Communities We Work With

We prioritize working with impacted communities. Inequality and injustice are the CAUSE of our current state of economic, societal and environmental downfall. Impacted communities are often “educated” about their slew of problems and given paths of charity out of poverty, but not looked to for visions, leadership and solutions; not looked at as powerful and dignified. We look at these communities, our own communities, as the most strategic place to invest resources. That includes hiring and requiring folks who have experienced the impacts of injustice as leaders in The Ruckus Society, while taking on the responsibility to create their whole selves.

The Combahee Alliance

Black Lives Matter: Black Lives Matter is a chapter-based national organization working for the validity of Black life, and working to (re)build the Black liberation movement. TGI Justice Project (TGIJP): TGI Justice Project is a group of transgender, gender variant and intersex people—inside and outside of prisons, jails and detention centers—creating a united family in the struggle for survival and freedom. Southerners on New Ground (SONG): Southerners On New Ground (SONG) is a regional Queer Liberation organization made up of people of color, immigrants, undocumented people, people with disabilities, working class and rural and small town, LGBTQ people in the South. SONG builds a beloved community of LGBTQ people in the South who are ready and willing to do our part to challenge oppression in order to bring about liberation for ALL people. We develop leadership, build our membership base, and identify and carry out community organizing projects and campaigns. All of our work strives to bring together marginalized communities to work towards justice and liberation for all people. The BlackOUT! Collective: The BlackOUT Collective is a full service Black Direct Action collective, which provides on the ground support, training and the opportunity for deep space visioning in communities that prioritize the liberation of Black people. Community Justice Network for Youth: The Community Justice Network for Youth (CJNY) is a program of the W. Haywood Burns Institute. It is comprised of 140 community-based programs, grassroots organizations, service-providing agencies, residential facilities and advocacy groups in 21 states. As a support network, the CJNY enhances the capacity of community organizations who collectively share one vision: To promote the availability of effective and culturally-appropriate interventions for youth of color and poor communities. The Highlander Center for Research & Education: Highlander serves as a catalyst for grassroots organizing and movement building in Appalachia and the U.S. South. Through popular education, participatory research, and cultural work, we help to create spaces — at Highlander and in local communities — where people gain knowledge, hope and courage, expanding their ideas of what is possible.

Training Partners

Art in Action – youth arts leadership program Catalyst Project – anti-oppression trainings for white social justice activists Midnight Special Law Collective – know your rights trainings and legal support collective Movement Generation –  justice & ecology project Center for Story Based Strategy – story-based strategy communications consulting Training For Change – training for trainers programs  

Friends, Allies, & Groups We’ve Supported

AFSC – American Friends Service Committee Black Mesa Water Coalition Buddhist Peace Fellowship Dooda Desert Rock Puente Arizona National Day Laborer Organizing Network Generational Alliance Indigenous Environmental Network Oil Sands Truth REDOIL Global Justice Ecology Project Mobilization for Climate Justice – West Students for a Free Tibet Southwest Workers Union The League Thunder Valley U.S. Social Forum Causa Justa / Just Cause SOA Watch Rainforest Action Network Greenpeace Earth First! APEN – Asian Pacific Environmental Network Backbone Campaign Center for Media Justice Climate Justice Alliance Communities for a Better Environment Direct Action to Stop the War Environmental Justice Climate Change Initiative FOR – Fellowship of Reconciliation Forest Ethics Energy Action Coalition The Gathering for Justice GIFT – Grassroots Institute for Fundraising Training Movement Strategy Center Project South Rising Tide North America SOUL – School of Unity & Liberation War Resisters League