Necessary Trouble Georgia

ABOUT US

Introduction

Necessary Trouble GA is a grassroots political action group based in Atlanta. Our aim is to continue to move Georgia away from its Confederate past and towards a New Georgia -- one which is multiracial, inclusive and diverse, and one which values racial equity, environmental justice, and fair and accessible elections. Like our many sister Indivisible Groups, we are 100% volunteer.

We are an action-oriented group, and our intention is to support members in connecting with meaningful work which matches their skills, interests and availability, and which advances a progressive agenda in Georgia. We focus on supporting and promoting the leadership of those within the group. The educating of one another that we do along the way makes our work more effective, as does the mutual support and encouragement.

"Our group has been, and continues to be, shaped by its members: their areas of interest and expertise, their capacity, their leadership, and their willingness to bring heart, spirit, mind and hands to this work."

Areas of Focus

We effect change in Georgia by focusing on the following areas of work:

Support of Democratic Party Infrastructure
Election of Democratic Candidates & Post-Election Support
Criminal Justice Reform
Voter Education and Election Integrity
Redistricting Reform
Immigration/Refugee Issues
Environmental Justice
Racial and Ethnic Equity and Inclusion
Advocacy for LGBTQ+ Human Rights

How We Carry Out Our Work

Electoral Politics

We “adopt” candidates whose positions align with our goals; who have a feasible chance of winning or who are in districts which need Democratic infrastructure; and who want and would benefit from our assistance.
We support them by writing postcards, phone-banking, texting, canvassing, doing lit-drops, and hosting fundraisers.
We work with officials we’ve helped elect to support their effectiveness in office.

Legislative Advocacy

We track legislation and advocate for progressive bills and oppose those that are regressive.
Our direct advocacy includes calls/emails/faxes/rope-line/meetings (federal, state, county, and municipal officials).

Creating Resources, Promotional Materials, and Events

Coordinating the Candidate Directory of Georgia – compilation of all 7000 GA races (bit.ly/georgiavoterguide)
Co-sponsoring educational forums for the general public including: Intro to Advocacy, Georgia General Assembly 101, Flippable Districts Forum, Kingian Nonviolence training, Pol/ICE Forum (287g)
Creating educational materials (fact sheets, videos, door hangers) to support Get Out the Vote (GOTV) efforts, Voter Registration and Voter Protection
Successfully submitting letters to the Editor in both local and national publications

Partnering with Other Groups

Redistricting reform with Fair Districts GA
Voter Protection with Democratic Party of GA
Campaign work with the Democratic Party of GA and Fighting Fifty
Voter Registration with New Georgia Project & New American Pathways
Supporting detainees and their families with El Refugio, Casa Alterna, and the Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights (GLAHR)
Voter mobilization with Mail with Swing Left
"Get Out the Vote" (GOTV) with local county Democratic committees

We were honoted to help Dr. Jasmine Clark win her re-election campaign in House District 108. Her district was not only redrawn to favor Republicans, her challenger was heavily endorsed by Gov. Bryan Kemp.

We supported Imani Barnes, a public health scientist, in her freshman run for House District 86. Now in her second term, she has been a fierce advocate for her constituents.

History & Structure

Necessary Trouble was started after Trump’s election in 2016 by a small group of friends who were aware of the danger Trump’s administration posed. We were committed to doing our part in preserving democracy and protecting human rights. While we are an Indivisible group, early on we departed from Indivisible’s emphasis on federal elections, realizing we could have a greater influence by focusing on state and local issues and races. Our group has been, and continues to be, shaped by its members: their areas of interest and expertise, their capacity, their leadership, and their willingness to bring heart, spirit, mind and hands to this work. We named ourselves after Rep. John Lewis’ encouragement to make “good trouble, necessary trouble.” We continue to be inspired by the way in which he anchored his work in fierce persistence and in love.

We have a mailing list of approximately 800 members, roughly 150 of whom are very active. We have an email list of an additional 650 “non-Troublers” to whom we send the occasional “Opportunities for Engagement” newsletter, encouraging their active involvement in change efforts.

Many of us live in DeKalb County, but we have members from many other counties as well. We meet monthly and have workgroup meetings, activities and events in between. Some of our work is led by members of Necessary Trouble and some is led by partner groups or candidates/campaigns. The “Troubler Think Tank”, currently made up of eight Troublers, plans the meetings and offers leadership and direction, along with the larger group of team leaders. Our group is 100% volunteer.

Never let anyone, any person or any force, dampen,

dim or diminish your light.

Representative John Lewis (1940-2020)