Creating Highlander Wherever You Are

Processes: Before, During, and After

When planning a collaborative process as exemplified by Highlander, careful consideration of all the details before, during, and after an event will determine its immediate success, lasting impact, and long-term effectiveness toward the goals of the movement. Early event planning can proactively lead to successful outcomes. Prior to a workshop or an event, develop a list of stakeholders and participants who need to be included. Understanding the roles and relationships between participants can alleviate challenges and can contribute to a more democratic sharing of responsibility in the final program. Each person should be deliberately invited through verbal or written personal invitations to let attendees know that their participation is important. Traditionally, people in positions of power have been the key participants, but at Highlander and when using popular education, the participants should be those who are directly affected by issues. This includes people whose daily lives are wrought with injustice or inequality and who want to take action toward change, so they should be in the midst of determining strategic direction. They carry within them indigenous knowledge (Merriam, Courtenay Cervero, 2006) that cuts to the heart of understanding their reality. This type of programming will develop potential allies, or people experienced in organizing with the issue at hand, that can better set the stage for meaningful collaboration.

Getting the right people at the table is perhaps the most important aspect in planning a movement. Working with diverse groups helps create peer relationships and begins to break down barriers that people face in their everyday communities. Varied group members learn to talk to one another as they work side by side toward a shared cause. They gain communication skills to understand each other’s point of view. Everyone must feel respected, and no one should be elevated over another. Oppression that operates in the larger world may and will operate within groups, silencing participants. The role of the facilitator within the group is to recognize and confront that fact from the beginning through working with the group to develop shared norms, establishing ways to challenge each other respectfully, and using teachable moments for growth and understanding among all (Freire, 2000).

The value of hearing multiple perspectives can help inspire new ideas and possible solutions or activities that are central to strategic development toward a defined goal. Through engaging with others at Highlander, participants develop deep listening skills, share information, formulate strategy, analyze assumptions and systems of power, and build relationships with each other. Based on what people bring from their own experience, individual leadership skills develop and participants can inspire change within their organizations and communities (Preskill & Brookfield, 2009).

Attention to details and awareness of environmental factors are important to build a welcoming environment and begin a collaborative program.Providing clear directions to the location, sharing a potential agenda, asking for expectations in attending, making sure special dietary needs are taken care of, and other evidence of manners and politeness cannot be overstated. Susan emphasized,

As they arrive, participants should be welcomed warmly, perhaps with a cup of tea or other refreshments. Nothing says “welcome” more than a handshake or a hug and refreshments. Those who took the time to attend should know they are there for a reason and that they matter. How you help people come into a space allows them to feel comfortable from the start.

From her experience with groups, Susan explained that often before people arrive at a space such as Highlander, they may have fears that planners should be aware of. Attendees may not be sure they are important to the process. They may fear they are too old or too young, too Black or too White, too educated or not educated enough. They may fear that they will not fit in or know anyone else there. Some people are afraid of speaking in front of others. These are all real concerns and fears, and should be respected as such. Susan recommended that creating a welcoming and respectfully warm space plus attention to detail can support participants as they begin moving outside their comfort zones toward learning, growth, and change.

During sessions, it is important to continue breaking down barriers. Ice-breakers are a great way to get people talking, getting to know one another, and beginning to share who they are (Horton, 1998). At Highlander, there is a circle of rocking chairs that sets an atmosphere for collaboration and dialog. This metaphorical circle of friendship and equality helps people transition comfortably into being part of a collective. The format of the sessions uses the circle setting to encourage time for discussion, interaction, and sharing and processing information, in both large and small groups, rather than formal presentations or with panels of experts.

Community building continues throughout all aspects of Highlander workshops. Participants eat every meal together in the lower level of the Center, beckoned by the sound of the dinner bell. Throughout the workshop, participants create cohesion through working jointly on projects, playing together, square dancing, singing, or creating multi-media archives of their experiences. The more groups work together informally, the more they are able to stand formally in unison and in support of their shared cause.

Activities After the formal meeting sessions also create meaningful space and relationships. Rather than going to separate rooms and disengaging from the group, Highlander provides opportunities to interact in a relaxed atmosphere. For example, the Highlander campfire keeps relationships burning, fanning a flame beyond the constraints of formal meeting times. However, some people need alone time to process what happened during the day, so time and space are allotted for this alone time. All participants are valued, and their needs and learning styles are respected.

