they are followed by journalists, fans and other athletes, they are able to take advantage of their platform of supporters to get others interested in the protest, get engaged or simply educate others on societal issues.

Created New Spaces:

The athletes inspire other protests across different professional teams and players, as well as online mobilization across media platforms, particularly social media. Colin Kaepernick's protest inspired dozens of other professional football players on other teams across the country to raise their voices against racism and discrimination in the United States. Athletes have the power to create new spaces of engagement and do not always take advantage of their following and platform to raise key societal issues, like that of equal pay for women. Most sports protests were organized by male players in response to current societal problems, deaths, or movements that arose beforehand. Their point is to get people engaged and aware of certain issues, be it race, religion, gender, social class or previous activism or engagement.

Oppositional Forces:

"The Human Rights Salute"

Two days after receiving their medals, Smith and Carlos were required by the American Olympic Committee to leave the Olympic village and Mexico. The president of the IOC at the time, Avery Brundage, was furious. He may even have felt personally targeted during the protest and did not wish the Olympic Games to have political propaganda, 32 years after the 1936 Olympic Games in Germany, when Adolf Hitler was in power.

"I Can't Breathe"

While certain fans supported these online posts, others defended the police declaring they were doing their jobs. The goal of the athletes and other protestors was to raise awareness and denounce the injustices Black Americans face.

The four protests reflect the challenges of sports protests, which are almost never continuous and are not organized by a particular group. Oppositional forces often include people in positions of power such as team owners, politicians or racist spectators.

Media Artifacts:

Sport Protests in The United States

Refugee Solidarity Protests - March 2018

ib47@duke.edu — Wed, 25 Apr 2018 00:31:50 +0000

March for Our Lives

jer67@duke.edu — Mon, 23 Apr 2018 17:30:25 +0000

Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America

crk37@duke.edu — Mon, 23 Apr 2018 15:38:55 +0000

Description:

Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America was created in December 2012, in immediate response to the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. As a leading force for gun violence prevention, the group supports the Second Amendment but believes that common sense solutions are necessary in order to protect our children and loved ones. Moms Demand Action emphasizes that gun violence is an epidemic and fights for stronger gun laws and policies that would decrease this escalating epidemic. Though founded by mothers, the organization includes a large demographic, including men and students. With a chapter in every state, Moms Demand Action is educating and mobilizing supporters to take action in favor of stricter gun legislation that will ultimately save lives.

Moms Demand Action https://momsdemandaction.org/

Goals:

Common-sense solutions to gun violence
Stronger, sensible gun laws and policies
Institution of universal background checks
- In attempt to close major loopholes created through online sales and gun shows
Legislation prohibiting domestic abusers from having guns
Implementation of Red Flag Law

https://momsdemandaction.org/about/

https://everytown.org/moms/

Historical/Political Context:

The history of the United States is marked by extreme gun violence and fetishization of guns with limited gun reform. Despite the immense presence of gun violence throughout the 19^th and 20^th centuries, including the innovation and mass production of guns, Bill Clinton’s platform during his 1992 election was the first to include gun control. In 1994, Congress passed a ban on assault weapons. However, Congress pressured the CDC to stop researching gun violence in 1996, and the federal ban on assault weapons expired in 2004. Since that time, some states have passed stricter gun control policies, but the federal government has remained unable to agree on legislation. In addition, throughout the presidencies of Obama and Trump, politics in the United States have become increasingly polarized, and almost every issue brought before the government seems to become a partisan issue. This historical and political context has affected the identity of Moms Demand Action, as the organization seeks nonpartisanship and grassroots organizing in order to impact the stagnancy and division of the United States on issues such as the gun violence epidemic.

https://act.everytown.org/signup/Join-Moms/

http://lawcenter.giffords.org/search-federal-gun-law/

Loaded by Roxanne Dunbar - Ortiz

Structure:

The structure of the group truly reflects its identity as a powerful grassroots collective. Moms Demand Action has a headquarters in New York City, in association with Everytown for Gun Safety. In addition, the organization has a chapter in every state and Washington D.C. Further, each chapter has groups spread throughout the state. For example, the North Carolina chapter of Moms Demand Action includes groups in Durham, Raleigh, Greensboro, Wilmington, Western Wake County, Southern Wake County, Wake Forest, Winston Salem, Sanford, Orange and Chatham Counties, Hendersonville, Rowan County, Moore County, Boone, Concord/Kannapolis/North Charlotte, Brevard, Asheville, and others. In addition, most members of Moms Demand Actions work as volunteers. The organization maintains a small professional staff, but the vast majority of members volunteer their own time and money to fight against gun violence.

