Transforming the Possible Through Radical Imagination

This is the text of opening remarks delivered Sunday, April 23, 2017, at the People’s Action founding convention in Washington, DC – “Rise Up: From Protest to Power.”

David pulled a stone from his bag and slung it.
And hit Goliath on the head.
And he fell to the ground.

We are gathered here tonight, founding a new organization: People’s Action.

And we are in a David and Goliath battle.

Donald Trump is in the White House. Greed and hate run our federal government. The right controls dozens of statehouses from coast to coast.

Most importantly – the communities that are already suffering the most are right in the crosshairs of what they want to do next.

And Saul offered to David a sword and a shield.
But instead, David reached into the stream and pulled out five smooth stones.

David knew he could not beat Goliath simply through sheer might and power. It was a time for strategy.

And now, more than ever, we need strategy.

First, we have to build a resistance that turns Defense into Offense. That means being exactly where they don’t want us to be, exactly when they don’t want us to be there. We have done it on health care, and we can do it on immigration, we can do it on policing, we can do it on the budget, and more.

Number two, Being the resistance is not enough. We need a visionary resistance.

Let me ask you this: Is now the time to retreat on our big ideas? Is it time to soften our demands?

No. Now is a moment that calls for a radical imagination of what’s possible. Every time we protest their agenda, we must demand and articulate and push for our agenda.

Finally, let’s turn protest power into political power.

We need to electoralize the resistance. We need to attract the millions of people coming to town halls, showing up at the assemblies and going to the marches, sign them up to vote and then we flood the ballot boxes in 2017, 2018 and 2020.

The days of us accepting a lesser-of-two-evil politics are over – right now.

So, here’s the thing. This can be a three-day convention. Or this can be the founding of an organization that changes the arc of history.

This can be the founding of an organization that is tough enough, together enough, and strategic enough to topple any Goliath they put in our way.

I think we’ve got a shot at this. Let me tell you why:

We know that we have never won more by demanding less. Can you think of a time you demanded $15 and the enemy says, “Hell, let me give you $17?”

That doesn’t happen. We know that.

We know direct action and taking the crisis to the doorstep of the people who created it not only transforms relations of power, but transforms the human spirit, and we need a little bit of that right now.

We know that we have to build a multiracial, race-conscious, gender-conscious and class-conscious movement if we want to win. And they know if we do that, they will lose – and that is exactly why those in charge work so hard to divide us.

Finally, elections can happen to us or they can happen for us, and at People’s Action we have every intention of making them happen for us.

You are the People’s Action 1200. From this day forward you will be the people who attended the founding convention of this organization. What that means in five, 10 or 20 years is up to all of us. And it starts now.

David pulled a stone from his bag and slung it.
And hit Goliath on the head.
And he fell to the ground.

 Let the toppling of Goliath commence, and the radical imagination of what’s next begin.