The LIONetwork and #Occupy

I have the privilege of being part of the team that support the Rockwood’s Leading from the Inside Out Leadership Network (LIONetwork).  I share our latest communication for two reasons:  first, it serves as a brief survey of how the professionalized social sector is responding to #occupywallstreet.  Second, it serves as an example of our team’s effort to increase the network’s self-awareness by reflecting it back to itself while also offering an opportunity for deeper connection and discussion.  The e-mail follows:

Rockwood LIO Fellows are a network of movement leaders who have shared an experience of transformation.  Many in our country are right now having their own experience of transformation—in the mass movement of occupations that started on Wall Street.

Our question to you:  How are you meeting this #occupywallstreet moment?

We are considering hosting a call (using technology that allows for small group dialog) to facilitate a juicy conversation on what you are seeing, the impact on your work, and the big questions you are sitting with.

LIO Fellows are speaking up. In their words…

George Goehl says that “while Occupy Wall Street has inspired a new level of consciousness in America, we have only just scratched the surface of what will be needed to shift the political economy of our country.”

Rinku Sen writes that “movements are decentralized; organizations are centralized. Movements are spontaneous; organizations have strategies and plans.”

She says that “in a movement moment, the imperatives of organization building can be set aside, and we might even recognize that not every organization has to live forever to make a great contribution.”

Kung Li meticulously walks us through the intersections of race and movement in Georgia.  She provides a powerful context for #OccupyAtlanta and the place being called “Troy Davis Park.”  And Biko Baker calls on “people of color turn out to the #Occupy actions to demand that our issues are addressed.”  He says that “the young people who raised their tents on Wall Street have given us ALL an opportunity to dream bigger. We must not let this historical moment close without pushing the discussion, our movement, and ourselves.”

Labor allies and the Working Families Party have marched on Zuccotti Park.  MoveOn has published a FAQ page regarding its relationship with #OWS.  Van Jones praises the movement’s moral clarity and Rebuild the Dream explicitly stands behind it.

Adrienne Maree Brown calls on us to “let it breathe,” and invites deeper reflection into our habits of critique.  And Gibrán Rivera talks about the “evolution of revolution” as he keeps making the connection to the paradigm shift that flows from living in a networked world.

These are just some of the voices in our web of powerful leaders who have devoted their lives to the work for social justice and sustainability.  How do we continue to meet this moment?  What are you doing?  How are you relating?  What questions do you have?

We’ll let you know if there is sufficient interest in a call. We’ll be in touch in the coming weeks with more LIONetwork news and opportunities to engage.

Note: The blog posts and articles named above are linked to the names of the LIO Fellows.  Please email with links to your own ideas or calls to action as well as to those articles that you’ve found useful.

Following are links to other insightful pieces from beyond the LIONetwork:

As Scorn for Vote Grows, Protests Surge Around Globe by Nicholas Kulish

Swarm Wall Street: why an anti-political movement is the most important force on the planet by Tim Rayner

Occupy Wall Street, Swarm Behavior & Self-Organized Criticality by Joe Brewer

The Technology of Global Unrest by Kevin Kelly

Not an Ending, a Beginning: Notes on Occupy Wall Street by Manissa McCleave Maharawal

Organizing Upgrade’s Occupy Strategy Lab

Occupy (We the 99) by Jasiri X

We are the 99%

We are the 1%