Moms Demand Action in NC - https://www.facebook.com/MomsDemandActionNC/?ref=br_rs

Genealogy:

Moms Demand Action was founded by Shannon Watts on December 15^th, 2012 in response to the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Shannon Watts, a mother of five, started a Facebook page the day after the tragedy at Sandy Hook with the general message that all Americans are capable of and have a responsibility to do more to reduce gun violence. The online conversation spread rapidly and evolved into a grassroots movement of American mothers fighting for ‘common-sense solutions’ that protect people from gun violence while respecting the Second Amendment. In December of 2013, Moms Demand Action and Mayors Against Illegal Guns partnered in the formation of Everytown for Gun Safety, the largest gun violence prevention organization in the nation. Over the past five years, the organization has grown immensely, currently holding over four million supporters.

Campaigns:

Their national campaigns include Debunking Gun Myths at the Dinner Table, Educators Demand Action, Be SMART for Kids, and Students Demand Action.

Debunking Gun Myths at the Dinner Table: This social media campaign seeks to dispel myths that the gun lobby spreads and utilizes to further its agenda. By dispelling these myths, Moms Demand Action hopes to promote open and honest dialogue regarding gun culture, gun violence, and gun control legislation in the United States.

Debunking Gun Myths Example https://momsdemandaction.org/campaigns/debunking-gun-myths/

Educators Demand Action: Through this campaign, Moms Demand Action seeks to unite and mobilize educators (including teachers, principals, professors, deans, school board members, athletic coaches, and all other educational professionals) in the effort to keep guns out of schools and campuses.

Educators Demand Action https://everytown.ngpvanhost.com/

Be SMART for Kids: The Be SMART campaign works to educate people about general gun safety and storage, in order to reduce the number of suicides and unintentional shootings that occur when children are able to get ahold of guns.

BeSMART Campaign http://besmartforkids.org/about/

Students Demand Action: This campaign is a new initiative that is working to unite students in the fight for all American students to feel safe in their classrooms and schools. Students can sign up to join the campaign here - https://act.everytown.org/sign/join-students-demand-action

Students Demand Action https://act.everytown.org/sign/join-students-demand-action

https://momsdemandaction.org/campaigns/

Ideological Composition:

Moms Demand Action holds a vast ideological composition, due to their strict commitment to remaining a nonpartisan group. Due to their strategic focus on common sense solutions and strict identity as a single-issue organization, Moms Demand Action includes members on both sides of the political isle. In addition, the group includes both gun-owners and non-gun owners.

Communication Strategy:

As Moms Demand Action was founded through Facebook, it retains a high social media presence and relies on social media as a major form of communication. Moms Demand Action maintains a Facebook page for the overall organization, a Facebook page for each chapter, and a Twitter account for the overall organization. In addition, Shannon Watts is an influencer on Twitter, utilizing her personal account to communicate about Moms Demand Action. In addition, the organization relies on the press for communication. Watts speaks with the media often, and spokespersons in different chapters train other members of the group who are interested in becoming spokespeople. The media often reaches out to Moms Demand Action, and they communicate their message through this relationship. Internally, the organization utilizes social media as well as face-to-face communication through monthly membership meetings of local groups within each chapter.

Incorporated Cultural Forms:

One Moms Demand Action national campaign utilizes art to humanize the movement against gun violence. The Mothers Dream Quilt Project was created by Moms Demand Action to symbolize both the true impact of gun violence in America and the shared commitment of mothers to making our country safer for children. The organization creates quilts using fabric donated from mothers across the nation. Each quilt contains at least one piece of meaningful fabric from a victim or survivor of gun violence. These blocks of fabric are surrounded by quilt blocks from other mothers or persons who feel the collective pain from too many lives shattered by gun violence.

The Children's Dream Quilt, pictured below, is an example of the product of the Mothers Dream Quilt Project. Please click on the image itself, as this will direct you to the Mothers Dream Quilt Project website, where you can see other quilts. In addition, if by moving your cursor over each piece of fabric on the quilt, you are shown the name of the person who submitted the fabric and a statement from that person.

http://mothersdreamquilt.org/

Oppositional Forces:

The gun lobby, specifically the National Rifle Association (NRA) provides the main oppositional force to Moms Demand Action, and the movement against gun violence in general. Specifically, for many years, the NRA has controlled the language regarding the movement against gun violence. Through their work, 'gun control' has received a negative connotation.

MSWU Workers Resistance

av120@duke.edu — Mon, 23 Apr 2018 10:10:42 +0000

Maruti Suzuki Workers Union

av120@duke.edu — Mon, 23 Apr 2018 08:07:28 +0000

Description:

Maruti Suzuki is the largest car and motorcycle manufacturer in India, holding over 50% of the Indian passenger car market. The Maruti Suzuki Workers Union (MSWU) is the trade union of Maruti Suzuki India Ltd., Manesar, a plant of the company just outside of New Delhi. Over the last decade, they have been fighting for wages, pensions, initiatives and most importantly, for the egalitarian treatment and dignity of their laborers.

Goals:

The main goal, as established by the charter during the formation of the union, was to regularize contract workers. It was a joined struggle of permanent and contract workers (which is not common), and they agreed to fight hard for their equal treatment.

