As one of the newest Pushback State Alliances, members were eager to find out more about the national network and to build relationships with similar grassroots organizations across the country at the national convening. For many of us, it was the first time experiencing and understanding the Pushback Network. We set goals and talked about expectations before the trip to Vegas and affirmed that we wanted to strengthen our own alliance, learn new approaches to organizing, connect and collaborate with other organizations, build relationships, and to share the work we do at a national level. After a long streak of rain and very gloomy days in MA, I think we were all hoping to get re-energized, feel inspired and looked forward to the sunny weather as well!
We arrived in Las Vegas, 18 members strong representing 4 organizations and were quickly struck by the lights, activity on the strip, and of course, the warm weather. By the time we got the hotel, we had already begun to deepen existing relationships and build new relationships within the alliance.
The conference began with a wave of excitement and anticipation. There were many ice breakers and relationship building exercises throughout the convening which MA alliance members loved. In fact, Carlos of Neighbor to Neighbor (N2N) wished we could have done more!
Benito of Ex-Prisoners Organizing for Community Advancement (EPOCA) built many new relationships and was proud that, “we shined as an alliance.” He was also happy to report that he’s already in communication with many of the leaders from all over the country that he met at the convening.
Ashley of Hyde Square Task Force presented her youth organizing work in the Voter Engagement Strategies workshop but also commented on what she took home. “It was a rare opportunity to bring us together and interact with so many amazing people from across the country. The convening gave us valuable information to help us carry out our agenda.”
Agustina of N2N returned to Lynn, MA with a clear understanding of Pushback. She reported, “Pushback was new to me and after going to the convening I discovered its strength. We’re now connected with grassroots organizations at the national level and I hope we continue to grow strong and gain electoral and legislative power.”
Rosa Aviles from Coalition Against Poverty (CAP) found the convening “uplifting and inspiring, culturally diverse and was surprised to see states with similar obstacles and same passion for effecting change”. She concluded with a simple statement, “We’re not alone.”
Maria Carrasco of N2N agreed. “One organization isn’t enough to do this work. This convening demonstrated that we are all in this together, that we’re smart, but we’re also learning new tools. We build coalitions. We all share the same vision. This is what makes us strong and that is what’s powerful about Pushback. The most important goal for me was to make connections with other organizations and build relationships and we all met that goal!”
Delia of EPOCA left the convening wanting to know more, wanting to know how organizations got to the point that they’re at, what’s working and what’s not. She said, “There were so many people there sharing their work that I learned a little bit about each organization. Now I want to hear more.”
Missy and Janet of CAP also wanted to dig deeper but was inspired by the possibility of coming together again with other Pushback organizations to build a national movement and make change.
The MA State Alliance is eager to continue building relationships and to create time for continued peer-to-peer learning with groups across the country. Many of our members highlighted individuals and organizations that we hope to connect with soon and dig deep into allied organizations strategies, tactics, and lessons learned. Watch out fellow Pushback organizations, we will be knocking on your door very soon!
