Over the past 100 plus years, social movements have often been fighting the same organizations with different names, and some of the same people in different places in time.
Those in powerful positions find ways to advance their interest, protect their profits, and continue our exploitation.
At one time, they were called the Rockerfellers. Now they’re Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos. They were once called Dixiecrats and now they’re the Proud Boys.
Sometimes we forget our own history and our own stories. The struggle had never been easy, but we’ve always found a way to organize.
Part of the reason I’ve committed to the Corporate Behavior Index is so we can document and understand which companies and people we are regularly organizing against. We need to understand our collective power.
For activists and organizers, I think a resource like this can help us do that. We can document resistance and understand both on a macro and micro level how we are connected.
If–at the root of a struggle–we’re fighting a small number of people, maybe we need to begin thinking through our movements and connections with one another.
In the end, I want to know what we’re up against, what stories of resistance are we missing? Which are worth celebrating?
What excites me about this project is the intentional nature of the documentation and storytelling.
For decades the United States left has been fighting corporate expansion. In many ways, it feels like it’s impossible to get away from supporting terrible oppressive institutions.
To participate in society, you feel like you’re forced to pick your poison. Do you have an iPhone because your boss and friends always have to be in contact? Do you have an Android so you can go to your one of five gig jobs that barely pays you enough to survive?
Do you buy a brand of butter at the grocery store and not know which ones have donated to white nationalist politicians because they’re anti-union?
In the end, we’re fighting a huge web connected to so many aspects of our lives. Therefore our resistance needs to be as connected, especially in an era where there are few local papers with the resources to document grassroots organizing. For these reasons, building spaces that allow us to connect stories and ideas is more important than ever.