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Proposal to adopt the Jemez Principles

Introduction

This proposal is for Common Guide to adopt the Jemez Principles as a starting point for guiding our efforts to act in solidarity with those on the front-lines of the fight for climate justice.

The Jemez Principles for Democratic Organising were adopted by participants of the Southwest Network for Environmental and Economic Justice in 1996 and have become an influential first-step set of guidelines for grassroots movements wanting to act in solidarity with those on the front-line fight for the more extensive forms of environment justice

"A set of recommendations called the Jemez Principles were written in 1996 as a foundation for diverse coalitions to make justice-based decisions together. Many prominent climate justice organizations use the Jemez Principles as the basis for their work." - Listening to the Frontlines: The Jemez Principals

See the full Jamez Principles for Democratic Organising document for details, but the short version of the principals is:

  • Be Inclusive
  • Emphasis on Bottom-Up Organizing
  • Let People Speak for Themselves
  • Work Together In Solidarity and Mutuality
  • Build Just Relationships Among Ourselves
  • Commitment to Self-Transformation

Discussion prompts:

Before deciding whether to adopt the Jemez Principles or not, it is important to discuss the advantages and disadvantages these principles offer in the context of this project.

To start discussion, please consider the following prompts:

  • For each principle, consider if and how it offers a useful guideline for cultivating acts of solidarity with with those on the front-lines of the fight for climate justice in the context of our project?

  • Taken together, do these set of principles offer a baseline from which we could then build on to articulate more context-specific 'Solidarity Principles'?

  • Do we see this as worth unpacking further at this time or maybe this passes as being 'Good Enough for Now, Safe Enough to Try' (GESET) for our group.

Potential decision outcomes:

  1. Adopting the principles as originally articulated

  2. Adopting the principles as an interim set of guidelines that will be replaced by a more tailored set of solidarity principles

  3. NOT adopting the principles, and instead forming a new proposal to identify or develop another set of solidarity principles

Ways to participate in this decisions:

We will make this decision following our [insert relevant decision making agreement].