Consideration of the process before, during, and after a program is what generates the glue where a group of people can form long-lasting relationships and communities of support. People should not be told what to do, but be provided a space where ideas, hope, and strategies can be created or strengthened.While we are here describing a model, we recognize that all groups are different, and there is not one magical template or set-in-stone way these details happen. The process of popular education (Freire, 1982; Horton & Freire, 1990) and community organizing should not be reduced to a mere set of rules or a prescribed checklist to follow. The process has to consider the various needs, interests, and experiences of participants and groups, and create a setting where everyone can feel welcomed, be drawn in, and actively participate.

Values and Strategizing

The times call for some new unsung heroes. The next great problem is not the problem of conquering poverty but conquering meanness, prejudice, and tradition. Highlander could become a place in which this is studied, a place where one can learn the art and practice and methods of brotherhood. (Adams, 1975)

This quote was shared by Dr. George Mitchell in 1953 at an annual school meeting. Dr. Mitchell was head of the Southern Regional Council in Atlanta, in addition to serving as chairman of Highlander’s board (Adams, 1975). This passage sums up the mission of Highlander, exemplifying the heart and soul of people who want to make a change in the world, starting in their communities and moving outward from there.

Having a strategy or focus for organizing is central to bringing people together around a common idea. The purpose should be well defined and mutually understood for a gathering. Creating and developing a strategy is a continual process in an organizing effort. Before a program can be effectively orchestrated, there should be strict attention to meaningful and shared values for creating an open space. Strategies make up the goals, intended results, organization of resources, and action planning that will achieve anticipated outcomes (Earnest & Treff, 2011).

Susan shared that often people do not realize how important strategies are. Many leaders are not aware and do not plan for the amount of work that goes into developing strategies toward change. It is not an overnight process and cannot be rushed. Sometimes, protests happen quickly when an injustice occurs, yet few issues get resolved quickly. To work effectively for change, strategies and campaigns need to be developed that focus on goals and efforts that can be sustained, thus leading to long-term change.

It is difficult to develop solid strategies together, so spending time to unite people and groups is essential. With the Internet, social media, and easy access to these connections through phones and computers, people are less likely to meet together, to hear from each other, or to sit through the “hard stuff” like planning and organizing, all of which develops trust and solid relationships.

While the Internet is a powerful tool to reach a large group of people working toward similar goals, it also has its challenges. Often, there is just too much information on a topic, or it is not the information a group needs. Doing an Internet search can help with researching an issue, but remember that much critical information is held by people themselves. The Internet is a tool to share information that the media is missing or not covering completely. It can also provide amazing ways to share stories and information with others, and to let people know about events that are happening, before, and as they are occurring.

When strategizing, energies can consolidate or evolve as groups gain power. However, the participants have to be dedicated to a collective movement with precise action plans. This planning determines who is going to do what, when it will be done, where to start, and how the movement will take place. Each person has a role and purpose to fulfill, but it has to be a coordinated effort. Plans change as campaigns advance, but a group’s clarity on core values and goals helps hold this process together (Preskill & Brookfield, 2009).

Strategy and values determine the “why” of planning a movement. One crucial value to consider at the beginning of organizing is why there is a need for change. Why should people fight for a cause? Why take the time and energy to organize, and then implement? When working to change a system, personal values determine whether the effort is worth the risk and time it will take to follow through. Shared values and collective leadership allow each person to work from their particular strengths toward a common goal. Group values create cohesion and the glue necessary to remain strong through tough times.

Shared values allow people to feel ownership and membership within the organization; when individually, they may not make a difference. As a cooperative unit, there is more power to make change where it is needed. While each person brings an understanding developed through their unique life experiences, aggregating individual experiences and understanding can paint a holistic picture of situations as they currently are, as well as a vision of things to come.

Strategic organizing is a cooperative effort that takes time, patience, and persistence. It does not happen overnight, and takes modeling and facilitation. Although there may be times when transformation or change does not happen during a group’s lifetime, they still sow the seeds of change for future generations (O’Sullivan, Morrell O’Connor, 2002).

