Practical Radicals

9. Momentum with Mae Boeve of 350.org


Listen Later

Sometimes social movements can spread like wildfire. From the sit-ins of the Civil Rights movement to the sea change in support for marriage equality, from the divestment campaign to end apartheid in South Africa to the climate justice movement winning the largest climate bill in history (2022’s Inflation Reduction Act) — the strategy model known as Momentum has proven powerful time and time again. Although Momentum has helped movements succeed for centuries, the framework has gained increased attention in recent years as the internet has made it possible to organize action at a larger and larger scale.  In 2014, a new institute called Momentum began training movement leaders in this strategy. And in 2016, Mark and Paul Engler formalized the momentum approach in their valuable book This Is An Uprising: How Nonviolent Revolt is Shaping the 21st Century

In this episode, Deepak interviews May Boeve, Executive Director of the climate justice group 350.org. Founded in 2008, by Bill McKibben and a small group of college students, including May, 350.org is now active in 26 countries and works with a volunteer network of 500 organizations. May and organizers at 350.org used the model before the framework had been written down. They believe that the breakthrough social transformation promised by Momentum makes it an essential strategy to confront the existential threat posed by global warming. 

May describes how 350.org’s momentum-driven campaign to stop the Keystone XL pipeline in 2011 provided a crucial morale boost after the stinging legislative defeat of climate legislation in the Obama years — and marked, in the words of one observer, “the first time the environmental and climate movement [got] serious about power.” 350.org’s subsequent divestment campaign against fossil fuels illustrated the power of “distributed action” and putting pressure on key institutions like foundations, banks, and local governments. It also provided an onramp for ordinary people to get involved and become leaders. 

Early in her organizing career, May had been a proponent of “horizontalism,” the philosophy that movements should be leaderless, but she now rejects that notion and explains how momentum-driven movements can combine mass engagement with effective leadership. May and Deepak conclude by considering the promise and peril of online organizing, how to deal with pathologies in movement culture, and 350.org’s shift from simply “saying no” to fossil fuels to also “saying yes” to climate change solutions.

Links:
May mentions Maurice Mitchell’s highly influential 2022 essay “Building Resilient Organizations,” a must-read for everyone in progressive politics. And now, there’s a workbook, too.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Practical RadicalsBy Deepak Bhargava and Stephanie Luce

  • 5
  • 5
  • 5
  • 5
  • 5

5

30 ratings


More shows like Practical Radicals

View all
Democracy Now! Audio by Democracy Now!

Democracy Now! Audio

5,686 Listeners

Radiolab by WNYC Studios

Radiolab

43,909 Listeners

Hidden Brain by Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam

Hidden Brain

43,409 Listeners

Pod Save America by Crooked Media

Pod Save America

86,615 Listeners

The Daily by The New York Times

The Daily

111,746 Listeners

Lovett or Leave It by Crooked Media

Lovett or Leave It

25,101 Listeners

Trillbilly Worker's Party by Trillbilly Worker's Party

Trillbilly Worker's Party

1,901 Listeners

You're Wrong About by Sarah Marshall

You're Wrong About

21,684 Listeners

Throughline by NPR

Throughline

15,977 Listeners

Strict Scrutiny by Crooked Media

Strict Scrutiny

5,611 Listeners

The Rest Is History by Goalhanger

The Rest Is History

12,904 Listeners

The Ezra Klein Show by New York Times Opinion

The Ezra Klein Show

15,220 Listeners

The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart by Comedy Central

The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart

10,493 Listeners

On with Kara Swisher by Vox Media

On with Kara Swisher

3,318 Listeners