“You may well ask: “Why direct action? Why sit ins, marches and so forth? Isn’t negotiation a better path?” You are quite right in calling for negotiation. Indeed, this is the very purpose of direct action. Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. It seeks so to dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored.”

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Groups who practice direct action begin their campaign making an effort to meet with the person who has the power to make change happen. Phone calls, emails, and invitations often go ignored for significant periods of time. Think about the last time you just couldn’t get someone to listen to you about something that was important to you. Did you feel valued? Empowered? Appreciated? Of course you didn’t!

When elected officals disregard the will of the people they have been commissioned to serve by refusing to meet with community groups or when school officials refuse to meet with students, there is a sense that the people are powerless and have no real say in the decisions that affect their lives. When large numbers of people are repeatedly ignored, direct action is the only option to ensure that their democratic voice is heard.

It is in the framework of democracy to work tirelessly to improve existing systems to ensure equality and justice for all. But how can equality and justice be pursued if mass amounts of people aren’t able to communicate with those in power? As Dr. King relays, direct action is a means to get to the negotiating table with those in power. All great movements for civil rights have used direct action. Many of today’s labor laws today were fought for using direct action. Countless numbers of victories for social justice were won by utilizing direct action. Though it is not the only tactic, it has been and will continue to be an effective one. Direct action is never exercised out of spite, but simply as a way to get results & to demand collective voices be heard.