Commonwealth Club: Rashad Robinson: From Presence to Power

Why do some struggles for justice succeed while others stall? What is needed to make effective social change, especially in today’s world? According to Rashad Robinson, it comes down to understanding the difference between presence and power. Failing to do so is one reason things got this way, but understanding how power really works is a big part of how we get out of it. Robinson would know. As a social change strategist, he’s spent more than 20 years at the highest levels of leadership in two of the most significant social movements of our time: the fight for LGBTQ rights and the fight for racial justice. He’s taken on tech giants and the criminal justice system, politicians in Washington and corporate executives in Hollywood. He’s been on the front lines of protest and in the back rooms of negotiation. He argues that achieving presence—the visibility of marches, media fads, and making issues popular—is not the same as gaining the leverage required to change the rules for how society works or change the decisions that politicians, corporate executives, and other people in authority make. It’s a topic he explores in his new book From Presence to Power, offering a set of essential lessons about power for people who want to understand it, gain it, and use it to make positive change. Robinson provides  tools to help everyday people build real leverage in systems designed to prevent them from doing so. As someone who helped shape the resistance after the 2016 election, and who continues to help leaders at every level find innovative ways to fight back and win progress today, Robinson offers a hopeful, practical guide to achieving positive impact in the most challenging times. Find out how.