3/2 Two civil rights groups.

Number one:

We meet over zoom and oh my god, says the moderator, we’re more than 40 tonight, more than ever, so many that we won’t have time for everybody to introduce themselves, but is there somebody from the press here tonight, could you please identify yourself? There’s no-one from the press, but a photographer, who readily identifies herself. An agenda has been put together with numbers of minutes in front of each item to guide the discussion. The previous meeting, we learn, was a hybrid meeting in both a physical location and over zoom. It had been very frustrating for those online because they couldn’t hear what people said in the room. Several attendees are still upset about this and demand a solution. The person who is in charge of tech assures them that there won’t be another hybrid meeting until that issue is resolved. Another topic is social media. How can we get more followers? If there’s anyone here tonight who can help us with that, please get in touch. Actions that were taken over the past few days are reviewed, mostly by showing photos from protests, most of them small, regular gatherings at symbolic places such as a tv studio or a car company branch. New actions are proposed and voted on, the voting happens by raising your hand and showing it into your camera: for, against, abstain.

Number two:

We meet over zoom in a webinar format where you can see the speakers and write in the chat, but can’t talk or show your own video. The speaker announces, calmly, in a living room voice: If you’ve been here before, you’re a returner, and you should please go to another zoom room which we’re posting the link to in the chat, but if you’re here for the first time, stay here and wait a moment. We end up being about 1,100 in the first-timer room. You can introduce yourself in the chat if you want to. The speaker, who is joined by another speaker after a while, shows a presentation about the political landscape and specific goals of this organization, although everything is turning much broader and more general these days. Who has ever taken political action in any sense, they ask. Type a + in the chat if you have. Lots of plusses roll by. We’re taking action tonight. They give us the address of a website where each of us can go right now, enter our address and phone number, and automatically get connected to our representative in congress. Then we should read a script that is shown on the screen of the webinar. It’s fine to just read the script, but if you feel like adding something personal, even better. Do it now. You have three minutes. After the three minutes, more roll calls in the chat: If this was your first call to your representative, type a +. Were you nervous? Type a +. Again, lots of plusses roll by for minutes, congratulations to everybody, we have now taken political action, and thousands of people have called their representative in congress. Next time we’ll be returners and go straight to the other zoom room where we’ll take even more action.