Building an Alliance to Promote an Inclusive Society in California is Tough Work
by Fred Persily, Executive Director of CAHRO

Statewide alliance building in a state with 34 million people spread over 100,000 square miles is not an enviable task. California labor unions have been successful in achieving this task, but their job is narrowly focused because the constituency they are trying to organize is clearly defined, and the issues, to a large extent, are predetermined. Their achievements illustrate the value of a statewide alliance or organization.  The California Teachers Association, the California Correctional Peace Officers Association, and the California Nurses Association are some of the most powerful forces in the state.  They have political influence beyond their numbers and they have the power to move the state towards their own ends.  Often, those ends coincide with the needs of the population as a whole, but not always.

CAHRO's objective is to facilitate the formation of a statewide alliance working to build a society where people are treated with respect and given opportunities to achieve their constructive life goals regardless of their economic condition, gender or gender orientation, disability, immigration status, religion, or racial or ethnic identity.  To be effective, an alliance would need a membership base that is large enough to sustain itself and carry out activities to achieve its aims. It is likely that the first step in attracting a critical mass of support for an alliance would be to demonstrate the ability to make an impact on the population of the entire state.

The objective is not unique. National and local organizations have formed alliances aimed at promoting an inclusive society, but they have no California counterpart.  This became painfully clear in the effort to organize against state propositions attacking immigrant rights, affirmative action, and other initiatives aimed at restricting opportunities. There is a Leadership Conference made up of civil rights organizations representing different constituencies at the national level, and San Diego and San Francisco have regional networks of organizations that seek to   create a more "just" society.  The two     networks differ in their methodologies but they share similar goals.  The Coalition for Civil Rights in San Francisco relies primarily on legal advocacy and local and state lobbying efforts to achieve its objectives.  The San Diego Interagency Coalition for Human Rights relies more on the member organizations to reach out to their respective constituencies to influence regional issues.  Unfortunately, efforts to build alliances in Los Angeles have not been as effective, perhaps because the geographical challenges are greater than in other areas of California and reaching out to the     millions of people living in the area would be a major undertaking.  However the Multicultural Collaborative is still seeking to make it happen.

The two regional alliances are a drop in the proverbial bucket when it comes to reaching out to the millions of people who live in California.  Neither has the power to mount a successful statewide campaign.  Over the course of the last decade, expensive, well-orchestrated campaigns to divide people based on their economic  status, gender, race and ethnicity, immigration status, and language have succeeded in taking away some programs and policies that were instituted to promote a society based on inclusion. Labor organizations are not the only ones to successfully used money to exert power far beyond their numbers.

What is the answer?  The National Coalition for Progressive Philanthropy believes that foundations must support think tanks that can formulate policies to promote inclusion and fund organizations that advocate for social justice.  Other organizations, like Californians for Justice, believe that a sustained effort to reach out and educate people about the issues and the need to vote will eventually pay dividends.  Still others believe that building statewide coalitions or alliances of organizations engaged in promoting civil rights for their own constituencies similar to the Coalition for Civil Rights in San Francisco is the answer.  CAHRO drafted a      concept paper on creating eight regional multi-disciplinary alliances throughout California that would be linked to an umbrella statewide alliance.  It would formulate policies for promoting inclusion and design and implement strategies using the regional alliances to bring them to fruition.  Ideas abound but the realization of the dream is still just beyond the horizon.

Unfortunately, while the formation of an alliance for inclusion is elusive, some of  those with money and privilege in California who find the notion of an inclusive society threatening are actively promoting  policies and programs to secure their positions of power.  They have successfully worked to eliminate and restrict policies and programs that are designed to overcome the impact of arbitrary discrimination and have supported maintaining an immense criminal justice system to warehouse people who are not contributing to the economy.  Fortunately, those with money and power are not of one mind and many feel their future, and the future of those that follow them, is better protected by a society stabilized because it is based on inclusion and fairness.

The challenge for those of us who believe in inclusion is to open communication with others of like mind in all  disciplines in all areas of California, and to continue to work toward the creation of a statewide alliance.  CAHRO is doing its part by organizing multi-disciplinary networks in communities from the Mexican to the Oregon border to address intergroup tensions and conflict, recognizing that they can eventually serve as the infrastructure for a statewide alliance.  Our Association maintains ongoing contact and serves as a communication link among all these networks whether they were organized by CAHRO. 

Networks currently are operating in San Diego, Orange County, Los Angeles County, Santa Barbara County, San Francisco, the City of Alameda, Sonoma County, Sacramento, and Humboldt County.  Additional networks are in their infancy in the Inland Empire, Santa Clara County and Mendocino County.  They share a common concern for the welfare of all people regardless of their gender, gender orientation, race, religion, ethnicity, immigration status, or disability.  CAHRO also works with dozens of city and county human relations and human rights commissions throughout California that share a common mission in creating an inclusive society.  The base is broad and has been expanding to include service providers, the faith community, youth, and other human rights and civil rights organizations.  But, as broad as the base may be, it is still a quantum leap to create a statewide alliance. We will continue to work on the task at our March conference.