Quick Start Guide
This is a 60-page manual. You don't need to read all of it right now.
Use this guide to jump directly to the sections most relevant to your immediate situation. Come back and read the rest later when you need it.
Navigation by Role
| You are... | Start here | Then go to... |
|---|---|---|
| Union organizer / tenant leader | Pre-Flight Checklist → 6.1 Stop the Bleeding | 7. Policy Playbook (Labor/Housing sections) |
| Running for local/state office | Pre-Flight Checklist → 7. Policy Playbook | 6.2 Build the Megaphone (media & messaging) |
| Building a mutual aid network / co-op | Pre-Flight Checklist → 6.1 Stop the Bleeding | 8.2 Georgia Solar Co-ops Case Study |
| Fighting a specific corporate extractor (pipeline, landlord, Amazon, etc.) | Pre-Flight Checklist → 6.1 & 6.2 (Power & Media) | 9. Anti-Patterns Appendix (avoid common mistakes) |
| Burnt-out activist needing strategic clarity | 3. Four Voices We're Not Ignoring | 6.5 Regulate for Combat → 5. Reclaiming the Warrior |
| Policy wonk / think tank person | 2. Introduction → 7. Policy Playbook | 8. Case Studies (see integral framing in action) |
| Journalist / researcher studying movements | 3. Four Voices → 8. Case Studies | 6. The 7-Step Protocol (the theory of change) |
Navigation by Immediate Need
| Your immediate question | Go here |
|---|---|
| "We are in a crisis (eviction/raid/shutdown) happening NOW" | 6.1 Stop the Bleeding → 9. Anti-Patterns (especially "Mobilizing While Dysregulated") |
| "How do I stop people from being evicted/deported/fired right now?" | 6.1 Stop the Bleeding |
| "How do I get our message out when we have no media budget?" | 6.2 Build the Megaphone (includes $800 podcast setup) |
| "How do I talk to conservatives/moderates without triggering their defenses?" | 7. Policy Playbook (see the three-column reframes) |
| "Why does everyone in my group keep fighting/burning out?" | 6.5 Regulate for Combat + 9. Anti-Patterns |
| "How do I know if we're actually ready to do this work?" | 0. Pre-Flight Checklist |
| "Can you show me an example where this actually worked?" | 8. Case Studies (5 examples: wins and failures) |
| "Why do voters keep choosing symbolic change over real change?" | 2. Introduction (the paradox explained) |
| "How do progressives keep losing to people who offer worse policies?" | 4. Diagnostic Toolkit + 5. Reclaiming the Warrior |
Navigation by Timeframe
You have 1 hour:
→ Read 0. Pre-Flight Checklist + 6.1 Stop the Bleeding
You have 1 day:
→ Add 7. Policy Playbook + one case study from Section 8 that matches your context
You have 1 week:
→ Read the whole thing, but start with your role-specific path above
You're facilitating a group study (4-6 weeks):
→ Use the "Facilitator's Guide" sidebars in each section (they include discussion questions, time estimates, and exercises)
A Note on Reading Order
The manual is designed to be read in sequence (Sections 0→1→2→3→4→5→6→7→8→9→10), because each section builds on the previous one. But we also know you're busy and might need specific tools right now.
If you jump directly to a tactical section, make sure you've at least read the Pre-Flight Checklist. It will save you from common mistakes that can't be fixed later.
What This Manual Is Not
This is not:
- A persuasive essay about why progressive policies are good (we assume you already believe that)
- A feel-good guide to "healing spaces" and "self-care" (though we address trauma, we do so strategically)
- A detailed legislative how-to (for that, see Indivisible Guide or Movement Politics)
- A substitute for organizing experience (theory without practice is useless)
This is:
- A diagnostic framework for understanding why your morally superior policy keeps losing
- A non-negotiable sequence for building power in traumatized communities
- A collection of field-tested tactics for winning material battles, not moral arguments
Now go where you need to go. The work is waiting.