BOLD is Back This Spring!

Building Organizing Leadership Development (BOLD) is gearing up for its THIRD cycle.

Spokane County is contested territory – we’re in struggle over who belongs, who’s worthy, who’s seen as a threat, and who deserves to be safe. Just barely under the surface, that’s all about race and class, two topics we’re conditioned to be silent about.

Together, we’re breaking the silence, diving in together, and reaching out to invite more people into community and coordinated action, because we know we can fight back and win! When we come together to reject racism and fear-mongering as weapons of the reactionary rich, we can make sure that our community and our country works for all of us, of every race and color.

Join the Peace and Justice Action League of Spokane in partnership with Spokane Community Against Racism (SCAR), Hispanic Business/Professional Association (HBPA), APIC, Spectrum Center Spokane, and others to learn how racism and economic injustice intertwine to oppress some people and fracture our community, while consolidating power in the hands of the reactionary rich.

Together we are taking BOLD action to challenge racism and poverty in Spokane County. Right now is a critical time to build united grassroots power — and we need your voice to be part of making it happen!

The BOLD cycle has two parts.

FIRST: We educate ourselves in a shared analysis of race and class.

Here’s what we know: Certain politicians exploit racist rhetoric to divide and distract, while they rig government and the economy for themselves and their big money donors. They get richer, we get poorer—and the power of government is turned against communities of color.

A team of community members who took part in BOLD Cycle One & Two have developed our BOLD Academy curriculum addressing how, together, we can beat the divisive, dog-whistle politics of the reactionary rich by building cross-racial and cross-class solidarity.

The Third Cycle of BOLD Academy starts Monday, March 6th, 2023 and runs for five consecutive Mondays, ending on April 3rd.

Registration is now closed for BOLD Cycle 3. Follow us on social media for announcements on upcoming cycles.

NEXT: We act on what we learned, together.

We can fight back and win! We can come together to reject racism and make sure our government works for all of us, of every race and color.

We believe the best way to create a shared understanding is to talk about it: We’re going to talk with thousands of our neighbors about race and class and invite them to join us in action — yes, that is BOLD!

But what action?

The community organizations involved in BOLD are all committed to a race-class analysis of injustice, and fighting that injustice in some way. We hope to connect our community with a variety of opportunities to join that fight. This year we are focusing on our ongoing campaign against a new Spokane County jail and for smart justice solutions that keep our community safe.

The conversations we’re having this spring will also encourage people to vote their values. Voting our values is one limited but important step to shaping the future of Spokane County. We also believe that talking about race and class, two things we are conditioned to be silent about, is revolutionary in itself. Subtle forms of racism and classism cannot thrive under the gaze of a community dedicated to justice.

If you are frustrated by racism and economic injustice in Spokane County, and want to do something about it, sign up for the BOLD Academy now.