Social Movements - education

Operation Jairo

mko13@duke.edu — Tue, 01 May 2018 21:34:17 +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.

North Carolinians Against Gun Violence

cs370@duke.edu — Sat, 21 Apr 2018 20:01:24 +0000

Description:

North Carolinians Against Gun Violence is a non-profit organization created 25 years ago following the death of a jogger who was shot and killed in Chapel Hill, NC. The group educates families and schools on gun safety procedures and gun violence prevention. Direct involvement with community leaders and public officials helps spread the message and gain involvement across the state.

Goals:

NCGV advocates approaches that address prevention, focusing on the underlying causes of gun violence, and punishment, dealing with the perpetrators of gun violence in the criminal justice system. NCGV endorses measures that deal with the underlying reasons for violence, such as poverty, lack of jobs, family breakdown, alcohol and drug abuse, anger and despair, and the glorification of violence in the media. NCGV endorses measures to rehabilitate young, potentially dangerous offenders, to keep abusive spouses from possessing guns, and to remove violent, gun-wielding criminals from society. One of the group's most urgent focuses is movement-wide, urging Congress to ban military style assault weapons.

Historical/Political Context:

Gun culture has always taken strong form in North Carolina, with its rural areas seeping into state representation. The Republicans have been pushing for less strict gun control laws in recent years, leaving activists as a minority. Following the increased attention on gun control brought by student activists around the United States, North Carolina media has put the gun violence issue under public scrutiny. In 2016, the Gifford's Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence gave North Carolina a D- due to its weak gun laws and high rate of gun theft and break-ins.

North Carolina has gun death rate of 12.5 persons for every 100,000 people (as of 2016), higher than the national average. This increase included a 27% raise in homicides from the previous year, while the suicide rate remained the same. NCGV hopes the public will react to these findings in a way that will increase attention and the realization of a need for stricter gun laws across the state and nation, though local politicians seem doubtful.

Structure:

North Carolinians Against Gun Violence is made up of supporters from across the state all sharing the same goal: prevent gun violence through the passing of effective policies and laws, with board members elected from the general membership and Board of Directors. NCGV is part of a network of non-profit organizations across the state, Blueprint NC, working together to provide training resources and education to promote a safer community.

While the gun control movement has recently been dubbed a "youth-led" movement, NCGV began as adults working together to brainstorm how to reach kids and families who have the potential to be affected by gun violence in North Carolina. Today, teenagers join after training sessions led by NCGV to ensure the anti gun violence message is spread throughout the state.

Genealogy:

NCGV was created 25 years ago with the intention of providing education to children and families of gun owners, as well as teenagers interested in activism, to build a network of individuals across the state sharing the same vision of a safer community. Over the years, NCGV has utilized more hands-on tactics to raise awareness against gun violence, urging Senators and state representatives to create effective action plans for gun violence prevention. As the movement picks of momentum, North Carolinians Against Gun Violence increases its membership and spread of information.

Campaigns:

ASK Campaign: "Is there an unlocked gun where my child plays?" Members are asked to sign the ASK Campaign pledge to protect kids' lives.

Let's mourn. Let's act: NCGV urges members to contact their local representatives to support the ban on military assault rifles and to vote no on the SHARE Act that will deregulate silencers.

Teens on Target (TNT) Program: NCGV runs the TNT program in North Carolina to encourage teenagers to become activists against gun violence, as well as providing gun safety training.

The Bulletproof Collection: RUNAWAY®, a "lifestyle" brand known for paying homage to Durham's roots, collaborated with NCGV in 2014 to release a line of clothing that raised attention to the rising issue of gun violence in North Carolina. Profits from the sales helped fund NCGV efforts while the message itself provided controversial awareness to the issue, most notably with the "I'd rather be shot in Durham than die of boredom in Cary" t-shirt.

Ideological Composition:

While NCGV dubs itself a non-profit, non-partisan group, most of its core beliefs closely follow that of left-winged political ideologies. Representatives of North Carolinians Against Gun Violence choose to make it clear that while they believe in the Second Amendment, restrictions should be put in place to create a safer environment.

Communication Strategy:

NCGV relies on face to face communication through tabling efforts, public meeting speeches, letters to representatives, and phone calls.

Protect Our Winters (POW)

leg29@duke.edu — Tue, 17 Apr 2018 16:14:53 +0000

Description:

Protect Our Winters (POW) is an environmental activist group dedicated to protecting winter through climate action. POW was founded in 2007 by professional snowboarder Jeremy Jones. The organization aims to inspire the snowsports community to take action against climate change through focusing on educational initiatives, political activism, and community-based activism.

