Chris` Lowe (he-him)
Portland DSA, HCAO-Action, HCAO
activist
Portland, Oregon
I've been a single payer activist in Oregon since about 2007, 63 years old. For better and worse I'm an intellectual, an ex-academic with a Ph.D. in African history & teaching fields involving both the African diaspora and issues around race and class. I did the coursework for an MPH in epidemiology and biostatistics at Oregon Health and Science University.
In January 2022 I had a small heart attack, and found myself in the middle of the night with moderate chest pains dithering about calling 911 because I was unsure if my payment for renewed insurance in the Exchange had been made on time or if I was in a coverage gap. I shouldn't have to worry about things like that.
I agree with the distinctions Jane McAlevey makes among adovocacy, mobilizing, and organizing,.
I am interested in talking about how we build an *organized* mass grass roots Medicare for All movement, beyond just advocacy and mobilizing. And a movement that has a strategy that's well articulated. I don't really see that now but I'll be listening to hear if I've been missing something. The conference in Minneapolis in 2017 or 2018 did articulate such a strategy, but it never materialized.
So, if you want to talk about how we might build an actual *organizing* movement with the grassroots power to move politicians, and about what kind of alchemy it takes to convert a collection of tactics into an actual strategy, I'm your guy! ;-)