Our History

Creating Democracy began sharing the fundamentals of our theory of change - interconnected small groups exercising democratic decision making as a key to building a movement that could manifest justice in our world - in many ways over the past decade.

From small group conversations in living rooms, to one on one coffees with organizers and movement leaders, we asked the question: “What are the most significant barriers to movement building?” We continued with workshops in Portland, Oregon and at the 2007 US Social Forum in Atlanta, and through a series of Movement Building Conversations leading up to a Portland People’s Movement Assembly in conjunction with the 2010 US Social Forum and National People’s Movement Assembly in Detroit.

In 2015 we partnered with the Rural Organizing Project on a movement building project to assess challenges and needs in Southern Oregon and support collaboration across the groups in the region.

In 2018 we are launching a Rural Movement Building Project in Tennessee in partnership with groups who are interested in growing the capacity and infrastructure for movement building in small town and rural communities across the state.