Constituency Building in the Age of Authoritarianism with Gina Clayton-Johnson
Thursday, February 19, 2026 @ 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
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We need bigger and different strategies to build power against authoritarianism and quicken the pace of progressive change. While litigation, policy work, and direct action remain vital, today’s political landscape calls for additional strategies for lasting social change.
Gina Clayton-Johnson, Black feminist organizer, attorney, civil rights activist, and the Founder & Executive Director of Essie Justice Group, will speak to her work organizing women with incarcerated loved ones into community, healing justice, and advocacy over the last eleven years. She will explain how Essie’s strategy of “constituency building” should be proliferated across progress movements as a critical democracy-building tool to catalyze new, powerful forces for change.
Lunch will be served inside of Room 170 starting at 12:40 PM. RSVP here.
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