Protect our Winters partners with professional snow sport athletes, individuals, resorts, and outdoor companies to create, "a social movement on climate, designed to activate a passionate community and create the political will for meaningful action by state and federal policymakers" (POW).

By involving athletes and the outdoor industry, POW provides a platform for industry, with significant stake and economic impact, and environmentalists to join together under their shared interests to protecting the outdoors and climate.

Goals:

POW aims to mobilize the outdoor sports community to create a social movement for climate change in an effort to dictate the outcome of climate policy by engaging in educational initiatives, political advocacy, and community-based activism.

Structure:

Protect our Winters has a Board of Directors whose members are:

Conrad Anker: Professional Mountaineer, The North Face
Winston Binch: Deutsch North America
Donna Carpenter: Burton Snowboards
Chris Davenport: Professional Skier
Jamie Mcjunkin: Madrone Capital Partners
Naomi Oreskes: Harvard University
Micah Ragland: Walmart
Auden Schendler (Chairman): Aspen Skiing Company
Rob Webb: Liftopia

The organization also has a staff at their headquarters in Colorado, a science alliance for climate and environmental science, and a riders alliance to support professional athletes in environmental activism.

Genealogy:

Founded in 2007 by professional snowboarder Jeremy Jones, POW has since grown to include other athletes, outdoor enthusiasts, resorts, and outdoor companies. POW's network has grown to include over 130,000 supporters and has operations locations in 9 countries, including the United States, France, Austria, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Switzerland, Germany, and the U.K.

Campaigns:

POW campaigns include changing climate policy, attending summits, climate advocacy, marches, and the Hot Planets Cool Athletes educational program. Policy change currently focuses on carbon pricing, solar, and transportation.

Communication Strategy:

POW utilizes social media, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Vimeo. They have also produced three films highlighting the need for climate action. They utilize professional athletes to engage their followers and promote the POW platform, attend outdoor sports events such as big competitions, and have been featured in several magazines including Rolling Stone, Outside Magazine, and the New York Times.

350.org

ddp19@duke.edu — Thu, 12 Apr 2018 00:18:07 +0000

Description:

350.org organizes mass amounts of people to act against new coal, oil, and gas projects. With a network that extends to 188 countries, 350.org has no shortage of citizens committed to looking for clean energy solutions that will halt the heating of the planet. The organization derives it's name from what is typically regarded as the upper limit of what the earth can handle: 350 parts per million (ppm) of carbon in the atmosphere. Thus, it's three primary goals revolve around carbon: keep it in the ground, build an equitable zero-carbon economy, and pressure the government into limiting emissions. To accomplish these goals, it pushes mass collaboration in the name of climate justice, participating in dozens of marches and movements annually.

Goals:

As detailed in this section of its website, the organization's goals are three-fold:

1. Keep carbon in the ground.

2. Help build a new, more equitable zero-carbon economy.

3. Pressure governments into limiting emissions.

They aim to accomplish these three noble pursuits with grassroots organizing, social media campaigns, and mass public actions that target the fossil fuel industry.

Structure:

350.org consists of hundreds of staff members and thousands of volunteers from around the world, as detailed by their team page. They prepend words like "Chief" and "Lead" to certain titles suggesting some sort of hierarchical structure to decision making. The top-most level is an extremely diverse 9-person board which reflects the diversity of their entire team. Most of their impact, though, comes from the thousands of volunteers that demonstrate on a global scale.

Genealogy:

In 2008, environmentalist and writer Bill McKibben and a small group of students from Middlebury College set out with one goal: to reduce the parts per million (ppm) of carbon in the atmosphere. The group derived its name from a paper by NASA climate scientist James Hansen that found 350 ppm of carbon to be the upper limit, or tipping point, in the atmosphere. Just one year previously in 2007, McKibben led his "Step It Up" campaign that involved demonstrations in 1,400 cities across the US. After this, McKibben and the students set out to shift that mission from national to global.

The group gained a significant amount of traction in 2009 after McKibben appeared on the Colbert Report. In 2012, the group received the Katerva Award for behavioural change.

Campaigns:

International Day of Climate Action 10/10/10 Global Work Party Connect the Dots People's Climate March Many more can be found at https://campaigns.350.org/categories

Communication Strategy:

The organization's prioritizes communication through their press releases over all other channels. They also do a lot of communication through social media outlets, as they encourage people to like and share relevant pages. Additionally, their campaigns page spreads the word about relevant movements through petitions.

Oppositional Forces:

Fossil fuel companies, national governments

Type of Organization:

NGO

Tatics Used:

marches

social media campaigns

grassroots organizing