Organizing Working Class Black and Brown Community Members

People’s Power Lab (PPL) is rooted in the belief that those most impacted by injustice must lead the fight for justice. We organize alongside Black, Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim, and South Asian communities across North Carolina—including in the Triangle, Rocky Mount, and the Triad. Our base includes immigrants, refugees, and longtime residents—Rohingya, Afghan, Syrian, Congolese, Ethiopian, African American, and many others—building collective power across Raleigh, Knightdale, Winston-Salem, Rocky Mount, and beyond.

We know that the harms facing our communities—war, displacement, Islamophobia, anti-Blackness, surveillance, and economic injustice—are not random. They are rooted in the legacy of U.S. domestic and foreign policy, and in systems that exploit the working class. Whether fleeing conflict zones shaped by global empires or surviving everyday violence and exclusion in the U.S., our people are resisting—and rising.

At PPL, we focus on base-building, developing grassroots leadership, and supporting directly impacted communities to take bold action. Over the past 25 years, our organizers (through campaigns with PPL, Muslims for Social Justice, Black Workers for Justice, Movement to End Racism and Islamophobia, Southern Vision Alliance, Southern Workers Assembly, Project South, and other organizations) have built deep trust in our community—and it shows. Together, we’ve:

• Halted three cases of deportations of Muslim immigrants targeted by ICE 
• Won Gaza ceasefire resolutions in Durham and Carrboro, North Carolina
• Protected a mosque at Shaw University from being shut down
• Forced local media (including the News and Observer newspaper in Raleigh) to shift how they talk about Islamophobia and our communities

What Does Socio-Economic Disparity Look Like?

Many people in our base are impacted by socio-economic crises that hinder their ability to effectively participate in social justice movements and civic actions. A significant number of people in our base spend 60-70% of their income on housing and transportation, which leaves little resources for food, education, healthcare, and other basic needs. Many of them lack a laptop at home, WIFI, basic furniture, and healthy food options. Many youths do homework at neighbors’ homes where they have WIFI, and use mobile phones in the absence of a functional laptop – the local school systems do not repair school laptops or provide replacement on a timely basis. Many of our members delay doctor visits for many years until the underlying conditions worsen considerably. Lack of English-language skills often deny them of immigration, healthcare, food assistance, and other services. In the midst of these crises, it is not fair to expect them to join social justice meetings that often last hours (or days), or attend online / Zoom meetings when they do not have a laptop, or even attend protests/rallies that take place during their work hours. Too often, working-class communities feel abandoned by nonprofits and officials, and some turn to reactionary politics. It is on us, as organizers, to prioritize and create strategies that truly meet people where they are.

Solidarity-based mutual aid is an essential part of the social justice movement. This can include food distribution, back-to-school supplies, repair of technology devices that youth need to do homework, furniture distribution, tuition/homework support, translation services, healthcare application, citizenship test, driver test, and other forms of support. These interventions provide essential support to our people, builds trust and relationship with them, and paves the way to recruit them into a movement.

 

 

 

Our Organizing Philosophy

We use many strategies to grow that power—from grassroots relationship-building and mutual aid, to actions in the streets, in the media, and at the polls. Our approach centers those most impacted and moves them from isolation to collective action. We organize not just to fight oppression—but to build the people power needed to transform our conditions.

Our work begins on the ground—in the neighborhoods, mosques, apartment complexes, and community spaces where our communities live, work, worship, and gather. Through door-to-door flyering and relationship-building, we bring people into the movement, share our vision for justice, and connect global issues like war and displacement to local struggles—like housing injustice, healthcare injustice, and systemic racism.

This work isn’t just outreach—it’s listening. It’s how we learn directly from community members about the daily injustices they face, from workplace exploitation to Islamophobia, anti-Blackness, and more.

 

 

Political Education, Skills & Leadership Development

Once trust is built, we move together into political education, skills-building, and leadership development. With our partners, we hold in-person sessions that explore the root causes of injustice, analyze the political landscape, and sharpen our strategy. We train people in the practical tools of organizing—flyering, data collection, follow-up, turnout, and more. We also teach skills like speaking to the media, holding electeds accountable, and supporting neighbors with translation, homework help, or navigating services.

These sessions don’t end in theory. Many who join our training go on to speak at city council meetings, write powerful op-eds, organize protests, and bring others into the work.

 

Exercising People Power in the Streets

We believe that public protest is a critical way to claim power. PPL organizes marches and rallies to confront the many injustices our communities face: poverty wages, rising rents, environmental racism, healthcare denial, family separation, and U.S.-backed wars that harm Black, Brown, working class globally.

Our actions are connected across arenas—linking street protests to media campaigns and legislative advocacy—to win tangible change while strengthening collective power.

 

 

Exercising Power at the Polls (Non-Partisan)

We approach civic engagement not as a seasonal campaign—but as a year-round strategy. With our partners, we host non-partisan forums, share voter education materials, and help community members speak directly to city councils and legislators. For us, voting is one tool among many. We’re building a movement that knows how to fight—and win—before, during, and long after any election.

Conclusion

Amidst an escalating political crisis, organizers must cultivate bold and creative strategies to connect with new communities and expand our base. This is not a luxury but critically needed for defeating fascism and building a better future.