Study Group

Social Movement History

Program Overview

The Social Movement History Study Group is a three-session online series that explores how organizers have navigated moments of crisis, loss, and retreat, and how those lessons can inform strategy today. Each session focuses on a different book, offering a layered look at how movements have faced political turning points, adapted, and imagined new futures.

Meet the Fellows

  • Alexis has roots in South Florida and NYC, went to CUNY Hunter College, and recently completed a Masters’ Degree in Global Development at SOAS, University of London where she studied the intersection of feminist political economy, labor and workers’ rights, and global commodity chains. She got her start with the Student/Farmworker Alliance, who support the work of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, as well as with several CUNY student collectives working to advance racial justice and educational access. A community organizer and facilitator, she is particularly interested in challenging corporate power from all angles and and organizing for economic justice for all working people.

  • Iman Bouzid is a Lead Organizer at the Texas Organizing Project in Dallas, TX, where she works to build grassroots power and advance social justice in communities across the region. In 2024, she was selected to participate in the Regional Organizer for the Community Change Fellowship with Leadership for Democracy and Social Justice, recognizing her commitment to transformative change. Outside of organizing, Iman is an avid reader with a deep passion for learning and community empowerment.

  • Maria Reza is a communications strategist that has worked on shaping media and narrative at the intersection of immigration and criminal justice. Her work includes leading local narrative campaigns to end local police collaboration with ICE, crisis communications response for deportation defense campaigns, and a digital organizing campaign to divert police funds toward community-led initiatives.

  • Osmani Ochoa is a queer Mexican-Xicano longtime local and national organizer for immigrant and worker rights based in San Antonio, Texas. They're also a published poet and are currently pursuing an MFA in Creative Writing at Randolph College.

  • Yadira Sanchez is an immigrant woman of color who, for the past 10 years, has worked as a movement builder in economic justice and immigrant rights. As a California-based national organizer, Yadira is passionate about self-determination and abolitionist campaigns that honor the leadership development of those most impacted by the systems. As an equity and justice advocate, she deeply cares about the future of working-class folks across California and the country. Her vision is rooted in liberation, community, and justice as pillars that can transform people and build people power.

  • I am a passionate community member and advocate. I represent my community through the NC Climate Solutions Coalition (Executive Director) and the NC Disaster Response and Resilience Network (Director). I am a former member of the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council, and I am also a protector of our forests, an advocate for clean air and water, and I am willing to agitate when I am called into spaces with my people to keep us all safe and healthy. I embrace a more holistic approach to life, but sometimes I have difficulty giving myself time to heal.

  • I work as a tenant organizer, assisting tenants in fighting against the lack of repairs and services through court filings and social action.

  • Leah Ford (they/them) is the Senior Director of Strategy & Special Projects at Vot-ER, a nonpartisan nonprofit working to integrate voter registration into the healthcare system. Previously, they worked in reproductive health and rights, managed a Tennessee state house campaign, and held various nonprofit and government roles. Leah lives in Memphis, TN, with their partner and two cats, and plays roller derby in their spare time.

  • Anna Rojo Keene is a reproductive justice advocate, organizing for abortion access, comprehensive inclusive sex education, and racial justice in Arizona since 2011. She completed Emerging Leaders Fellowship in Fall 2024, and has completed fellowships previously with Planned Parenthood Global, The Hub Project, Feminist Majority, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona, Feminists Organized to Resist Create and Empower. From 2017-2025 she served on the Board of Directors for Planned Parenthood Arizona. In her current role as Policy Advisor to the City of Tucson's Mayor Regina Romero, she uses her organizing background to work in coalitions and advance policy focused on reducing poverty and systemic change to support working families.

  • I'm currently in Los Angeles, but am originally from NY, and the son of Bangladeshi immigrants. Since 2017, I have been serving as the Organizing Director at a national Muslim advocacy organization, MPower Change. I train Muslim leaders on grassroots organizing tactics blending the Prophetic example, and lead campaigns to protect and build political power for Muslim communities.

  • Maria Tchijov is a strategic campaigner, organizer, and movement builder with more than 15 years of experience in progressive politics. As an independent consultant, Maria has worked with groups in the organizing and philanthropy space, including MoveOn, Kairos, and Progressive Multiplier Fund. Their work focuses on strategic planning, development, implementation, and evaluation of new projects, as well as campaigning, training, coaching, and facilitation. Before starting their consulting work, Maria served as VP of Campaigns at UltraViolet, where they built a team to drive campaigns focused on the intersection of racial and gender justice, including launching the first cross-movement campaigning table focused on countering racist and sexist disinformation attacks on women of color running for office. Prior to their work at UltraViolet, Maria worked in both the nonprofit and startup worlds, leading teams at MoveOn, Food & Water Watch, and Change.org.

