Perspectives:
How to Begin Challenging Corporate Power
By Molly Rooke, Empowering Democracy Conference Organizer

There is no question anymore about the huge need to begin challenging corporate power in order to protect our environment, families, communities, and future. This topic can’t possibly be covered in a meaningful way in one article. For lots of very good information about corporate campaigns, see www.corporations.org.

One document on that website, titled How to Overthrow Corporate Rule in 5 Not-so-easy Steps lists basic ways to fight for corporate change:

  • Take away their money by stopping privatization / resocializing systems, boycotting big corporations, and fighting corporate welfare.
  • Encourage democracy by financing elections publicly, allowing third parties ballot access, putting more decisions directly in the hands of the voters through initiative and referendum, and democratizing the media.
  • Attack corporate structure by passing local ordinances that attack corporate rights, getting corporations out of our grade schools, and fighting globalization.
  • Push for human/worker rights by fighting for a shorter work week and universal health care.
  • Redesign corporations by rolling back their rights.

In the spring of 2001, activists and organizations from all over the U.S. and abroad came together in Dallas, Texas, to participate in the first annual Empowering Democracy: Challenging Corporate Power and Demanding Accountability Conference. It was an exciting, energizing, and valuable learning, networking, and power-building experience. “It was an incredible event,” said Gary Liss of the GrassRoots Recycling Network, who urged others “get involved with corporate accountability campaigns that are underway, and to attend the next Annual Conference of this network to link recyclers with this incredible network of labor, human rights and environmental activists.”

Activists at the 2001 Empowering Democracy Conference
This project was the outgrowth of discussions among advocates at environmental, public interest, and religious organizations who saw the large and growing problem of corporate power hindering progress on their issues. They saw that, as corporate influence over the political process increased, it became harder to achieve traditional solutions, including legislation, for mending environmental, social, and other problems. They decided to work together on more effective solutions and to hold conferences to help others who were also fighting corporations.

In the fall of 2001, Enron imploded and littered the country with too many sad tales of lost life savings and stolen retirements. Could challenging corporate power and demanding accountability be any more relevant?

Do you want to do something about corporate encroachment on democracy, and the unfair or abusive treatment of employees, communities and the environment, often while they promote themselves as generous, caring, environmentally-friendly and good corporate citizens? Want to get together with and learn from experts and other activists successful in changing corporate behavior?

Then come to New York City on April 13, 14, and 15 for the second annual conference! This second annual conference has been organized by the Corporate Campaign Working Group, which includes the convener, Campaign ExxonMobil, and the AFL-CIO, Co-op America, Corporate Campaign, CorpWatch, Friends of the Earth, Global Exchange, Greenpeace, Infact, Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR), Rainforest Action Network, Sierra Club, Student Alliance to Reform Corporations (STARC), Sustainable Energy and Economic Development (SEED) Coalition, US Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) and others.

Whether you are fighting a local corporate bully or a giant transnational corporation, you can learn effective skills, tactics, and strategies needed to convince or require corporations to include social, environmental and labor concerns as part of their “bottom line.” We can be much more effective and powerful if we join together in our campaigns. You can do all that at our conference. Together we can win!

We urge you to visit our web site at www.empoweringdemocracy.org or call (800) 580-8845 to find out more and to apply.