Progressive Papers 3: Inside the March for Science

This blog was originally posted on July 5th, 2017

In this edition, Kate is taking the reins to tell her personal story about about organizing the March for Science.

- Kate Gage, Jeff Ullrich, Nate Lubin

Inside the March for Science

In February, I joined the organizing team for the March, using my network from eight years in the Obama Administration (USAID and White House Office of Science and Technology Policy) to help build a diverse set of allies willing to defend science and evidence-based policymaking. As the Director of Operations, I put my experience in political organizing and campaigns to work and helped de-bug everything from the website, data collection, and emails to march logistics. On April 22nd, more than one million people (and 5 penguins) marched in more than six hundred cities around the world — with a coalition of almost three hundred partner organizations. Since the march, I have been leading the transition of the organization to a longer-term, sustainable movement.

March for Science by the Numbers:

• More than six hundred marches held in sixty-six countries on seven continents and in all fifty U.S. states.
• 80.5% of participants reported that this was their first-ever march and about a quarter of participants were scientists*.

The march was a success, and watching the groups of lab coats, and science joke signs, reclusive scientists, and children supporting their parents made it all worth the work. But it was also complicated in a way I have never seen — and this is coming from someone who worked in the federal government for eight years. We were building a startup, but with six hundred local offices and a staff of a thousand volunteers. No board and no product… but a lot of heart and a lot of scientists.

The DC March — Kate is in the middle in yellow (Photo by Kisha Bari)

A few things I’ve learned about the resistance and movements in the last 2.5 months:

• Movements take a lot of work to sustain, especially when they are mostly volunteer-run (which they almost always are). This is particularly true when people are volunteering and sandwiching activism into their lives. The March for Science staff was almost exclusively volunteer. Consequently, it was a stunning cluster of thousands of inspired people, working in concert around the world toward a common goal. It was also a complex system of occasional leaders patching the event together in their free time with the option to disappear at any moment. In other words, it was an inspiring mess. Volunteers come because they are inspired. But they stay because there is impact. If we can’t keep up the impact, we won’t be able to maintain the community.
• Burn-out is inevitable, and it is happening across the resistance/progressivelandscape. Since the march, the workload has, in many ways, increased, as we work through the mechanics of sustaining and institutionalizing it. As we enter the 8th month of the post-election era, if a movement doesn’t allow volunteers to fit the work into their lives, nor provide salaries for key staff, it will not be sustainable. If donors don’t start giving seed funding to activist groups, those groups won’t last long enough to be effective.
• There is a tension between the role of first-time grassroots leaders and experienced professionals. Like the Women’s March, and other movements started since November, the March for Science was founded by amateur activists who were catapulted into the role of movement leaders. In March for Science’s case, it was a couple of scientists who found each other on Reddit and didn’t meet in person until they came to Washington for the March. The fact that the leaders are mostly first-time organizers and not professional field staff or political hacks validates a movement and shows it comes from regular people. But, as with anything, critical skills and experience are needed in order to achieve success. My involvement was, at times, controversial because some felt that my time in the Obama White House cast a shadow over our non-partisan stance. Progressives want it both ways — we want the story of the grassroots first-time organizer, with the execution of seasoned professionals. Sometimes there needs to be a combination of both.
• Challenges are similar across diverse movements. A great result of working on the March has been the opportunity to collaborate with leaders from many other marches, to learn how to be a strong ally for issues beyond science. I’ve worked with the Women’s March, Equality March, People’s Climate March, Standing Rock, and many others. It is clear that there are common internal and external challenges across movements, despite our very different issue areas and communities. There should be more opportunities for shared resources, coaching and mentorship for first-time movement leaders. There are lessons from decades, even centuries, of resistance efforts and movements — civil rights, social movements, environmental, advocacy. Why do we treat this moment as though it is unique?

The beautiful opportunity for a grassroots science movement

Over 1 million people came out to walk the streets in defense of science! There is a community here ready to mobilize and fight. But we must support them and keep them engaged. Most are self-described nerds who have never marched before. And that’s what makes this movement special. Bring the nerdiest groups together. Then empower them to stand up and speak out.

The first major post-march test of the March for Science community was the response to the announcement that the U.S. would pull out of the Paris Climate Accord. There were local leaders organizing their own rallies, teams drafting statements and social media posts and letters to governors to be shared across all fifty states. Meanwhile, our European colleagues organized their own response. It was all coordinated on Slack and in Google Docs, by amateur staff who did not know each other before January. Most had never met in person.

What’s next?

The White House’s proposed federal budget includes a $15.9 billion/ 22% reduction in research and development (R&D) funding across the federal government, including cutting the National Institutes of Health by 21.5 %, the National Science Foundation by 11 %, eliminating ARPA-E (the DARPA for energy innovation), and cutting funding for R&D in renewable energy and energy efficiency by almost 70%. If implemented, the U.S. will fall behind international competitors. It’s unlikely the private sector will fill the gap. What if we can get scientists to speak up in every congressional town-hall across the country against these cuts? What if we can build an indivisible-style guide for scientists and arm them to fight back?

The March for Science will be adhering to our non-partisan principles. That will limit the types of actions we are able to take. But when science is ignored and underfunded, when policy decisions are not based on peer-reviewed research, and when there are opportunities to re-frame science as something that effects everyone, we will be there to mobilize.

What can you do to help?

• Use your platforms to encourage your state and local leaders to uphold the Paris Agreement and to publicly state support (feel free to use and share our contact your governors tool).
• Financially support or lend your expertise to movements as they work to maintain momentum, especially the ones that have the potential to become a strong grassroots network, and give voice to communities who have not usually taken to the streets and spoken out. This includes the Women’s March, the March for Science, the People’s Climate March, and many others. Support your local chapters as they build local groups. I’m happy to connect you with local groups for March for Science or others.
• Support groups like Rhize that provide critical coaching to movement leaders from seasoned pros — in my opinion this is sorely needed for first time organizers.
• If you would like to talk more about supporting movements, especially using your platform or professional expertise to either amplify their efforts or support local efforts, I’d love to talk to you about that can connect you with leaders of the movements.

Thanks, and please reach out if you have questions or want to talk more about how to get involved.

Kate, Jeff, Nate

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*Based on opt-in survey on MFS website