  • Sam is an organizer with experience working on all things existential: nuclear weapons nonproliferation, combatting the climate crisis, and protecting our democracy. They currently lead a fellowship program that teaches underrepresented individuals across Idaho how to serve on public boards and commissions in order to create a government more representative of the constituencies it serves. Outside of work, you can find them rollerblading along the river, sewing a new outfit, or in the mosh pit at a metalcore concert.

  • Kendra London is a passionate community advocate and empowerment leader based in Houston, Texas. With a deep commitment to improving the lives of underserved individuals and families, Kendra has spent over a decade working on initiatives focused on financial literacy, career development, youth mentorship, and cultural enrichment. Her work aims to build stronger, more resilient communities through grassroots efforts, education, and personal empowerment.

  • Nery Lopez is a first generation immigrant from Mexico, raised in Florida. She started organizing in college advocating for immigrant youth and is now Senior Organizer with Detention Watch Network supporting the Deep South region fighting against detention.

  • Stacy Suh is the program director at Detention Watch Network, a national coalition building power through collective advocacy, grassroots organizing and strategic communications to abolish immigration detention in the United States. They are also a co-founder of Survived and Punished, a national organization working to end the criminalization of domestic and sexual violence survivors.

  • In Omaha, Nebraska, the owner of an Afro-American bookstore began mentoring me when I was 17. He introduced me to Malcolm X and other Black leaders, and I also learned a great deal about Ancient Africa. After the Malcolm X Foundation was established, I began volunteering there. Years later, I became a community organizer, and today I serve as a Civic Engagement Strategist.

  • Karen (pronounced: Caw-rhen) Escobedo, is the a Senior Organizer at the Center for Popular Democracy. Karen has been a community organizer for over a decade. Their passion for building community power began as a student organizer at the University of Texas at Austin and for five years, Karen served as the Workplace Justice Organizer with the Workers Defense Project. Their role was to primarily work with construction workers who experienced wage theft and organized them through direct action, lobbying efforts, and leadership development. Currently, they work with affiliate organizations from across the country in supporting their ongoing campaigns and member leadership development efforts.

  • Marques Thompson is the Organizing Director for Democracy NC, equipped with a decade of organizing experience and advanced training from Harvard University. His career encompasses a wide array of issues, including religion, education, workers' rights, social justice, and civil rights.

  • Sasha Feldstein is Strategy and Impact Director at the California Budget and Policy Center, where she supports the Budget Center in developing effective strategies and meaningful relationships with policymakers, advocates, organizers, and community organizations to advance public policies that create a more just and equitable California. With roots in coalition-building, campaigns, and advocacy, she strives to foster a culture of joy and strategic rigor as she helps to ensure that the team’s work aligns with and advances the Budget Center’s mission.

  • Stanley Fritz is the Director of State and Local Policy at the Vera Institute of Justice. In his role, Stan Supports initiatives across the Institute in building and executing strategic campaigns to pass policies aiming to reduce the harms of the criminal legal and immigration systems nationwide. Before joining Vera in 2023, Stanley spent seven years at Citizen Action of New York as Political and Campaign Director. At Citizens Action, he served as the organization’s chief lobbyist and spokesperson and led its local, state, and federal endorsement processes. In addition to his work at Vera, Stan authors a newsletter titled, Let's Not Be Trash, which seeks to generate discussions with men about patriarchy, race, and politics through essays, podcasts, and music.

  • Born and raised in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, Nairuti is a proud descendent of care workers and revolutionaries who fought for Indian independence in the early-mid 20th century. It is this very spirit that informs her work as a researcher, educator, and practical radical. Currently, Nairuti serves as the inaugural Director of Policy & Research at the Center for Economic Democracy (CED), where she leads the organization's translocal efforts to seed an economy that works for us all. Prior to joining CED, Nairuti spent eight years as a movement operative supporting anchor institutions to realize their potential, driving national narrative change campaigns, organizing resource-holders (and holding them to account), accelerating community wealth building activity, and more. During this time, Nairuti founded and launched her own consulting practice, Nuance, through which she supports teams, organizations, and communities to both hospice the old and birth the new in pursuit of more just economic futures. Nairuti holds a BA in sociology, French & Francophone studies, and public health from the College of William & Mary and an MBA from LIFT Economy. Having lived in Atlanta, Baltimore, and South Bend, Nairuti recently returned home to Virginia, where she resides with her folks and sweet pup, Rani. In her free time, Nairuti enjoys painting in soft pastel, watching Bollywood movies, and basking in the sun like an iguana.

  • I identify as a connector and come to this work through praxis. Growing up in my communities—and the experiences we faced—shaped my path into organizing. I’m Native-raised Latine, Southern-grown, and now rooted in the Pacific Northwest. My passions include gardening and growing food, biking, and spending time in nature.

