William Moyer
Encyclopedia
Bill Moyer was a United States
social change activist who was a principal organizer in the 1966 Chicago Open Housing Movement
. He was an author, and a founding member of the Movement for a New Society
.
by Quaker friends, and completed a degree in social work. He became involved in campaigns for civil rights and open housing integration
, working and organizing in the early and mid-1960s with the Chicago branch of the Quaker-based American Friends Service Committee
along with Kale Williams, civil rights activist Bernard Lafayette
, and others. Then, in 1966, he joined with James Bevel
, Martin Luther King Jr. and the other leaders of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference
(SCLC) during the Chicago Movement
.
James Bevel, who strategized and directed that action, credits Moyer with influencing him to center the Chicago Movement on open housing.
in Washington, D.C.
, nonviolent blockades of arms shipments to Bangladesh
(1971) and to Vietnam
(1972), support for the American Indian Movement
occupation at Wounded Knee
, South Dakota
(1973), and a nuclear power plant blockade at Seabrook, New Hampshire
(1977).
It was during the nonviolent blockade of the Seabrook Station Nuclear Power Plant
, which involved the arrest of 1,414 individuals (most charges were later dropped), that Moyer recognised the need for social change activists to understand the dynamics behind movement success. In particular, the need to openly address the contradiction that activists often perceive the normal signs of campaign progress as signs of failure.
Moyer developed the Movement Action Plan
(MAP) to achieve this end. Since its development it has been used to train hundreds of activists, most notably in the United States
, Australia
, Canada
and Europe
.
After the fall of the Berlin wall
in 1989, Moyer participated in many workshops in Eastern Europe
about nonviolence and social change. In the mid-1980s, he moved to San Francisco, California
, where he began to explore Transpersonal psychology
and continued his participation in the Friends meeting there. He also developed a workshop called "Creating Peaceful Relationships" based on his realizations regarding dominator culture
s.
Moyer's book Doing Democracy (New Society Publishers), co-authored by JoAnn McAllister, Mary Lou Finley and Steven Soifer, summarises his theories of social change with case studies from the anti-nuclear, civil rights, gay and lesbian, breast cancer and Global Justice
movements.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
social change activist who was a principal organizer in the 1966 Chicago Open Housing Movement
Chicago Freedom Movement
The Chicago Freedom Movement, also known as the Chicago Open Housing Movement, was led by Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. and Al Raby. The movement included a large rally, marches, and demands to the City of Chicago...
. He was an author, and a founding member of the Movement for a New Society
Movement for a New Society
The Movement for a New Society was a U.S.-based network of social activists, committed to the principles of nonviolence, who played a key role in social movements of the 1970s and 80s....
.
Chicago Open Housing Movement
Initially trained as an engineer, Moyer was introduced to the philosophy and practice of nonviolenceNonviolence
Nonviolence has two meanings. It can refer, first, to a general philosophy of abstention from violence because of moral or religious principle It can refer to the behaviour of people using nonviolent action Nonviolence has two (closely related) meanings. (1) It can refer, first, to a general...
by Quaker friends, and completed a degree in social work. He became involved in campaigns for civil rights and open housing integration
Racial integration
Racial integration, or simply integration includes desegregation . In addition to desegregation, integration includes goals such as leveling barriers to association, creating equal opportunity regardless of race, and the development of a culture that draws on diverse traditions, rather than merely...
, working and organizing in the early and mid-1960s with the Chicago branch of the Quaker-based American Friends Service Committee
American Friends Service Committee
The American Friends Service Committee is a Religious Society of Friends affiliated organization which works for peace and social justice in the United States and around the world...
along with Kale Williams, civil rights activist Bernard Lafayette
Bernard Lafayette
Bernard Lafayette Jr. is a longtime civil rights activist and organizer, who was a leader in the 1960s Civil Rights Movement...
