Reflecting on a decade of organizing and building power

by gabriel sayegh

The word katal comes from the field of chemistry: It’s the unit of measurement for catalytic change. Back in 2015, when we started building what would become the Katal Center, our interest in making change – and measuring that change – is what led us to our unusual name.

Documentation was also important to me personally, because one of my early mentors, Dan Leahy, taught that organizers should write about the what and how of their work. I took the lesson to heart.

As Katal grew, we learned and integrated practices for measurement and evaluation – internally, for organizational and staff development; and externally, for our organizing and campaigns. We documented our work scrupulously along the way, through reports, newsletters, internal debriefs and memos, public essays, and other means.

These materials tell so much of our story. To mark our 10-year anniversary, we’ve reorganized them so that they’re more accessible to those who may want to dig into this history – our supporters, curious organizers, students, young people, academics, researchers, etc. We’re excited to share them with you.

A breakdown of these resources:
 
Timeline – Our Histories and Victories: Our timeline includes highlights from Katal’s past 10-plus years – and tells our story chronologically and visually.

Reviewing this timeline, one period that stands out for me is the first three months of 2016. It went like this:

In February, Katal publicly launched. We immediately started organizing to build a membership base.

In March, we

  • kicked off a speedy trial reform campaign to pass reforms in Albany;
  • hosted a group of international delegates on a five-city tour across the United States in preparation for the United Nation’s special session on drug policy; and
  • launched Albany’s Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) program in our role as project facilitator. (Albany LEAD was more than three years in the making.)

In early April, building on an idea that emerged from a convening we helped organize at the White House the previous year, we launched the national LEAD Support Bureau with our partners at Seattle’s Public Defender Association to provide technical assistance on pre-arrest diversion projects in cities and counties across the country.

And later that month with our partners at JustLeadershipUSA, we launched the #CLOSErikers campaign on the steps of New York City Hall. The rally was the culmination of work we’d started with JLUSA the previous summer.

And those were just our first three months!

The timeline continues with highlights including these:

There’s a lot more on the timeline – and I hope you’ll check it out.

We also have a bunch of materials online organized by category:

  • Our newsletter archive: Since January 2017 we’ve published a short email newsletter every week or two, documenting our activities and sharing updates from the field. The newsletters are archived on our website: They highlight our work on a regular basis, telling a continuously updated story about what we’re doing, who we’re doing it with, where, and how. The newsletters are a time capsule of sorts. Reading them, you can see photos and stories of Katal members taking action – leading rallies, meeting with lawmakers, protesting, and more. For a few particularly good ones, see here, here, here, and here.
  • Our press releases: Every press release we’ve issued is on our website – and we’ve published hundreds over 10 years. Through these releases, we’ve reported news, addressed important and timely concerns related to our campaigns, and responded to events, policies, and legislative action and inaction. Most releases feature statements from our members and allies. Some good examples are here, here, here, and here.
  • Our campaign and project archives: Over the past decade we’ve closed or otherwise ended certain campaigns, projects, and programs. That work – especially in Connecticut – is an important part of our history. We’ve archived related materials on our website (and you’ll find additional materials in our newsletters and press releases).
  • Our physical archive: While everything I’ve outlined above is on our website, our physical archive is, well, physical. We have a host of materials, including many that are print-only, such as posters, flyers, meeting agendas, and campaign signs. The physical archive is open by appointment only at our office in Brooklyn, so reach out to us if you want to come in!

Collectively, these materials help tell the story not just of Katal, but of a particular period – and our experience and perspective throughout. Since Katal launched, we’ve seen the explosive growth of the movement to end mass incarceration and a dramatic contraction of that movement years later. We’ve witnessed the rise of Donald Trump, his attempted coup in 2021, his return to office two years ago on a tide of rising authoritarianism, and the emergence of a pro-democracy resistance. We went through the first days, months, and years of COVID – and are now living through some concerted attempts to memory-hole that global catastrophe. We watched the horrific video of George Floyd’s murder in Minneapolis and saw the astonishing burst of protests in response, nationwide and beyond. These events and others shaped the context in which we lived, worked, organized. The world has changed – is always changing – and we’ve tried to adapt to do the best and most vital work we can.

In February I wrote about our public launch in 2016 and about the question that Detroit-based organizer and philosopher Grace Lee Boggs urged us to ask ourselves and each other: What time is it on the clock of the world? Boggs’ question is still resonant, and as we turn toward our next chapter, we continue to reflect on it.

For those readers who have been with us since the start – thank you. And for those who signed up and supported us and one another along the way – thank you. We couldn’t have gotten here without you. 

Before the year is over, we want to gather in person, to celebrate what we’ve accomplished together over the past decade and look ahead to what’s next. So please save the date: On the evening of Thursday, November 19, we’re hosting an anniversary event with food, drinks, and music in New York City. We’d love for you to join us. Watch for additional details to come. And if you’re moved to make a contribution now, you can do so here. 

On behalf of Katal’s board and staff, thank you for being part of this effort to build a world rooted in equity, health, and justice.

With gratitude,
gabriel sayegh
Cofounder and Executive Director