A popular education program provides a space where people can learn the skills they need to move forward, both on their own and as a group. It is a place where people can learn about authentic leadership and transparency as individuals (Preskill & Brookfield, 2009). These traits do not happen naturally, so education goes hand in hand with community organizing. People have to learn how to be effective change agents (Merriam et al., 2006).

In the interview, Susan shared that sometimes groups select issues or movements toward change because they are achievable. At times winning a battle may be good for a group, especially if they have fought and lost several battles. Some campaigns naturally have a good chance of succeeding. Winning may create momentum for further action, serve as a source of motivation to continue fighting a cause, or act as an opportunity for leadership to be reinforced (Horton, 1998).

However, some tremendous uphill battles are difficult to win in the short term, no matter how hard a group fights. In these situations, the fight can bring more awareness of the issue. Even if a battle is not won, it can be an important foothold for future action or may be the first rung on the ladder to a forthcoming approach. That is something people need to understand as they fight for what they believe is right. This provides a way to see both shorter term possibilities and longer term change (Horton, 1998).

The Civil Rights Movement goes back centuries and continues today in the work of the Movement for Black Lives Matter, along with many other venues (Highlander Research and Education Center, n.d.-a). This is a powerful and visible example where various communities have worked in small and large ways on specific issues, but with a larger vision toward a global goal of equity and justice (O’Sullivan et al., 2002). Many battles were dangerous and difficult to undertake, but a comprehensive movement is made up of many groups, actions, and activities. While major gains have been made, ongoing racism imbedded in our institutions, interactions, and culture keeps creating new challenges. The work may never be done.

A popular education program is a place where people can learn how to help themselves but is geared toward collective action. Movements build when many communities find common cause in confronting problems and link their efforts with a broader purpose and vision. “Since 1932, Highlander has put its energies into education tied to a growing social movement” (Adams, 1975, p. 53). Education is a major part of building strategy.

Cultural Setting

Making people feel welcome holds true as well in the creation of space with regard to its cultural setting. A plethora of cultures are represented as folks from around the world enter a potentially collective and collaborative space. Differences in cultures are to be celebrated, rather than merely tolerated. A sense of security within diverse cultural elements helps motivate an eddy that begins to entwine itself into a perpetual spiral, so the process of organizing sustains itself in a communal effort. This is a major challenge in creating a popular education experience wherever you are.

People are sometimes shy and afraid to speak out in front of others. In popular education (Freire, 1982, 2000) and participatory research design (Earnest & Treff, 2011), everyone is an expert. Everyone has both something of value to share and something to learn from others. Remembering this eases the stress of being perfect and saying the “right” thing. Inclusive cultural spaces encourage people to learn from each other because of their diversity and unique life experiences. Participants can take what they learn from one another and translate it back into their own perceptions of reality.

The popular education experience is for all people, so they can become part of a fluid stream for justice. This stream can then flow freely and exponentially outside the walls of formal learning. Popular education can be a reservoir feeding into an ocean of change. Creating waves against inequality and social injustice can swell from one tributary to another, till the entire universe is stirring in transitional movement.

Highlander has developed a cultural history where all people can create memories, share in the planning, and feel included in the process of change. Before Myles Horton’s dream of Highlander came to fruition, he believed the space had to go beyond what traditional or religious education had been doing: “Such education failed to connect with their lives” (Adams, 1975, p. 2). To make talking easier, Horton would begin meetings with someone leading others in song or retelling a favorite mountain story. This began warming people up to one another, where many times they talked long into the night about their lives and the issues they faced.

Music, stories, poetry, and other forms of cultural expression are important aspects of Highlander’s program. Over the years, many Highlander people, like Ralph Teffeteller, Zilphia Horton, Candie and Guy Carawan, and Jane Sapp, were some who strengthened the importance of culture in Highlander’s work (Adams, 1975). Individuals offer unique cultural elements that can build bonds between people, disseminate information about diverse cultures, and inspire collective action.

