If we think about movements in terms of seasons, where would we place the movement to end mass incarceration on the calendar? After the enormous attention, money, and galvanization of 2020, it seems clear that we are no longer in a summer, and probably not in a fall. Indeed, with the drops in funding, the reduction in issue-salience, and the hostility of many state legislatures to reform, it feels like winter. This can be a hard time to admit, because winter has a stigma attached to it. A person in a leadership rut, or an organization going through major transitions, or a movement that feels rocky (little forward motion and some significant internal disputes) are not things that tend to garner money and positive attention. But there is another way to look at winter: a time of internal reflection, restoration, and planning for the next cycle. This is the positive aspect that I think we need to lean into now.
One key point of reflection is to honestly assess our position over a significant time frame and figure out what we have, what we don’t have, what are the strengths and weaknesses, and what are the external conditions. There is a temptation to judge one’s position in winter in relation to the much hotter summer time, and to say that things are all going south and we’re failing. But that’s not the right comparison! Instead, we need to look back to the last winter, and compare apples to apples. When it comes to ending mass incarceration, when was the last time the energy was at a low, before things started building with springtime excitement? That’s a debatable question, but I’d argue it was around 15 years ago.
So, if we compare the posture of this work to 15 years ago, then we ask, what is different? What has been gained in terms of policy wins, lessons, leadership/talent, organizational infrastructure, education and narrative, growth in awareness? And do we think we are in a worse position than 15 years ago? I think the answer to the last question is clearly no, if the frame of reference is the U.S. That means that this past cycle has achieved some things. How should we think about that?
Recently, I have been referring to this bundle of stuff gained since the last winter as “The Egg,” building off of the seasons framework developed by the Ayni Institute. The egg contains all the lessons, knowledge, public good will, and anything else of value that have been built over the previous cycle. Following the seasons metaphor, I call it the egg because it is the stuff that will nourish the seeds of the next cycle.
[Credit: Ayni Institute, with egg added by me.]
I would suggest that in order to move successfully into the next movement cycle, we have to figure out what’s in the egg. This is not a trivial exercise. It requires real reflection and discourse, and I think that work is best done in person, which means a lot of convening (which is costly in terms of money and time). If we can do it well, we will do a much better job of sustaining the most critical infrastructure for the next cycle, building on the strongest ideas, and supporting key leaders. If we do it poorly, we are much more likely to flounder and have to relearn a lot of lessons over again.
This is a really good framing. We are certainly in a much better place than we were in the last winter, by any measure.
Two thoughts on convenings: First, in my experience the most effective convenings bring people together who work along different places in the ideological spectrum and in diverse geographies. We have to recognize as a movement that an abolitionist campaign in Seattle can't use the same messaging and tactics as trying to pass a measure through a bipartisan Congress, and people who use different messaging and tactics to advance different pieces of the work aren't enemies.
Second, convenings could be a lot cheaper. During the summer/fall period, we kind of replicated corporate culture. A good convening in a major city could spend a lot less on food and alcohol, stay in less expensive accommodations, be invite only (to keep it focused) and have a sliding scale ranging from covering flight/hotel for truly grassroots leaders to not covering it at all for well-funded nationals. I say this because I agree that the harder conversations need to happen in person, but no one is in a position to book an all expenses convening for 100 leaders right now.
I can’t tell you how much I needed to hear this this week. Thank you for your gauge and for voicing it!