, and others. Then, in 1966, he joined with James Bevel
James Bevel
James L. Bevel was an American minister and leader of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement who, as the Director of Direct Action and Director of Nonviolent Education of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference initiated, strategized, directed, and developed SCLC's three major successes of the era:...
, Martin Luther King Jr. and the other leaders of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference
Southern Christian Leadership Conference
The Southern Christian Leadership Conference is an African-American civil rights organization. SCLC was closely associated with its first president, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr...
(SCLC) during the Chicago Movement
Chicago Freedom Movement
The Chicago Freedom Movement, also known as the Chicago Open Housing Movement, was led by Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. and Al Raby. The movement included a large rally, marches, and demands to the City of Chicago...
.
James Bevel, who strategized and directed that action, credits Moyer with influencing him to center the Chicago Movement on open housing.
Further Social Movements
Over the next decade, Moyer was involved in the SCLC's 1969 Poor People's CampaignPoor People's Campaign
Organized by Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the Poor People's Campaign addressed the issues of economic justice and housing for the poor in the United States King said, “We believe the highest patriotism demands the ending of the war and the opening of a...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, nonviolent blockades of arms shipments to Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
(1971) and to Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
(1972), support for the American Indian Movement
American Indian Movement
The American Indian Movement is a Native American activist organization in the United States, founded in 1968 in Minneapolis, Minnesota by urban Native Americans. The national AIM agenda focuses on spirituality, leadership, and sovereignty...
occupation at Wounded Knee
Wounded Knee, South Dakota
Wounded Knee is a census-designated place in Shannon County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 382 at the 2010 census....
, South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
(1973), and a nuclear power plant blockade at Seabrook, New Hampshire
Seabrook, New Hampshire
Seabrook is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 8,693 at the 2010 census. Located at the southern end of the coast of New Hampshire on the border with Massachusetts, Seabrook is noted as the location of the Seabrook Nuclear Power Station, the third-most...
(1977).
It was during the nonviolent blockade of the Seabrook Station Nuclear Power Plant
Seabrook Station Nuclear Power Plant
The Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant, more commonly known as Seabrook Station, is a nuclear power plant located in Seabrook, New Hampshire, approximately north of Boston and south of Portsmouth. Two units were planned, but the second unit was never completed due to construction delays, cost overruns...
, which involved the arrest of 1,414 individuals (most charges were later dropped), that Moyer recognised the need for social change activists to understand the dynamics behind movement success. In particular, the need to openly address the contradiction that activists often perceive the normal signs of campaign progress as signs of failure.
Moyer developed the Movement Action Plan
Movement Action Plan
The Movement Action Plan is a strategic model for waging nonviolent social movements developed by Bill Moyer, a US social change activist. The MAP, initially developed by Moyer in the late 1970s, uses case studies of successful social movements to illustrate eight distinct stages through social...
(MAP) to achieve this end. Since its development it has been used to train hundreds of activists, most notably in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
After the fall of the Berlin wall
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin...
in 1989, Moyer participated in many workshops in Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
about nonviolence and social change. In the mid-1980s, he moved to San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, where he began to explore Transpersonal psychology
Transpersonal psychology
Transpersonal psychology is a form of psychology that studies the transpersonal, self-transcendent or spiritual aspects of the human experience....
and continued his participation in the Friends meeting there. He also developed a workshop called "Creating Peaceful Relationships" based on his realizations regarding dominator culture
Dominator culture
Dominator culture is a term coined by futurist and writer Riane Eisler. This term first appears in her book The Chalice and the Blade . This book outlines in detail her theory of hierarchical dominator cultures vs...
s.
Moyer's book Doing Democracy (New Society Publishers), co-authored by JoAnn McAllister, Mary Lou Finley and Steven Soifer, summarises his theories of social change with case studies from the anti-nuclear, civil rights, gay and lesbian, breast cancer and Global Justice
Global Justice Movement
The Global Justice Movement is a network or constellation of globalized social movements opposing what is often known as the “corporate globalization” and promoting equal distribution of economic resources.-Movement of movements:...
movements.