September 20th, 2025
As teams and structures begin to develop, it’s essential to consider how to bring the dreams of the people into reality. Often, institutions and systems stand in the way of creating a world where the beloved community can thrive. Sometimes people knowingly contribute to the systems and structures that cause pain in the world. At other times, they do so because they have no other alternatives. Often, people are scared of what may happen to themselves or the people they love if they speak out against these systems. That’s why we’re pairing pillars of support with mechanisms of change.
It’s essential to understand who or what we are fighting against, and how we can formulate a plan to remove it from it’s sources of power, additionally, on the way to that world, there are a variety of ways through which we can meet our goals, some come through means of converting others to our side, or showing them the way, others come through withdrawing our support and ensuring they can’t power their oppression. This week, we’ll begin to unpack some concepts that'll help us down that path and enable us to plan how and with whom we’ll engage with oppressive systems.
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Joe Worthy is a community organizer and strategist who works alongside community members to build power through Strategic Nonviolent Action. Partnering with leaders and local groups, he drives systemic change through his roles with the Strategic Nonviolence Academy, the Albert Einstein Institution, and Light House | Black Girl Projects. His support has led to landmark victories, from coaching a community group in Côte d'Ivoire that successfully shut down a coal mine to helping end Zero Tolerance Policies in Boston and expand healthcare for mothers in Mississippi. Previously, at the Children’s Defense Fund, he focused on dismantling the Cradle to Prison Pipeline. Joe studied at Heidelberg University and the University of Oxford and was a Community Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School.
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This session explores Robert Helvey's concept of "Pillars of Support," a crucial framework for understanding and dismantling the power structures that sustain oppressive regimes. Participants will learn how these pillars—the military, police, bureaucracy, media, and economic institutions—provide the necessary support for a regime to maintain control. By identifying and analyzing these pillars, movements can strategically target and weaken them, ultimately eroding the regime's power base.
Through case studies and practical exercises, attendees will gain insights into how nonviolent actions can effectively disrupt these pillars of support. The session will emphasize the importance of building alliances and mobilizing diverse segments of society to withdraw their cooperation from the regime.
For participants to be able to independently use Pillars of Support to analyze power structures of oppressive systems and strategically identify, propose and evaluated nonviolent actions to weaken their power in order to improve the human condition
This session will explore Gene Sharp's theory of mechanisms of change, which is fundamental to understanding nonviolent resistance. Sharp outlines four key mechanisms through which nonviolent action can effect change: conversion, accommodation, nonviolent coercion, and disintegration. Participants will examine each mechanism in detail and assess how it shapes the behavior and decisions of those in power.
Through case studies and practical exercises, attendees will learn to strategically apply these mechanisms in various contexts to maximize the effectiveness of their nonviolent campaigns. By gaining insight into the dynamics of conversion, accommodation, coercion, and disintegration, participants will be better equipped to design and implement strategies that disrupt oppressive systems and foster meaningful social and political change. This session seeks to provide a comprehensive understanding of how nonviolent action can lead to significant societal transformations.
Participants will be able to strategically apply their understanding of Gene Sharp's four mechanisms of change (conversion, accommodation, nonviolent coercion, and disintegration) to analyze and design effective nonviolent campaigns in diverse contexts to foster meaningful social and political change.