Non Violent Direct Action Working Group
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There is a long and important tradition of using non-violent direct action in social justice movements. Many of the 1000 Grandmothers turn to nonviolent direct action because we worry that the institutionalized ways of addressing climate change are not working quickly or adequately enough to meet the very limited time available to address the climate crisis. We feel a responsibility to use whatever respect and privilege derive from our age and social position to help draw attention to these struggles. It is also a way to remind ourselves and others that power flows from a willingness, or lack thereof, to cooperate with the status quo. Power flows from the bottom up, not just from the top down.
MISSION: The NVDA (Non Violent Direct Action) Workgroup facilitates and supports the Grandmothers’ participation in direct actions to promote and hasten climate justice. We choose to participate in nonviolent direct actions because of the urgency of the climate crisis, and the need to draw attention to the fossil fuel industry’s ongoing escalation of the dangers to all people and every living thing on the planet. 
Idle No More led sit-in in front of the S.F. Federal building
WHAT WE DO:
Non violent direct action involves challenging legal norms and protesting in streets/locations where we and our climate justice partners have developed campaigns to effect radical change to protect the earth. We have participated in sit-ins and business closings. To date, many of our non violent direct actions have involved blocking the streets to help enable climate justice activities to take place. JOIN If you are interested in thinking about or participating in nonviolent direct action with the Grandmothers - as someone willing to risk arrest, or willing to support those who risk arrest - contact us to join an affinity group and get trained. Help us strategize to have our voices heard. To learn more about or join the Non Violent Direct Action Working Group, click here 
1000 Grandmothers participate in NVDA
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“We adopt the means of nonviolence because our end is a community at peace with itself. We will try to persuade with our words, but if our words fail, we will try to persuade with our acts.” - Martin Luther King
Holding the streets urging Black Rock to divest from fossil fuels
TRAININGS & AFFINITY GROUPS Doing nonviolent direct action requires a commitment on the part of the 1000 Grandmothers to be safe and responsible to each other and our partners in how we go about the protests. For us, that involves belonging to one of our Affinity Groups. An affinity group is a small group of people who support each other and work together to change the world. Before we act, we train carefully in the ethical and strategic ways Affinity Groups function during actions. Important aspects of our work are developing strategies for Affinity Group participation, getting Grandmothers into Affinity Groups and outlining a training and support path. To date many of our trainings have been done with Fearless Grandmothers. 
RESOURCES:
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