Power 4 Southern People

NOT Southern Company

Arm in Arm Flagship Campaign

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Arm in Arm - Grand Strategic Objective (GSO)

“Arm in Arm, our communities ignite a transformational era

that ends the climate crisis centering racial and economic justice.”

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The Momentum Training community created this version of the spectrum of support and Guido Girgenti adapted this slide from that content

Theory of change

Disruptive Humanitarianism

Highlighting the injustice and absurdity of the world we live in and the laws we live under by doing humanitarian deeds that disrupt people’s normal routines.

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Grand Strategic Objective (GSO): Our communities ignite a transformational era that ends the climate crisis by centering racial and economic justice.

Phase One

2020

Phase Two

2021

Phase Three

2022

Phase Four

2023

Train & Build the Base

Rising Actions & Trigger Events

Mass Escalation

Reabsorb and Re-Frontload

3.5% of U.S. population or 11 million people

According to Center for Biological Diversity’s “Powerless in the Pandemic”

Southern Company sits near the top of the #HallofShame list which perpetrated 87% of all documented power disconnections, shutting off families over 3 million times in 2020 & 2021 while increasing profits & payouts to shareholders & executives.

Southern Company and its enablers are actively denying the climate crisis and dismantling our democracy and reproductive rights.

Summer of Actions 2021

The Arm in Arm Universe has zeroed in on dirty energy infrastructure.

Georgia - Southern Company

Arm in Arm National Assembly in Birmingham, AL

103 attendees from 23 states

Alaska

Alabama

California

Colorado

District of Columbia

Florida

Georgia

Louisiana

Maryland

Michigan

Minnesota

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Mississippi

New Jersey

New York

North Carolina

Ohio

Oregon

Philadelphia

South Carolina

Texas

Tennessee

Virginia

Washington

Southern Company Campaign Planning

Timeline:

• Meetings in April
• One on Ones in May
• In-person meeting May 23-24
• Campaign Launch May 25-26
• Arm in Arm Turns 2 May 25!

Members from MS, AL, GA

• Mississippi RIsing Coalition
• Southern EEECHO
• GASP
• Energy Alabama
• Margins
• People Justice Council
• Georgia Sierra Club
• Georgia Conservation Voters
• Emory University - Cultural Anthropology
• Arm in Arm

Planning Teams:

• Story / Strategy - Goal: Campaign goal (big visionary goal + specific objectives + key results), Core tactics, Escalation arc, Campaign Story (Us, Them, Conflict)
• Structure - Goal: How do we develop leaders and train people to run the campaign? How do we grow participation within our communities? identify next steps
• Hiring Team - Goal: Manage recruitment, interviews, and selection for a campaign organizer to join our team and coordinate the SoCo campaign.

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Southern Company Campaign Vision:

We believe our energy systems should support the health, safety, well-being of our communities, and not extract our wealth or threaten our well-being. To get there, we want to shift power into the hands of our communities to determine a clean and just energy future, and to shift power away from the hands of shareholders and CEOs of Southern Company.

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This year, we are campaigning to:

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• Expose the toxic and extractive practices of SoCo and raise awareness of who has power to influence energy policy in our region.
• By doing so, we will make SoCo politically toxic in our governments and communities.
• Train & grow a vocal base of people to join our campaign so that we can build towards a longer term effort and who have the skills to lead and willingness to take dramatic action.

Alabama World Games

• On loan from Alabama Power as CEO of The World Games 2022.
• Former advisor to the Governor of Alabama for economic development and policy
• Joined Alabama Power in 2003 where he has held management positions both at Alabama Power and Southern Company including executive leadership of Business Origination, Project Management & Construction, Division Vice President, and Vice President of External & Regulatory Affairs.
• Former Chairman of the Alabama Sports Council

Nick Sellers

Alabama World Games

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A fleet of shuttles will be deployed to efficiently and safely transport spectators to and from The World Games 2022 events.

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“all Ride the Line shuttles will be free and accessible for fans enjoying The World Games 2022. With Ride the Line, you will get a free ride that will drop you off at the closest entryway,” Nick Sellers - CEO of The World Games 2022.

Birmingham City Council

Alabama World Games

AL.com

Seattle Times

• Please register to join this weekend in Birmingham!
• Check out the Atlanta Week of Actions Hype call and Tool Kit
• Watch “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” episode on Utilities
• We are hiring a Southern Company Campaign Director
• Register to phone/text banking to support campaign
• Send me an email if you have any questions at LHarper@arminarm4climate.org

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What’s next?

Week of Action Goals:

1. Recruit people into the fight
2. Hold Southern Company and legislators accountable
3. Build together

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