Preparing for coronavirus crisis: As organizers, it’s time to do what we do best

Posted on March 12, 2020

As it becomes clear that we must prepare for the worst possible impacts of COVID-19, activists and organizers need to think not only about what we’re organizing for, but how we’re organizing.

This is what organizers do. We stay attuned to the needs of our communities and we adapt our strategies to the moment.

The Bay Rising network has shifted impressively quickly to remote organizing–we’re figuring it out as we go along, but we’re ready to make some big changes and make hard sacrifices in order to keep all our people safe. For example, we’re planning to shift most of our door-to-door outreach for the Census to phonebanking with mobile hotspots, so our outreach workers can get out the count from home.

Keeping everyone safe means protecting our staff and the people in our communities who are the most vulnerable: low-wage Latinx, Black, and Asian workers, seniors, immigrants, people who are immunocompromised, people who are houseless and living in crowded conditions, people who are housing-insecure, and more. No one is safe until we’re all safe.

Here is our list of resources that we’ve found helpful so far, and we’ll keep updating as we come across more information. Stay safe out there and remember: #PowerNotPanic!

Adapting our organizing

For organizers as workers, employers and advocates

Supporting the health of people experiencing homelessness

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