BY CHRISTINE, OUR REV MN VOLUNTEER
Our Revolution Minnesota (ORMN) will definitely be involved in the Minneapolis city elections next year. We will be endorsing and volunteering for candidates, including mayor, park board, City Council and more. We’re still growing rapidly with new members at every meeting, and new chapters forming and plugging in across the state.
At this point, most of the rallies and supported candidates have been Twin Cities focused, but this metro-centric org structure is neither the roots of the organization, with over 125,000 Minnesotans caucusing for Bernie statewide, nor our future intention. Just this weekend we put into motion plans to designate a Twin Cities chapter while simultaneously establishing the beginnings of a statewide membership table. This table will consist of a group of volunteers from across the state to facilitate: A) a series of organizing phone-banks to help us connect, peer to peer, with other existing and emerging leaders across the state; B) a series of house gatherings with existing and emerging ORMN chapters in greater Minnesota; and C) coordination of issue-based and electoral organizing through the coming months and years to build statewide progressive political and community power under the Our Revolution banner.
Right now, a lot of the work and focus is going into forming an organizational structure that will position us to be a force in Minnesota politics with issue-based advocacy and education for many years to come. Everyone recognizes that this work is a marathon, not a sprint.
At the moment we are closely following the DNC race and are hopeful that Keith Ellison will be the new chair. Many members are following the #DemEnter strategy and are becoming more engaged in the DFL. We are actively working to ensure the progressive resolutions passed in the March caucuses make their way into the legislative agenda. Our Rev membership will be attending the next State Central Committee meeting on Dec. 10 at Lakeville High School. Others are planning their own candidacy in upcoming elections either as independents, Green Party candidates, Democratic Socialists or through other affiliations.
Our Rev members have been active in supporting Standing Rock in person, financially, with supplies, and by contacting legislators. Members have plugged into the Minneapolis $15 minimum-wage movement, and are working to implement single payer health care in MN. Broadly speaking, we are working to translate Bernie Sanders’ platform to our local and state levels, making activism a way of life.
Our Rev remains a 100% volunteer group of dedicated progressives. What is really impressive is how folks come to a meeting with 400+ people to see what it’s all about, and then jump right into a working group. We’re seeing incredible skills and talents contributed: everything from legal counsel, to web development, to meeting facilitation, to peaceful resistance training, to Robert’s Rules of Order.
Our Rev website will be revamped in the upcoming weeks with updated information as we begin to build relationships across the state, form chapters, get local teams started and continue the good work. Interested parties can sign up on OurRevolutionMN.org.
