My thinking and approach to social justice action has been transformed by the workshop I attended, called ROAR on Sunday June 25, 2017 at the Dallas JCC.  Seeing a number of social justice provisions on track to be eliminated by our current United States government, I have become one of the many passionately motivated individuals looking to join groups, become leaders, learn skills and take actions that lead to effective results. ROAR stands for Resistance, Organizing, Action and Resilience.  This workshop, open to the entire Dallas Community, was hosted by NCJW Greater Dallas (National Council of Jewish Women) and JOIN for Justice.

The main action oriented ideas from the meeting that are influencing me now are:

 Issues – Carefully choosing issues to champion that have a good chance of success.
 Power – Understanding who has the power to influence policy and how we as advocates can enhance our power
 House Parties – These are among  the personal ways, like meeting for coffee or phone calls or empathetic listening, to connect with like-minded activists. 

Stories –  The importance of telling meaningful stories to personalize the issues we are championing.  This idea reinforces my personal preference.

Evaluation Meetings – The value of a follow-up meeting after events like ROAR for turning enhanced knowledge and inspiration into effective tactics.

 

 

Photos from this ROAR Event

 

 

 

 

Story and photos by Laura G. Diamond 

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