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December 2006 Dear Friends of Rural Organizing Project: When Air America’s Laura Flanders featured Rural Organizing Project (ROP) on her Radio Nation show this summer she was most interested in hearing what victory meant to us. The live show overlapped with the World Cup Soccer Playoffs. The notion of an exciting sport where entire games could yield final scores of 0-0 boggled the US audience. Similarly, Laura Flanders kept trying to puzzle out how ROP could feel we were making a difference when at times our scores also seemed barely to register. In a year when the Constitution is being torn apart, when borders are now defined by walls, and international relations are brokered through occupation, just what have we won? (Aside from the monumental 2006 midterm election results which signal that many of us are ready to win a lot more!) Indeed, over the last 15 years ROP has been asked that a lot. Often this is a question posed by foundations considering a small grant to fund our work. More than ever before, foundations are desperate to explain how their funds are making the difference and are a lot less patient with our long-haul approach. Laura Flanders was easily won over by ROP’s transformational, movement building approach, which was ‘values based’ before that concept was ‘cool’. It’s odd though; I rarely get asked to list ROP victories in small town Oregon where so many of us can remember pre-ROP days. In the pre-human dignity group days progressive minded rural people kept their mouths shut and hoped for the best. Or they moved to the city. For the past 15 years, rural progressives have developed the habit, skills, and infrastructure to tackle global headlines at the local level by calling meetings, organizing vigils, and going door-to-door to use our collective, proud, and very progressive voice. Today, there are weekly peace vigils in small Oregon towns that most Portlanders have never heard of and many would envy. That feels like a success. While ROP wants foundations to like us and Laura Flanders to note us in her next book (she will), you are who we really need. ROP was formed by and for rural Oregonians. If we don’t have value to you, what is our purpose? Becoming a member ($35/individual, $50/household) demonstrates that our shared work is important. This fall, a retired high school biology teacher responded to a creationism rant in the local paper by contacting the local human dignity group. The group talked the issue through, analyzed the position and tactics used, and felt prepared to coordinate a community response if a challenge was called. In the meantime, some conversations with the local school superintendent resulted in a Four Square Church banner being removed from public school grounds when the church was not renting the space. The group felt well positioned to work with the school. That was not how a similar scenario played out for this same teacher back in 1991. At that time he was called before a standing room only, quasi-mob to justify his evolution-based curriculum. The meeting ended at midnight with a one-vote margin protecting his right to teach science. He wondered how a teacher without his 25 years of confidence would have withstood such an assault. The idea of a human dignity group was born that night in 1991 as people who could barely believe the tone and orchestration of the fundamentalist challenge met to decide how fair minded folks who were willing to stand up for inclusive democracy could get organized in Scappoose. In fifteen years, this local group, like so many others, has ebbed and flowed. We have marched to our Courthouse for gay rights, we have challenged censorship, we have gone door to door every election cycle, today, we speak out for peace and immigrant rights. We have created a voice. But what would this local group have to brag about on national radio? How can we explain the value of each human dignity group? But we all know the value of the sixty human dignity groups that make up ROP in 2006. Victory in 2006 is not just winning more progressive control of Congress and the Legislature. In the face of a permanent war, 0-0 scores are also a win. One less violation of our Constitution, one less border being walled off, one less country feeling the need to arrogantly throw its weight around, these are victories. And human dignity groups have an active role in keeping the grassroots engaged in every community. These times require the steadfast patience to measure real progress in terms of how many political conversations we’ve had with neighbors, not just by who wins the white house. We are engaged in a journey that will inch us back to a path we can be proud of. No one election cycle victory can do that. Dismantling corporate-military-fundamentalist control of our planet will not be a short-term effort. Rural Organizing Project is in it for the long haul. The budget at ROP has not increased over the last 5 years. And, recently, it has shrunk. Our ability to leverage our lean, mean budget in so many successful ways is a point of pride. Yet still we have not raised enough income to match expenses for the last two years. How do we manage? In 2003, ROP was honored with a cash award of $115,000 for providing Leadership for a Changing World. We continue to live off of what we saved from that national award. But now we need to turn to you with a serious question. What is ROP worth to your household? Do we let you sleep better at night? Do we add occasional joy or hope or strategy to your days? ROP must turn to our base to bring in the dollars to keep running. Many of you may think you are annual members, but you might be surprised to realize that you are not. We need everyone to give. For some, it will mean keeping your dues current at $35/person or $50/household. For others, it may mean writing out a check for $250 or $500. Or starting a monthly deduction from your bank account that will help sustain ROP throughout the entire year. For ROP to continue to exist in 2007, 2008, and 2009, we need to be run and paid for by small town Oregonians. Please make it a priority to join today. Sincerely, Marcy Westerling On behalf of the Board, Staff and Members of Rural Organizing Project
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