The radical assembly is an organized, at times underground convening of activists from all over the movement. The assembly is formed for the purpose of collectively identifying the conditions of oppression, articulating the politics of the movement, and solidifying the means for resistance. The radical assembly draws on the ideas, connections, and experiences of all of those in attendance for the purpose of movement building. According to Peoples Movement Assembly.org (PMA) the assembly "in essence and operationality, is a decolonizing process. The assembly is an ‘open space’ and an open door for people to come into the social movement and become active participants and players. The open space can be considered a jet propulsion that pulls-in all the social movements to the assembly and allows equal/equitable participation (without rank or hierarchy) in a horizontal and direct participatory democracy." Learn more about PMA assemblies by visiting their website: http://www.peoplesmovementassembly.org/
Step 1: Identify The Movement
Start with the movement or movements that you are interested in organizing around. What are the key concerns? Who are the key players? How will you connect multiple movements together? What would be the assembly's focus? You can also begin to think about reach. Is the assembly for local organizers? Is the assembly national? International?
Step 2: Form An Organizing Committee
The organization of a radical assembly seems like a daunting task without a team of people willing to help and pull resources. This should be composed of people from all areas of the movement and wherever possible leadership should be held by radical women and trans women of color. Above all, members of the committee must trust each other and be willing to work with one another. The organizing committee will be responsible for developing the assembly program, outreach, securing the assembly venue, and any costs that might be required for the assembly.
Step 3: Form Assembly Agenda, Program, And Framework
The organizing committee should together come up with a program, agenda, and guiding framework for the assembly. What are the key concerns of this assembly? How long is the assembly? Will there be speakers? Will there be workshops? Will there be open forums? How will time be organized? Long-term and short-term action steps can also be considered. The assembly should facilitate the sharing of ideas and the building of networks. Most importantly, there should be a framework for how the assembly space is organized. How are we centering women and trans women of color? How are we centering those who are most affected? Are people with privilege asked to be conscious of the space they take? How will we address the oppression happening within the space?
Step 4: Mobilize The People To Attend
Once an agenda, format, and venue are confirmed, the organizing committee can begin outreach. There should be list of key organizers and activist that the committee would like to be in attendance. There should also be a broad outreach of networks and organizations to contact. If the assembly is underground, outreach should be very selective to prevent infiltration. Only trusted organizations and contacts should be reached. If the assembly is public, utilize all avenues to broadcast the assembly to the people.
Step 5: Organizing The Assembly
You are finally ready to organize the assembly logistics. Members of the organizing committee should have clearly assigned rolls from coordination all the way down to speakers, facilitators and even food. There should also be a means for documenting what happens at the assembly via note-takers, audio, and video. Afterwards, it is the responsibility of the organizing committee to synthesize this materials and follow up with those who attend.
THE DECOLONIZER
December 2015
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