By Jacob Klein
Jemez Principles for Democratic Organizing #3: Let People Speak for Themselves
We must be sure that relevant voices of people directly affected are heard. Ways must be provided for spokespersons to represent and be responsible to the affected constituencies. It is important for organizations to clarify their roles, and who they represent, and to assure accountability within our structures.
In this column on the Jemez Principles, we’ll be diving into letting people speak for themselves. On its surface, this can seem fairly straightforward. Many of us may think that we already accomplish this. Unfortunately, many of us may not notice the ways in which we stand in the way of people speaking for themselves.
Let’s break this into two pieces. One, active listening. Two, accessibility.
Active listening is a core tenet of organizing, even though it often gets left behind. In an organizing fellowship I did years ago, we spent a half-day working on this skill. Active listening requires more than sitting down and talking to somebody. It’s how we conduct ourselves in a conversation, the very stance that we bring.
Active listening requires us to focus on hearing what somebody is saying to us, letting it impact us, and not thinking about what to say next. This last part can be very tricky. I remember being in school and always thinking about the next point I wanted to make in a discussion. Sometimes this meant that I’d completely miss what was being said around me and miss the direction of the conversation.
Over the years, I have learned to take in what’s being shared with me, and often, I’ll learn more than I could have ever imagined. I’ll hear people’s stories about why they care about an issue, I’ll learn exactly how someone is being impacted, and sometimes people will generate a creative solution that never would have crossed my mind.
During that fellowship, one of the trainers told a story about a time she was organizing at a school for educational equity. Her campaign assumed probable goals, but when they sat down with parents, they heard about an unexpected obstacle that was preventing education for underserved children. Sidewalks. The sidewalks in this community were either in disrepair or not to be found. This meant that people who would otherwise be able to walk to school lost that ease of access. A creative solution to a problem, one that wouldn’t have been noted without listening.
When I go to meetings with partners of organizations led by people of color, I do my best to not assume goals. Even if I have an agenda that’s in alignment with Sierra Club positions, I know that not every person is going to be represented by the Sierra Club. For me, meetings with partners are about listening and learning what the primary issues are, what the goals that need to be achieved are, and what are the best ways to get there.
All of this enables me to build a stronger campaign within the Sierra Club and with our partners. I can figure out how to best support our partners and where the Sierra Club’s strengths can best be applied.
To the second point: access. What may seem perfectly accessible or comfortable may prevent significant barriers to others. This shows up in the when, the where, and the how of bringing people together.
People who have multiple jobs or not nine-to-fives won’t be able to meet at times that white-collar workers find convenient. If a job isn’t near public transportation centers, that provides a barrier. If meetings are held at locations where people may get racially profiled, that will prevent people from attending. If a space requires the use of stairs to get in or doesn’t have wheelchair-accessible restrooms. If the restrooms are gendered. If someone doesn’t have Wi-Fi at home, or the most modern technology. If there isn’t ASL or Spanish or other language interpretation. These are just some barriers that can impinge on a person’s ability to participate. Through all these barriers, we lose more and more people who are already underserved by our society and systems, and we lose the stories and the people necessary to affect change.
I raise this up because it’s not just about the decision-making processes, or speaking over people, it’s about how we build our movement space. Once we can get into the same room together, then we can listen.
Jacob Klein is an organizer for the Sierra Club SF Bay Chapter.