Guideposts for Organization Building against capitalism
The Membership Committee of Solidarity Halifax coordinates the recruitment and engagement of Solidarity Halifax members as a part of our process of organization building.
Recognizing the need for long-term organization on the Left, Solidarity Halifax proposes the following considerations for anti-capitalist organizing.
We expect these to constantly be a work in progress.
This version produced: November 2017
Anti-Capitalist Organization Building
Solidarity Halifax is designed to be a training ground for activism based on anti-capitalism.
We strive to create a democratic, pluralist, and non-sectarian organization. We aim to resist styles of organizing that are based on cliques, friends-groups, or prioritizing the defense of political turf over solidarity.
Our goal is to grow, regenerate ideas and welcome new activists.
Solidarity Halifax will take care to create a membership of people from all groups, inclusive of persons oppressed by race, class, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, (dis)ability, and nationhood
While attending to the above, we will remain conscious of the need for those oppressed by race, gender, class gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, (dis)ability and nationhood to prioritize their own struggles and comfort in their own organizations. As a result, recruitment will reflect this issue and working as allies will be accepted as a process for building trust on the long term in united struggles.
Why Membership-Based
Solidarity Halifax is membership-based in order to:
- Develop discipline, and collective accountability
- Counter individualism
- Create commitment and relationship building to help address the alienation of capitalism
- Build a spirit of comradeship in struggles for justice
- Develop a practice of democracy.
- Create the conditions to be able to count on each other in planning political goals.
Commitment to Each Other
Contemporary culture encourages internet activism where online interactions become a substitute for in-person organizing. We recognize that online organizing is valuable, especially when in-person participation may be limited by geographic location, time, (dis)ability, and other barriers. However, we feel that internet activism by itself is insufficient to challenge the hegemony of capitalism.
Therefore, we aim to create a culture of learning to work together in person and developing collective problem-solving skills.
Membership requires time and effort and needs to be taken seriously
The struggle against capitalism requires the development of organizational structures and models adapted from both the positive and negative lessons of the history of the left
The membership committee shares responsibility to create methods of work able to address conflict with respect.