According to Horton’s precepts, the goal of teaching at Highlander was to get people developing feelings and will more than memory and logic. Group singing was believed to bring people out of the “silences of their individuality” (Adams, 1975, p. 70). The goal was “first to enliven and then to enlighten” (p. 72). If people can sing with total strangers, they can move more easily into shared social causes, united and working side by side.

Horton understood that most people had the answers to their problems (Horton, 1998). He felt that a teacher’s job was to get people talking about their problems, to ask them in detail about these problems, and then to guide them into creating their own solutions. Horton would listen to the people talk about their problems, sense what they needed to learn, and then turn that information into an educational program. He knew that regardless of their roles, people had to learn to trust one another and to work together while tapping into each person’s strengths.

Susan also shared that people in society today are not encouraged to believe that they can make change. In fact, they are encouraged to feel powerless. They are not exposed to enough examples of others being successful in bringing about change. So a popular education gathering space provides an opportunity for people to learn about historical and current examples where everyday people have and are creating change. They see that no matter who they are, where they come from, or what level their education, they can still be agents of change.

A Dedicated Physical Space

Highlander’s strength and endurance over time arise from its focus on movements involving change, while providing a necessary educational space to support the groups fighting for change (Highlander Research and Education Center, n.d.-a). Having a physical space where programs can be organized to support this educational work contributes to feelings of safety and support. Having a retreat-like setting with beautiful and quiet surroundings, embedded with cultural and historical connections from the local region, while infusing a welcoming atmosphere, unique spaces for collective connection, as well as good food, are all elements that can enhance the work that happens there.

However, having a dedicated place is a challenge. It requires resources to buy, build, and maintain the setting, including buildings, water, electricity, tending the grounds, and maintaining roads. Those with power can also attack a dedicated space, which is what happened in the 1960s (Adams, 1975). The original site in Monteagle, Tennessee, was confiscated by the State of Tennessee when Highlander’s charter was revoked with hopes of crippling the Civil Rights Movement. Highlander chose to keep going, moving first to Knoxville, Tennessee, and then to its current location in New Market, Tennessee. Land was bought, then over the decades buildings were constructed, modified, and repaired, and new facilities were created (Highlander Research and Education Center, n.d.-a).

Susan shared that the challenge of maintaining and sustaining an educational center for social and economic justice requires perpetual work, fundraising, and attention to detail. There have been many hurdles in Highlander’s history. Many faithful donors and supporters have sustained this important work of resurrecting the space, then maintaining and improving, over time. It is critical that Highlander continues developing a community of support that provides money, so in-kind service is also critical. Two examples of in-kind support include serving on the board and raising awareness about the work Highlander does. Foundations provide critical support, but these can come and go. Thankfully, many of Highlander’s donors and supporters stick around for the long haul.

Having spaces devoted to social change is a wonderful thing, but lack of dedicated spaces should not deter the transformative processes popular education and community organization provide (O’Sullivan et al., 2002). Finding creative ways to use and adapt available spaces in local communities is critical to enabling groups to move forward and outward, reaching their goals and actions for equality and social justice.

Final Thoughts

During our conversation, Susan shared a story about a young man who came to Highlander. He was a football player and had not heard of social change. He was at Highlander because a professor encouraged a group of students to visit. At the end of the week during their closing session, he shared an analogy developed during his stay.

He was with a group of people, collectively working to clear one of the trails. There was a huge log in the middle of the trail. Being a robust football player, he figured he could move the log on his own, but he could not. No one could move the log until they all moved it together. He said moving this log was like working for social justice. It can start with just one person trying to make a difference, but it still takes a community to move the mountain.

Some people come into a space with the fear of not measuring up, perhaps being shy or riddled with the anxiety of talking in front of others. Some people come into a space with too much ego. Everyone has different styles of how they talk, act, and live. Issues of oppression can be present in any group, whether based on race, class, gender, and other social conditions. Being able to help people recognize this and then move gracefully through these issues as they arise is crucial. The solution is creating a space where all can be respected and can safely participate.

Because our world today faces many challenges, it will take people of all statures, nationalities, races, genders, educational levels, and generational representatives to work toward equality, and social and environmental justice. Creating Highlander-like settings throughout the world while supporting group organizations on shared issues can be done in a variety of ways as we have shared in this article. The work may never be done, but the key is to take the first step.