  • Megan Castillo is a seasoned community organizer and policy advocate working at the intersection of public safety, budget justice, and community empowerment in Los Angeles County. As a leader in the movement to divest from incarceration and reinvest in care, she helps steward nearly $800 million in public resources through the Care First Community Investment (CFCI) initiative. Her work includes advancing participatory budgeting, coordinating grassroots coalitions, and holding local governments accountable to equity-centered policy-making. Megan has been featured in prominent media outlets including the Los Angeles Times, Spectrum News, KTLA, LA Public Press, The Progressive, and the Los Angeles Sentinel. She currently serves as Policy and Advocacy Manager at La Defensa. Megan earned her Master’s in Social Work from the University of Southern California and her B.A. in Psychology and African American Studies from Loyola Marymount University.

  • Leia Squillace is a director, producer, cultural organizer, and artivist (artist + activist). Currently, she serves as the Director of Artistic Impact for the Tony-Award winning Broadway Advocacy Coalition, as well as a lecturer at Columbia Law School and an Artist Ambassador for the New York Civil Liberties Union. Her work focuses on prison abolition, restorative justice, healing and radical forgiveness, and building and strengthening community bonds in the face of conflict.

  • Nikki Porcher is a passionate advocate for economic justice, the founder of Buy From A Black Woman, and a leading voice in the movement to support and sustain Black-owned businesses. A U.S. Air Force veteran, researcher, and award-winning community leader, Nikki blends lived experience with policy expertise to champion equity in entrepreneurship. Through her work, Nikki continues to create pathways for Black economic empowerment while inspiring others to lead with purpose.

  • Tefa Galvis is the current Co-chair of Boston DSA and a member of IATSE 115 and CWG. She has been organizing since 2011 and joined DSA in 2019, where she was involved with the political education committee in Lower Manhattan, NY, the Public Power campaign, and Latino Socialistas. She has worked for grassroots campaigns like Justice for Jordan David in Jacksonville, Florida from 2013 to 2014 and field electoral campaigns for AOC and David Alexis in NY in 2022 on operations and mobilizing and field logistics. She loves swing organizing as a healing instrument and spends time hiking, running or climbing with her furry friend Rosie and other amazing humans. 

  • I am from Washington, D.C. I graduated from Alabama State University. I am a husband of over 20 years, father of four beautiful daughters, small business owner, minister, coach, and social justice leader. I believe that an injustice to one is an injustice to all and that change starts with me exhibiting the change that I would like to see.

  • Stevie is Political Director and co-founder of Sunrise, a movement of young people fighting to stop the climate crisis and win a Green New Deal. She has been part of movements for economic and climate justice for the past decade. She lives in Philadelphia.

  • Tess Kaufmann is a student at the City College of New York studying Political Science and Community Change Studies. She is an alum of the Social Change Fellowship and has interned with New York Communities for Change and Climate Organizing Hub, focusing on climate and housing justice. Tess is passionate about grassroots organizing and excited to study how movements endure and evolve through moments of crisis and transformation.

  • Patty Bowen is the Outreach Director for Reclaim Idaho, a grassroots organization based out of Boise, Idaho. She started her career as a print reporter and switched to politics after getting involved in a local county race in 2020. She previously served as the Campaigns Manager for Conservation Voters for Idaho and the Statewide Canvassing Director for Idahoans for Open Primaries.

  • Tia Fields is a Baton Rouge based political strategist, activist, and multimedia storyteller deeply rooted in social justice work across the South. She serves as the Communications and Advocacy Associate at the Louisiana Organization for Refugees and Immigrants and leads statewide policy efforts through the NAACP. A survivor, mother of three, and founder of Provisional Consulting, Tia uses narrative power, grassroots organizing, and policy reform to challenge systemic oppression and uplift marginalized voices. Her work bridges historical memory with present-day movement building.

  • Felicia is a climate organizer and works on utility justice, corporate accountability, and energy policy.

  • I am a consultant with the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis where I conduct research to support grassroots campaigns fighting fossil fuel infrastructure. I have spent a number of years working with Puerto Rican organizations, particularly organizing around rooftop solar. I was a Movement Leaders Fellow in 2023.

The Books

  • In Suburban Warriors, historian Lisa McGirr examines the grassroots organizing that propelled the far right’s rise to power, from its relatively marginal position in the early 1960s to its dominance by the early 1980s. We’ll use this book as a jumping off point for thinking about the strategies we can adopt to build political power today. 

  • In If We Burn, journalist Vincent Bevins looks at the failure of global mass protest movements in the 2010s–from Egypt to Brazil to South Korea–to bring about the revolutions that they sought. We’ll be discussing the lessons we can learn about strategy and tactics as we fight oligarchy and authoritarianism in our own country.

  • In Freedom Dreams, historian Robin D.G. Kelley explores the radical and expansive visions for an alternative future put forth by a range of Black freedom movements in the 20th century. We'll use the book to reflect on the importance of hope and political imagination today.