Introduction
Block, Bridge, & Build: Playbook for an Inclusive Multi-racial Democracy is a compilation of tools and frameworks for pro-democracy organizations and the organizers, storytellers, and researchers on the front lines of the fight against authoritarianism. We will block the rise of toxic polarization and political violence, bridge to the constituencies we need to organize supermajorities, and build toward governing power in an inclusive, multi-racial, pluralistic democracy.
It’s up to us to put roadblocks in the path of authoritarian policies and political violence, while protecting democratic pillars and institutions such as our schools, courts, election administrators, and others from disruption, sabotage, infiltration, and other attacks. We expect this playbook to evolve over time; as the authoritarian playbook shifts, so will this playbook.
We need watchdogs who monitor dangerous anti-democratic and potentially violent groups and individuals; policy experts who understand the law and administrative rules on which our liberal institutions are based; a legal arm prepared to provide legal advice and support and to deploy legal strategies, such as lawsuits, in order to put roadblocks in the paths of authoritarians; community organizers and political campaign experts; artists and cultural workers; brave election administration officials who run fair elections; faith leaders who call people to core values of fairness and equality; and government officials who are resilient in the face of authoritarian demands.
We are playing political chess, not checkers. An effective multi-racial pro-democracy movement is broad-based and diverse, not just in terms of identities, but in terms of skills and experience.
Focus Areas
The resources are organized in a padlet and a shared spreadsheet under the following focus areas:
- Countering political violence
- De-escalation
- Election protection
- Governing power
- Long-term strategy
- Movement arts and culture
- Narrative strategy
- Nonviolence
- Peacebuilding
- Research and monitoring
- Restorative and transformative justice