How Does Social Change Really Happen?Thursday, December 5th at 7pm What if Ordinary People could make a Difference to the Climate Crisis? Given the magnitude of the problem and the huge number of aspects of society that the climate crisis sweeps over, it is hard to feel as an individual that one can make a difference. And feeling you cannot adds to feelings of despair and hopelessness about the crisis. But this is why it is important to know the history of social change movements and the power of people when they come together to make a real and meaningful difference! This is why it is important to have a strategy for changing climate change. Our staff person, Lynn Fitz-Hugh, will be giving a talk on Thursday Dec 5th at 7pm at Traditions entitled: How Does Social Change Really Happen? We will review social change movements that have effected changes as far ranging as winning the vote to overthrowing a dictator nonviolently. We will look at the tactics and strategies used as tools of social change. We will review the different theories of social change and how you build a movement and employ strategies that actually succeed. Then we will focus on climate change and local strategies. History is written by the victors. The history of social change movements exists but is rarely taught in our public schools. This leaves us in the position of often rediscovering the way forward or remaking the mistakes of past movements. But the information is there for us in the amazing and powerful stories of successful movements that have given us the 8 hour work day, freed US citizens from slavery, given women the vote, and more. We tend to be taught that all changes happen through Congress or Legislation. But it took a movement to see that the civil rights bill or gay marriage passed. Politicians in fact cannot make big changes without a whole movement behind them. We won’t just look at history – some amazing research has also been done on it. Do you know what really small percent of the population has to be consistently in the street to bring down a dictator? Come find out the answer. |