Other goals they were fighting for were for:

Competitive wages
Better work hours
Housing
Education for children
Improved facilities (there was only one small cafe for 5000 people)

Historical/Political Context:

Most trade unions in India have a political backing or allegiance. Although the MSWU went through the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), they are independent of them and not affiliated with any political party.

The historical context stems for years of oppression and repressive treatment laborers have encountered in India. This takes a new level altogether when the formation of trade unions is made extremely challenging by the labor union, which is highly corrupt. Even after the formation, the police and government make it difficult for them to normally function, by harassing the senior members and paying people off.

Labor Unions in India generally have faced a lot of adversity from the Modi government, with numerous workers' strikes occurring over the last few years. A lot of the issues stem from the government's reforming of labor laws, disinvestments in state-owned companies and foreign direct investment, adding a lot of job insecurity and severely undermining workers' rights in numerous regards. The MSWU is no different from this, as new laws have made it more challenging for labor union's to play a role in labor disputes.

These added problems makes this struggle all the more grueling.

Structure:

The group is primarily composed of males aged 20-25, most of who belong to the first generation working class (backgrounds of peasant families in the neighboring areas whose land has been acquired).

The leadership structure here was extremely innovative and one of the first of its kind in India, which served as an important blueprint for future organizations. They had come up with a 'layered' system of leadership whereby there was no one particular leader, but certain levels they had established. They were ready to sacrifice the top to further their cause, as was actually done as well during the first round of protests when the top leadership was being threatened by the police and management and being offered hefty retirement packages. The union sensed this and cut them off, putting the next layer of leaders in charge.

They had a 1st, 2nd and 3rd layer and so on and so forth, with a strong communication chain set up.

Genealogy:

The main Maruti Suzuki plant was in Gurgaon (neighboring New Delhi) and a new one was set up in Manesar (also nearby), where a lot of the young workers were transferred to along with the recruitment of new workers. There was a mix of permanent, contractual and intern workers.

The union was formed out of a need since the condition of workers was absolutely deplorable, working long hours and being squeezed to work extra, earning extremely low wages, and being roughly disciplined and discriminated against. When they tried forming an official labor union, the management tried to hoist the company union onto them, and along with the labor department, made it extremely difficult for them to get their own union. When their proposals were rejected, there were a series of strikes, and along with some leadership changes, they gathered support from small labor unions, university students etc. After a while, an official union was finally recognized by the labor department, with their main goal to be dealing with the struggles of both the permanent and contract workers.

A trend that had arisen over the last few decades was the excessive hiring of contract workers who were fired right as they were about to turn permanent. This was done to escape labor laws which make it difficult to fire permanent workers in times of economic downturn. This job insecurity, coupled with tough working conditions boiled over and resulted in an altercation with security causing a huge fire at the Manesar plant, where one person died and hundred were injured. After this, 500 employees were fired and 147 were arrested, with raids and searches being conducted by the police in neighboring villages and states.

After bail was denied for 3 years, a verdict was released where 13 MSWU members were given life imprisonment and 4 members given 5 years in jail. This has been given without adequate evidence of the incident, which the union is demanding a judicial inquiry into. The case has not been justly fought as the company has received plenty of police and government help. The union has been fighting against these injustices ever since.

Communication Strategy:

Internally, a very elaborate communication chain was set up from the shop floor to those at the top of the process, making sure messages and actions get across appropriately.

Although the use of social media per se was limited, the use of mobile devices for video recording the struggles and sending them out to media was strongly present. The use of cell phones for messaging and contacting one another became common for the first time here, as mobile phones had just begun to be regularly used by the members of the working class. It was the first of its kind, which enabled various actions to be organized much easier than before.

In addition to that, for the movement to spread outside was driven by word of mouth, as small neighboring labor unions began to learn about their successes which spurred them to action.

Created New Spaces:

Although the group hasn't physically created new spaces, it has been revolutionary with regards to the broader Indian labor movement. It has spurred local labor movements in the entire Haryana-Rajasthan belt of India.

This movement was primarily led by young workers (20-25 age range), who were first generation laborers and thus, extremely fearless when it came to their actions. Their approach was extremely innovative in that they used a layered leadership structure and mobile devices and social media to their advantage, one of the first of the new age Indian labor movements.

As word spread, this movement served as an important blueprint for others and almost created a platform for local uprisings to occur. These struggles have been ongoing for the last few years, and this new approach has been a vital aspect of them.

Oppositional Forces:

The major oppositional forces, as in most labor struggles in India, were the police and the government. The police conducted raids in nearby villages after the fire and continued to harass people and their families. The government is supporting the company and although the promise of a fair trial exists in theory, the company had one of the best supreme court lawyers defending their case. There is constant intervention in the strikes and people are threatened or paid off extremely frequently.

Media Artifacts: