20 CONCRETE ACTIONS FOR AOC TO CONNECT WITH POPULAR SECTORS
An Intersectional, Intergenerational Strategy with Transformative Direction
By Joan Prim
March 16, 2026
OPEN LETTER TO ALEXANDRIA AND HER TEAM
Dear Alexandria, dear team:
The previous actions focused on winning the primaries. These twenty are designed for something deeper: building a popular movement that transcends electoral cycles and transforms the balance of power in the United States.
I start from what you've already expressed clearly: "We have to have a working-class-centered politics if we're going to be successful, and also if we're going to stave off the scourge of authoritarianism." Also from your understanding that "extreme levels of income inequality lead to social instability" and that "the failure of democracies for decades to deliver higher wages" has opened the door to demagogues.
But the working class isn't a monolith. It's diverse, multiracial, multigenerational. A popular strategy must be intersectional (race, gender, class, national origin) and intergenerational (connecting youth, elders, and everyone in between). And it must have directionality: pointing toward a horizon of transformation where power truly belongs to the people.
Importantly, you don't have to do this alone. These actions can and should be driven by a national network of leaders who share your vision: Bernie Sanders, whose "Fighting Oligarchy" tour has already energized millions; Analilia Mejia, your successful candidate in New Jersey who forced Tom Malinowski's retreat; Zohran Mamdani, whose New York City mayoral victory proves democratic socialism can govern; and emerging leaders in other states—in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Georgia, Arizona—who are building their own local movements. This is about creating a national popular infrastructure that outlasts any single campaign.
Here are the 20 actions.
I. INTERSECTIONAL COMMUNITY ORGANIZING
1. Replicate the campaign model that got you to Congress at a national scale
You won in 2018 by going "door to door, literally, to talk to voters and ask for their votes." Your campaign staff were "mostly volunteers, young people and older people of various races." That model must become permanent infrastructure.
I propose: "Popular Brigades" —teams organized by census tract in every state, with diverse composition by age and ethnicity, trained to listen to needs and connect with grassroots organizations. Bernie's organizing network, Analilia's New Jersey experience, and Zohran's citywide structure can provide models and trainers. Not just for campaigns: for building lasting community power.
2. Create intergenerational dialogue spaces around concrete needs
Young people need jobs and housing. Elders need dignified pensions and healthcare. But these problems are connected. Organize "Elder-Youth Councils" in every district, where older and younger people meet regularly to identify common problems and design joint solutions. State legislators rising in Pennsylvania and Michigan can pilot these in their districts.
Directionality: breaking the generational segregation that the right uses to divide.
3. Establish formal alliances with grassroots racialized organizations
Your district includes "the east part of the Bronx and portions of north-central Queens," home to "Black communities, Hispanic (especially Puerto Rican) communities, and many Bangladeshis." You've lived intersectionality in your own constituency. Now you must nationalize it.
I propose: Multiracial Community Advisory Council, with leaders from Black, Latino, Asian, and Indigenous organizations from across the country, meeting quarterly with you and allied leaders to advise on policy and communication. Not symbolic: with real agenda power. Emerging leaders in Georgia and Arizona can help identify and elevate these voices.
4. Promote nonviolent civil disobedience as a method of building power
You've said: "We can all be sand in the gears of injustice" and gave the example of Minneapolis, where "people refused to let ICE officers use the bathrooms in their establishments." That's people power in action.
Launch a "Small Disobediences" national campaign: coordinated, nonviolent actions where communities protect their most vulnerable members. Each action, documented and celebrated, builds a culture of solidarity. Bernie's movement infrastructure and Zohran's city government can provide resources and protection.
5. Create safe spaces for victims of institutional violence
You've denounced cases like Alex Pretti's, "executed on the street" by federal agents. Communities need spaces to heal and organize. I propose: "Houses of Dignity" —community centers in working-class neighborhoods offering legal advice, psychological support, and neighborhood organizing against police and immigration violence. State legislators and city council members rising across the country can champion these locally.
II. ECONOMY FOR THE MAJORITIES (WITH INTERSECTIONAL FOCUS)
6. Connect the fight for living wages with care work
You've championed the "Fair Wages for Home Care Workers Act" to guarantee dignified wages for domestic workers. This is a deeply intersectional issue: mostly women, many immigrants, many Black and Latina, caring for elders and people with disabilities.
I propose: "National Campaign for Dignified Care" , connecting domestic workers, elders receiving care, and working families who need those services. Building alliances between caregivers and those receiving care strengthens both sectors. Analilia's organizing experience in New Jersey can provide a model for state-level implementation.
7. Create intergenerational housing cooperatives
The housing crisis affects young people who can't become independent and elders living alone on fixed incomes. I propose a pilot program: "Solidarity Housing" , where elders with available space host young people in exchange for companionship and help with daily tasks. Zohran's New York City administration can launch the first pilot, with plans to expand to other states through emerging progressive mayors.
Directionality: building reciprocal relationships that break isolation and strengthen community fabric.
8. Promote self-managed community kitchens
In the tradition of Latin American "comedores populares," I propose: "Kitchens of Hope" —community spaces where neighbors cook together, share food, and build relationships. With municipal support for infrastructure, but community management.
It's not just about food: it's about building community, especially for elders living alone and families struggling to make ends meet. Emerging city council members in Wisconsin and Michigan can pioneer these.
9. Connect climate struggle with local jobs
The Green New Deal you introduced in 2018 must have a concrete popular dimension: "Green Jobs for Working-Class Neighborhoods." Training programs in renewable energy, home insulation, urban gardens, targeted primarily at youth from marginalized communities. Bernie's climate justice network can help recruit and train participants.
The ecological transition cannot be elitist. It must be popular or it won't happen.
10. Combat labor precarity for youth and elders
Young people face precarious jobs. Elders face insufficient pensions. Many elders must keep working in precarious conditions. I propose: "Intergenerational Labor Dignity Law" , guaranteeing living wages and working conditions for all, with special protection for older workers and youth in their first jobs. State legislators in progressive states can introduce versions of this law immediately, building momentum for federal action.
III. POLICIES WITH GENDER AND RACE PERSPECTIVE
11. Create shelters for women victims of violence with community focus
Women are most affected by economic crisis and violence. I propose: "Aurora Community Shelter Network" , managed by women's organizations, with state support, offering not just housing but also job training, psychological support, and solidarity networks. Analilia's New Jersey network can help design the model.
Intersectionality: specific shelters for Indigenous, Afro-descendant, migrant women, with staff who speak their languages and understand their cultures.
12. Support working mothers with community care networks
Working mothers, especially single mothers, face the double shift without support. I propose: "Solidarity Mothers Networks" , where mothers organize to take turns caring for children, with municipal support for spaces and materials. Zohran's New York can pioneer this with city resources.
Directionality: building power from the base, not dependence on the state.
13. Combat environmental racism
Black and Latino communities suffer disproportionately from pollution. I propose: "Environmental Justice Audits" in every district, conducted by residents with expert support, to identify pollution sources and demand their elimination. Emerging leaders in "Cancer Alley" Louisiana and industrial Michigan can lead the way.
Health is a right, not a privilege.
14. Promote young women's leadership in community organizing
You've said your ambition is "to change our political environment" and that "the ambitions of a progressive movement go far beyond elected office." For that, you need to train new leaders.
I propose: "Popular Women's Leadership School" —an annual program for young women from marginalized communities across the country, with mentorship from experienced women in organizing, politics, unions. Bernie's network, Analilia's organizers, and Zohran's administration can all provide mentors. Training the next generation nationally.
15. Intersectional defense of LGBTQ+ people from marginalized communities
LGBTQ+ people who are also migrants, racialized, poor face multiple violences. I propose: "No One Forgotten Campaign" , spotlighting their stories, supporting specific organizations, and pushing for public policies with intersectional focus. State-level allies in progressive states can advance protective legislation while federal fights continue.
IV. INTERGENERATIONAL AND UNION ALLIANCES
16. Unions and youth: recovering the tradition of solidarity
You've said that "when massive corporations begin to consume the public sector and devour public spending, they start giving orders." To confront them, we need worker unity.
I propose: "Union-Youth Unity Councils" —spaces where unions and youth organizations coordinate struggles: living wages, housing, labor rights for young and precarious workers. Bernie's lifelong union relationships can open doors; Analilia's organizing can build bridges.
17. Elders as popular educators
Elders carry memory of past struggles, experiences, wisdom. I propose: "Grandparents Tell Stories" —a national program where elders visit schools, youth centers, organizations to share stories of resistance and organizing. Bernie, as an elder statesman of the movement, can be the first national spokesperson.
Directionality: transmitting to new generations that another world is possible and has been fought for.
18. Youth as tech support for elders
Many elders are excluded from digital services, information, rights. I propose: "Intergenerational Digital Support Network" —where young volunteers teach elders to use technology, access services, connect with family. Zohran's NYC can pilot this with senior centers and schools.
Reciprocal relationship: elders teach history and resistance; youth teach technology. Both win.
19. Joint campaigns for dignified pensions and youth employment
Dignified pensions and youth employment aren't separate issues: when elders have dignified pensions, they can support their families, including youth. When youth have jobs, they contribute to future pensions.
I propose: "Intergenerational Social Security Pact" —a campaign linking both struggles and showing their interdependence. Bernie has been fighting for this his entire career; now it can be a national movement.
20. Create spaces for intergenerational popular celebration and culture
Struggle is also joy. I propose: "Dignity Festivals" —periodic events in working-class neighborhoods across the country, with music, food, activities for all ages, celebrating community culture and strengthening bonds. Each emerging leader in each state can organize their own, creating a national tapestry of celebration.
Directionality: building positive collective identity, not just resistance against the enemy.
V. STRATEGIC DIRECTIONALITY: WHERE WE'RE GOING
All these actions point toward a horizon: organized people power that transcends electoral cycles. You've said it better than I: "We're coming for power for working people."
That power isn't built only from above, with laws and decrees. It's built from below, with daily organizing, concrete solidarity, relationships that transform how communities see themselves.
Your role as a leader is fundamental: you can spotlight, you can drive, you can connect. But real power will be in the hands of organized people. And you have allies: Bernie Sanders, whose entire life has been preparation for this moment; Analilia Mejia, who proved the model works in New Jersey; Zohran Mamdani, who is demonstrating what progressive governance looks like in America's largest city; and emerging leaders in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Georgia, Arizona, and beyond who are building their own local movements.
This is not about one person. This is about a national popular infrastructure—a network of leaders, organizations, and communities that can outlast any single campaign and continue building power for generations.
That's why these 20 actions aren't just "electoral strategy." They're building people power with intersectionality, intergenerational connection, and transformative directionality—a movement that stretches across every state and every generation.
The right fears you because they know you're not alone. Behind you are millions of youth, workers, women, immigrants, elders, who see in you a voice that represents them. And beside you are leaders in every state building the same vision.
Let's build together the world where those people don't just have representation, but real power.
Joan Prim
March 16, 2026
Comentarios
Publicar un comentario