Preserving a core group of activists--across different organizations, over time, and spanning different geographies--can be critical to maintaining momentum toward addressing root causes of conflict or maintaining focus on the bigger social justice picture. Organizations that grow from community-based initiatives, and the coalitions they build, can emerge and then dissipate or fail. However, the social change activists in leadership have built considerable knowledge, expertise, and relationships that provide the foundation upon which to build new coalitions. By drawing upon these relationships and existing expertise, core activists can create stronger networks and coalitions the next time around. 

Northern Ireland civil society activist Avila Kilmurray points out that continuing to be active over time, in multiple organizations, networks, and coalitions, is important for addressing broader peacebuilding issues, given that a single organization will inevitably focus on one or a few key issues rather than the bigger picture. Only in coordination and over the long-term do the small actions of one or more key groups within a network or coalition scale up to broader social change.

Likewise, Black Lives Matter activists talk about maintaining ties to geographically dispersed groups. One activist states that this is in part because “like MLK said, ‘Injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere’.” She goes on to explain, 

We know each of us in our cities, especially the leaders. We know how hard it is to lead a group like this … and so just being that support system for another city or other cities; for another leader or other leaders, it helps. Knowing that I have cities behind me that I know I can just vent to, like we are in group messages together and we just sit sometimes and say, ‘Okay we are going to do this.’ Or we just check up on each other. Like, that’s very important. And that’s true in general and especially when you’re trying to organize and mobilize and lead something as important as Black Lives Matter. 

Ensuring that there are connections between core leaders across organizations ensures the enduring legacy of social change, even when leadership in any one organization comes and goes. 

Challenges you may encounter using this tool

• Nonviolent actions or peacebuilding events organized within tight time constraints may not be able to establish a strong and stable core of social change activists when working against the clock. Sole and limited initiative leadership should work to make connections to established organizations to ensure durability of their messages and to pass on lessons learned.

• Long-term activists face the related challenges of limited bandwidth and burnout, emphasizing the importance of creating safe spaces and support structures for core change agents to ensure their own sustainability and longevity for the cause.

• The value of leadership connections is often tied to the ability of individual leaders to adjust network or coalition messaging to different stakeholders and navigate mixed-audiences. However, a challenge in this work is providing leaders with the flexibility to do so.