POWER TO THE PARTNERS

Dwidar, an assistant professor of government at Georgetown University, presents a detailed examination of intersectional advocacy in society and the workplace.

In her nonfiction debut, the author studies the structures and workings of advocacy groups dedicated to intersectional social justice, concentrating on both the importance coalition-building and its challenges. Her studies indicate that building bonds between allied social justice organizations significantly increases their influence. However, she warns that research shows that coalition-building, while effective, isn’t the only key to long-term success, as the coalitions themselves, and not just their constituent groups, must have clearly demarcated structures; they must be crystal-clear on questions such as: “Who decides what? Who contributes what? and Who gets what?” This kind of clarity lends itself to what Dwidar views as one of the main priorities of social justice organizations: securing funding. In a densely packed and extensively researched series of chapters, complete with charts and graphs, she effectively offers three basic rules for such coalitions: Develop a clear architecture of decision-making (“you should have difficult conversations about who is in the coalition and who is in charge of it”); include diverse groups in any coalition, despite the risks of altering the balance of power sharing; and commit to longer-term, “less restrictive” funding. The main strength of Dwidar’s book is its extensive grounding in data and research, rather than anecdotes, but a great secondary strength is the author’s willingness to acknowledge how advocacy groups can be distracted by counterproductive infighting. As such, members of such coalitions are sure to find her conclusions to be enlightening.

A well-researched and insightful guide to building long-lasting coalitions.