Because it works.
Refusing cooperation with injustice may come from a place of conscience
or, for some, simply as a tactic and means to an end. Direct Action has
been an essential part of every successful social change movement for
hundreds of years. In the U.S., movements for the abolition of slavery,
women's suffrage, labor rights, civil rights, AIDS advocacy, anti-war,
anti-nuclear, environmental, LGBT rights, Central American solidarity
and animal rights are just a few examples of effective direct action
campaign. Well-planned nonviolent direct action intervenes in political
processes that exclude ordinary citizens, forcing the issues into the
public agenda through the creation of a moral crisis.
Cultural Resistance:
Taking to the
streets with giant puppet theater, dance, art, music, poetry, and
spontaneous eruption of joy breaks through the numbness of our current
society. Corporations are attempting to homogenize us into passive,
unquestioning consumers while exploiting and oppressing the poorest
among us. We strive to utilize all of our creativity and imagination to
create an enduring symphony of resistance. We break new ground as we
build promising alliances across traditional divisive barriers
established and maintained by the ruling class. Creative civil
disobedience intentionally challenges unjust laws that support the
status quo. Nonviolence is action. Our challenge is to follow Gandhi's
advice: be the change you wish to see. |