From the Redwood Summer Handbook, Volume 2, Summer 1990
Affinity groups are self-sufficient support systems of about 5 to 15 people. A number of affinity groups may work together toward a common goal in a large action, or one affinity group might conceive of and carry an action on its own. Sometimes, affinity groups remain together over a long period of time, existing as political support and/or study groups, and occasionally participating in actions. Affinity groups are composed of people who have been brought together at a nonviolence training or have existing ties such as friendship, living in the same area, or working together.
The concept of affinity groups is not a new one; the name goes back to the “grupo de affinidad” of the anarchist movement in Spain in the early part of this century. When an occupation was planned at Seabrook, New Hampshire in 1976, the concept of affinity groups for the democratic organization of civil disobedience was used for the first time since the Spanish Civil War. Using nonviolent tactics and decentralized planning, coupled with the decade-old ideas of nonviolence training that came out of the civil rights anti-Vietnam War movements, the affinity group structure caught on quickly. Actually, affinity groups are the oldest and most ubiquitous form of organization: small groups of friends who share an “affinity”.
Affinity groups form the basic decision-making bodies of mass actions. They are usually considered “autonomous”, to develop any form of participation they choose, as long as they remain within the nonviolence guidelines. Groups of affinity groups working together are sometimes called “clusters”. A large action can have several large “clusters” all working together. In large actions affinity groups usually send “spokes” to a “spokes council” meeting, to communicate, coordinate, and/or consolidate the different groups’ decisions and then bring the coordinated information or proposal back to their respective groups for their final discussion and approval.[1]
Affinity groups also serve as a source of support for the members and reinforce a sense of solidarity. They provide an alternative to the feelings of isolation or separation from the movement that come to individuals acting alone. By including all participants in a circle of familiarity and acquaintance, the affinity group structure reduces the possibility of infiltration by outside agents or provocateurs. If a new person asks to join an affinity group, she/he should find out what the group believes in and what they plan to do, and decide if she/he can share it.
Roles Within the Affinity Group
These roles should be rotated and gendered balanced:
- Facilitator (s), vibes-watchers.
- Spokesperson to convey groups decisions to core support and other A.G.’s in mass action.
- Support person (s) once you take on this responsibility, it needs to be carried through.
Affinity Group Support
The role of support in a civil disobedience action is crucial. Support people accept the responsibility of being visible, involved contact to the outside once a member of the affinity group is arrested. They are the personal extension of the care and concern an affinity group shares among its members. During and after a mass action support members need to stay in touch with support people from other affinity group, for information sharing and emotional support.
Before an Action:
- Know the people in your affinity group by name and description.
- Know where people who are arrested are likely to be taken.
- Make a confidential list with the following information:
- Name of arrestee; Name used for arrest
- Whether her or not individual wants bail, and when.
- Who arrestee would like contacted and under what circumstances.
- Special medical information or other special needs info.
- Whether the individual plans to cooperate and in what ways.
- Whether the person wants /needs a lawyer.
- Whether the person is a minor.
Note:
[1] One useful analogy taken from popular culture might be the “Council of Elrond” in J.R.R. Tolkein’s Lord of the Rings (a frequently quoted source for Earth First! pseudonyms, among other things). The Council was composed of “spokes” from various “affinity groups”, including Rivendel Elves, Lothlorian Elves, Greenwood Elves, Dwarves, Hobbits, Wizards, Men of Gondor, and Dunedain Rangers.