Systemic Change in the Fight for Democracy
📷 credit: Unseen Histories via Unsplash
As we near the November election, many donors are feeling anxious about the role they play in the fight for the future of our democracy. The specters of white nationalism and rising global fascism have progressive donors asking, “How can I direct my investments to best protect and strengthen democratic practice? Where are my resources needed most?” This was the subject of a recent blog post, as well as the impetus for our Democracy Learning Cohort series – 9-month learning engagements with groups of donors who are interested in maximizing their impact in the democracy space (you can learn more about our DLCs here).
These questions are relevant to anyone working in the philanthropic sector, regardless of where we are in the election cycle. How can we best leverage our access and resources to build the democracy we have never had? What is our role in effecting systemic change? What factors does systemic change rely on? Below, we will explore these questions, as well as some of the foundational concepts we use in our DLC program to help donors consider how their giving strategies impact the future of our democracy.
Achieving Systemic Change
The staggering wealth inequality in the U.S. is directly linked to the accumulation of political power. Multiple Supreme Court decisions have ensured that the more money you have, the louder your political voice may be. These dynamics are responsible for the decades-long and largely successful efforts of wealthy opportunists to systematically undermine the institutions of democracy. We see the fruits of this labor all around us: election denialism, gerrymandered districts, mass voter purges, attacks on the ballot initiative process, the partisan capture of SCOTUS and lower courts, the criminalization of protest, and more. The resulting imbalance of political power drives the social and economic disparities progressive philanthropy ostensibly seeks to address. Solving the social problems that plague us requires more than treating symptoms. The true work of progressive philanthropy must be to invest in changing systems that allow financial wealth to determine political outcomes.
Achieving this relies on the pursuit of three primary “pillars of systemic change:” 1) the advancement of structural reform, 2) building organizing infrastructure, and 3) narrative development. These three pillars comprise the foundation for fundamental realignment in how power is recognized, utilized, and shared – and enable a truly reflective democracy to be built. In addition to these components, it is critical to also make ecosystem investments that cultivate conditions that are conducive to reform.
Structural Reform
Structural reforms are shifts in policy or practice that change the way power is codified. These reforms open the door to achieving longer-term changes in who has access to levers of power and how that power is recognized. If we imagine the burden of community organizing as a Sisyphean boulder that must be rolled uphill, structural reforms are “wedges” that enable us to prevent backsliding in the aftermath of incremental progress.
For example, it is a common experience that our communities will secure a win (e.g., election of an ally to local office, passage of a progressive ballot measure at the state level, or the introduction of democracy reform legislation in US Congress) only to see that progress undone due to actions driven by moneyed interests (e.g., the unseating of a progressive champion, repealing successful ballot measures that defy corporate interests, or cynical machinations to prevent the passage of immensely popular national legislation). The constant battle over the same ground is made possible because the structure of our democracy elevates the interests of the wealthy over those of the general public.
Structural reforms open the door for power to be shared differently. They allow communities to achieve more durable wins and help ensure that future battles will be waged over new ground. In a democracy, structural reform looks like the reinforcement of voting rights, redistricting reform, money in politics reforms, or changes in how elections are administered. Such policies change how voices are recognized and valued by our political institutions and pave the way for communities to play a stronger role in governance.
The pursuit of racial equity and racial justice in America is directly tied to changing how power is held, recognized, and wielded in our democracy. The advancement of structural reform makes this possible.
Organizing Infrastructure
Actualizing structural reforms requires that these reforms be grounded in the needs, energies, and analyses of communities most impacted by injustice. Structural reforms open the door for power to be shared, but communities must be mobilized to cross the threshold and recognize the opportunity to shift the balance of power. This mobilization relies on a robust organizing infrastructure.
We measure organizing infrastructure by the relationships, resources, narratives, and actions that community-based institutions facilitate. The most effective movements for progressive change have emerged from multiracial community networks that are well-resourced, trusted, savvy, and audacious. These conditions enable organizations to build the capacity necessary to engage more people to take bold action and tell the story of their efforts in a way that compels others to accommodate their victory. Structural reforms that emerge from well-organized communities ensure that policy victories are more fully implemented and utilized; as a result, the balance of power is more likely to shift.
However, organizing without an eye toward structural reform undermines the durability of any gains that may be won. As attention moves to the next fight, opponents of reform redouble their efforts to maintain control, and the boulder slips back down. For this reason, both of these pillars are critical in the pursuit of systemic change.
Narrative Development
As communities build structural and organizing power, it is imperative to also reinforce community-driven narrative infrastructure to ensure that the dominant story that emerges elevates the conditions that have allowed these changes to occur. If we don’t control the narrative, we cede that space to those who may oppose our fight for justice. Ceding that space undermines our immediate organizing position and any learning that future generations may glean from the historical accounts of victories won.
Similar to the impetus for structural reforms, the stories that emerge must be rooted in communities most impacted by the issues that are being addressed. This ensures that leaders begin to recognize the inherent power of communities of which they may not be a part. It also places opponents of reform in a more defensive posture as their efforts to regain control are more likely to face social and cultural backlash from the masses.
Telling the right story with sufficient reinforcement from media and communications infrastructure ensures that any gains in the fight for racial justice may be more readily incorporated into the dominant culture. This is the ultimate goal of power-building efforts.
Ecosystem investments
The three pillars above are the most critical components necessary to achieve systemic reform. However, the speed at which reform occurs is heavily impacted by the ecosystem from which change efforts emerge. Ecosystem investments include philanthropic commitment to things like research, training, leadership development, building grassroots fundraising capacity, and organizing philanthropic alignment around shared values and practices. These components intersect with efforts related to structural reform, organizing, and narrative infrastructure, but can exist somewhat outside of those activities. They prep the soil for future growth and ensure community-led efforts are better positioned for success.
Perhaps surprisingly, elections also fall into this category – even in a year like 2024. Elections on their own do not shift power. The identities of elected leaders are largely inconsequential unless their presence results in shifts in governance. Our goal in electing a champion is that they will operate differently than their predecessors. If this is not the case, then our elections fail to meaningfully shift power for our communities. The true thrust of pro-democracy work is to create the conditions in which community voices are valued equitably within our political and cultural practices. Elections, while critically important, are just one component of the foundation on which the pillars of systemic change are built.
In an election year like 2024, many donors tend to think of the November election as an end date – the end of a campaign cycle and, often, the end of their democracy giving (for a while, at least). At Ktisis Capital, we encourage donors to instead think of election day as the start of a new chapter in a story we are deeply invested in. As we consider our roles as progressive funders, how are we committing our time, energy, and resources toward reinforcing the pillars of systemic change, not just during an election year, but ongoing? What role do we want to play in the next chapter of reform? These are some of the themes we continue to explore within our Democracy Learning Cohorts.