Pushback Network (PBN) is proud to announce a new State Alliance Partnership with Neighbor to Neighbor Massachusetts (N2N-MA). N2N-MA’s leadership as Massachusetts anchor organization makes the Bay State the eighth state in PBN’s growing coast-to-coast network. NWN-MA grew out of Neighbor to Neighbor, a national organization which focused on organizing in Central America in the 1980s, and on health care reform in the U.S. in the early 1990s. In the mid-1990s, N2N-MA re-evaluated our mission to focus on building power in low-income communities around an economic justice agenda. N2N-MA formed the Working Family Agenda Coalition and works to build a progressive majority in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
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“Organizers in state after state are seeing the Pushback model of building progressive power from the bottom up,” said PBN Coordinating Director Rodney McKenzie, Jr., “and they want to be a part of it. As a young national organization, PBN is seeking to manage its growth strategically by adding state partners with a proven track record of success on the ground, and as much to offer our state alliance partners as they have to gain. Neighbor to Neighbor Massachusetts is a perfect fit. PBN provides organizations like N2N-MA, that are anchoring state alliances, with critically needed financial resources, training, and technical support. We also bring together experienced and talented staff and leaders from all of our states (in Alabama, California, Kentucky, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, and New York) to learn from each other, determine and shape our overall strategies, and contribute to national goals. We are pleased and proud to have N2N-MA join with us to achieve our common vision.”
“Pushback Network represents a wonderful opportunity for disenfranchised communities to come together and build powerful bottom up coalitions and alliances nationwide,” said N2N-MA Executive Director Juan Leyton. N2N-MA Campaign Director, Carl Nilsson, agrees: “The Pushback Network is a movement to build grassroots political power in low-income communities of color across the country,” he said. “Our partnership with Pushback will help win victories for economic justice at the ballot box and at the State House in Massachusetts.”
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a New England State that is considered by many to be the country’s most liberal. Its current state policies – including legislating marriage equality for same-sex couples (and withstanding attempts to repeal the law), passing the country’s highest minimum wage of $8.00 an hour, and the creation of a new universal health-care program – are heralded as some of the country’s most progressive public policies.
These victories did not come easily and required hard work, tactical negotiation and strong organizing work. “The addition of new states to the Pushback Network is really exciting for those of us that built the original foundation,” said New York-based PBN Vice-Chair Sondra Youdelman. “Neighbor to Neighbor is a strong organization with a wealth of experience building power with low-income and working class communities. They have a good, established model of electoral work that the rest of the Pushback partners will benefit from learning more about and they’re bound to benefit from getting to know the other models and approaches in our mix as well. New York is excited to welcome our northeast partners from Massachusetts.”
