A summary of George Lakey’s guide to non-violent, direct-action campaigning
By Carl Hintz
How We Win, by George Lakey, is an activists’ manual of how to run successful nonviolent direct-action campaigns in polarized times. Direct action campaigns compel a person with decision making power to make a desired change. A student of history, Lakey points to the successful use of direct-action campaigns in the Civil Rights, Women’s Suffrage, and Gay Rights Movements. Many examples of successful nonviolent actions are documented at nvdatabase.swarthmore.edu.
Before starting a campaign, it is beneficial to meet with the target to size up the opponent and create a direct channel of communication. Nonviolent direct-action campaigns often make the full demand up front and then use a series of actions increasing in scale until the demand is met. In contrast, one-off demonstrations and traditional protests require large numbers of people and have a natural end point, so it is easy for an opponent to ignore and wait-out the protestors.
Smaller groups can be more effective than large demonstrations when they use drama to draw contrasts between the position of the campaign and the opponent. Ideally, direct action campaigns are paired with organization building, leadership development, and education so they help to create an independent source of power.
One key lesson is the importance of unity and inclusion in organizing as opposed to tokenization. Lakey suggests that organizations are better off being transparent and open. In any organization there is a mainstream and a margin and it is important to listen to the margin in an organization. Lakey refers to Bill Moyer’s four social change roles – direct service, organizer, advocate, and rebel. Different organizations may emphasize a particular change role and each individual may have strengths that align with a particular change role, but all are valuable and can coexist.
Another suggested practice is to have small groups (3-4 people) working on a direct-action campaign for a defined amount of time (two months). An additional person (potentially staff) checks in on the needs of the groups and acts as a liaison with the larger organization. This arrangement can help build leadership in an organization (small groups have mixed levels of experience) and also prevent burnout (serving on a small group is intensive but short-term commitment). The smaller group is able to work independently, but is also able to ask for help from the larger group.
As advertised, Lakey’s book does offer life-saving advice. When in doubt, sit down. This was the advice of French protesters against colonialism during the French Algerian War who faced a violent police response. Similarly, civil rights protesters knelt in prayer for practical reasons. Kneeling or sitting helps to prevent serious injuries and keeps the crowd from running (a stampede can cause life threatening injuries). The visual juxtaposition of standing police and kneeling or sitting protesters also heightens the contrast of the non-violent tactics of the protesters and the violent tactics of the police.
Nonviolence is a key component to the success of nonviolent direct-action campaigns because it allows activists to hold a moral high ground. Organizations should loudly and clearly communicate nonviolent intentions. Nonviolence means that more people can participate which increases the chances of success and the scale of change that can be achieved.
While the destruction of property is not violence against people, mainstream media and most Americans will not make this distinction, so it is likely to be harmful to the campaign’s goals. However, direct action campaigns can and should combat corporate power and the destructive behavior of corporations. Lakey describes a successful direct-action campaign to convince PNC Bank to stop financing mountaintop removal. This campaign included disruptive protests in bank lobbies and a push for individuals to close accounts at PNC (banking at credit unions instead). Another successful campaign sought to prevent the opening of a casino. This campaign started with washing windows to highlight a lack of transparency, followed by an attempt to directly take the records from the building where they were held (the protesters were prepared to be arrested). The campaign culminated in a referendum which showed the public’s opposition to the casino and juxtaposed the value of democratic decision-making with the official’s tendency to act unilaterally against the public’s will.
Nonviolent efforts have even successfully toppled dictators and ousted foreign occupying armies. Of 323 cases between 1900 and 2006, nonviolent efforts were about twice as likely to be successful compared with violent efforts (Why Civil Resistance Works by Stephan and Chenoweth). Nonviolent tactics have been successful even when opponents are willing to use extreme violence. SNCC’s freedom houses were located in places where the KKK was strongest. However, everyone knew there were no guns in these freedom houses which helped to protect them against domestic terrorism. Protesters in Pinochet’s Chile used diffuse nonviolent tactics as opposed to mass gatherings where protesters were likely to be imprisoned and tortured or shot. An important lesson is to disincentivize the opponent’s use of violence. Respond to violence with escalating non-violent actions such as worker strikes rather than with fear or paralysis as intended by the purveyors of violence.
It is important for movements to articulate a clear vision. People are not persuaded just by hearing how bad things are. One recommended organizing practice is to keep things positive and to share good news. People are also skeptical of pie in the sky promises. In George Lakey’s view, the best working system to point to as an alternative for organizers in the US is the Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish and Icelandic system of social and economic democracy. It is important to remind people that many different goals (public healthcare, high quality public schools, racial equality, renewable energy, ethical foreign policy) have the same roadblock – the economic elite and its political power.
Lakey sees direct action campaigns as an important approach for present day activists and people who want to bring about changes both big and small that our society desperately needs. Social movements are powered by many different direct-action campaigns. When multiple social movements combine forces with diverse participants and common goals, radical societal change is possible such as a change from American style oligarchy to Scandinavian style social democracy.
Carl Hintz is a contributing editor at Triangle Free Press. They teach high school science in Wake Co., NC.