My name is Jack Daniels and I am a six year old tabby cat. I have been asked to put paw to paper and give my impression of social change nonprofits. My knowledge is deep but not wide, as I have never been out of my zip code except to visit the torture chamber (nicknamed “the vet.”) In fact, I rarely leave my yard.
Besides Kim and Stephanie, I share this house with Ruby (a 2 year old fat orange tabby who is super immature but good hearted) and two dogs named Brooklyn and Gracie (who are sisters). I am very friendly with the dogs. We are the permanent residents of this house. Kim and Stephanie are often here, but not always as they travel quite a bit. Many times other people stay here, and often people visit here, so we see a wide range of people.
Most of the people who come here are called “activists.” Sometimes the people who come here are called “relatives,” and others are called “old friends.” Some old friends are also activists, but the relatives almost never are.
The first rule of being an activist is meet frequently and spend a goodly amount of time planning the next meeting. The next rule is to have animated discussions, most of which seem to revolve around “actions” or “moving an agenda.” I can’t really figure out what that means. Once, a very large piece of paper taped to our living room wall had the word AGENDA across the top. Then there were all the things the group wanted to talk about during the meeting: check-in, updates, April action, fundraising, and strategic planning. Under “strategic planning” it said, “How do we move our agenda?” It must be some kind of metaphor.
Since the war in Iraq, there have been even more meetings. (Ruby asked why the soldiers went into a rock in the first place–you see what I have to put up with.) I am usually allowed in the meetings, which is partly how I have developed my expertise in this area. Sometimes someone comes to the meeting who is “allergic” to me and then I am swept up and put in the bedroom. I think these so-called “allergic” people should form their own group–Allergic Activists Against the War, or against whatever. (They have not always been against the war. Previously we have had meetings against toxic waste, racism, and tax cuts.) Anyway, the group would be called AAAW for short, which describes the noise they make then they come into the house and see me. “AAAW, you have a cat!” I could see this reaction if Kim and Stephanie were sheltering a serial killer or an alligator, but apparently I have power that is way beyond my size.
This is enough for now. More later.
© Copyright 2005 by Building Movement. Reprinted with permission of Kim Klein, one of Jack’s servants.
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