Quote from Rivera Sun. Meme by Brent Adams
“We call into action those whose hearts cry out for justice, and those whose spirits know that the continued survival of our species depends on our concerted efforts now.”
So begin the opening statements the Love-In-Action Network’s Living Charter. I’ve spent years writing fictional novels about social movements and courageous action, but today, I am honored to be a part of the real-life movement for change. The Love-In-Action Network was founded to empower you and your community to participate in the epic struggle for humanity’s future that is sweeping the globe.
To borrow a potent and descriptive phrase from my novel, The Dandelion Insurrection, the Love-In-Action Network is “what happens when the heart breaks open with love and springs into action.”
It’s Occupy crossed with compassion, grounded in the lineage of committed nonviolent struggle. It’s a D.I.Y. study group and action team rolled into one . . . and it’s coming to a neighborhood near you.
All across America, ordinary people like you are yearning for coordinated action like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement or Gandhi and the Indian struggle for Self-Rule. We are ready for change – we know the time is now – but we’ve been looking for a charismatic leader to appear. You know what?
We are the ones we’ve been waiting for!
The Love-In-Action Network exists to help you become one of the thousand points of light shining in this time of darkness. The Network offers community and solidarity. It empowers you and your friends to engage in trainings, readings, discussions, strategy sessions, and actions. Local groups can be as large as whole cities or as small as two friends. Pre-existing groups can join the Network under their own names, listing themselves as the Your Local Action Group, part of the Love-In-Action Network.
“No more looking for leaders! You are the change!” – Steam Drills by Rivera Sun
Local groups enjoy autonomy and solidarity, able to both create local strategies for action and join with others for regional and national campaigns. All you need is a commitment to nonviolence and a couple of friends.
The Love-In-Action Network has five focuses:
- 1) Training in nonviolent struggle, philosophy, strategy, history and techniques.
- 2) Crafting a vision of the future and creating a roadmap from here to there.
- 3) Connecting inner work to outer action.
- 4) Developing teams of people capable of high-level strategic analysis of current problems and of formulating strategic plans of nonviolent action.
- 5) Strengthening the interconnections of one’s community in preparation for nonviolent struggle and readying local members for participation in national mobilizations.
With these, every member of the Network becomes prepared to engage with the challenges of our times. We are an empowered, self-governing organization that can respond flexibly and swiftly to crises, as well as prepare strategies for long-term campaigns. We work with organizations like the Metta Center for Nonviolence and Pace e Bene’s Campaign Nonviolence to provide excellent opportunities for training.
Out of all of this, the coordinated Network of trained individuals becomes a collective force capable of tackling the serious challenges that we face. In your community, church group, or town, let your heart pull you into action. Join a local group or create your own.
We are the ones we’ve been waiting for!
Learn more about the Love-In-Action Network, find a local group, or create your own by visiting our website www.loveinactionnet.com
Author/Actress Rivera Sun is a co-founder of the Love-In-Action Network, a co-host on Occupy Radio, and, in addition to her new novel, The Dandelion Insurrection, she is also the author of nine plays, a book of poetry, and her debut novel, Steam Drills, Treadmills, and Shooting Stars, which celebrates everyday heroes who meet the challenges of climate change with compassion, spirit, and strength. www.riverasun.com