About The Direct Action Movement
The Direct Action Movement (D.A.M) was established in 2017 by Jessica (Jess) Williams. Members of the D.A.M crew are community-builders, political lobbyists and direct-action activists and are based in Australia.
Message from D.A.M Founder:
I created the D.A.M website to share knowledge and information about activism in a way that is accessible to people from all over the world and all paths of life. Hundreds of hours were put in to the D.A.M website and it is a reflection of decades of my accumulated knowledge and experiences, years of collective experiences from the D.A.M crew and insight & knowledge that others have shared along the way & throughout history.
Through lived experiences in America and Australia, including incarceration in America, surviving non-state torture[1] & other forms of violence, genuinely engaging with Australian First Nations people, nonviolent direct action training & experience, political experience and meeting amazing activists & feminists from all over the world, I developed core values which became the foundation of The Direct Action Movement.
A very important part of shaping those core values was understanding that within current social, economic and political systems & structures, living beings are separated by, and oppressed based on, biological sex, economic class, ethnicity & race, species and more. These barriers keep us from genuinely connecting with one another, which undermines our human nature.
I believe that our true 'human nature' is one of kindness, compassion and empathy that we naturally want to extend to all living beings (humans, animals and nature), but due to the barriers between us, and due to those repressive social & political structures and economic pressures, we have been pushed away from our true human nature.
Over time, we have been conditioned to not interfere when we see injustice occurring out of fear of the sacrifices we may have to make, and we have been collectively oppressed to the point that most of us feel we cannot spare the time and energy, or risk the loss of income or freedom, to fight against the incredible number of ongoing injustices occurring around the world. As a collective, we have been conditioned to care mainly for ourselves and close family members or friends, and to close ourselves off to anyone that doesn’t agree with our opinions or political values, no matter how fleeting they may or may not be.
We must rise above this conditioning and we must rise above the barriers that have separated us. We must unite!
For any number of humans to come together as a united front against injustice is, in and of itself, an act of resistance; resisting the oppressive structures and systems that have kept us separated and distracted for so long. In order to overcome these oppressive structures and systems, and in order to create a fairer and more equitable (global) society, more of us must unite, organise and fight against injustice.
The D.A.M website will help make that happen. Use wisely.
- The Direct Action Movement Founder - Jessica Williams
[1] Term coined by Linda MacDonald and Jeanne Sarson: https://nonstatetorture.org/who-we-are/about-us
What we do:
The DAM crew has led numerous successful actions and campaigns, and this is something we are very proud of. We work hard in our community and abroad, to the best of our ability, to fight against injustice and to help our society become fairer and more equitable.
We lead local and online NVDA training sessions to help other people become activists.
The DAM crew has helped multiple groups start-up and we have supported a number of campaigns led by other individuals and groups.
We engage in many different methods of activism including direct action, of course.
Visit the DAM Campaigns page to learn more about some of the actions and campaigns we have led and supported.
OUR MISSION STATEMENT
The Founder of The Direct Action Movement created the D.A.M website to make activism, and learning how to engage in direct action, more accessible to more people. This website exists to inform and inspire people of all ages, from all over the world and all walks of life, to become activists. Engaging in activism may intimidate or even scare some people, but this website will show you that, with the appropriate information, skills and determination, anyone and everyone can be an activist to unite and organise with others to fight against injustice. There are many different forms of activism and the D.A.M website will help you determine what suits you best.
OUR MISSIOn:
The D.A.M website is a hub for information, footage and insight from all over the world. Our mission is to inspire you to get activated and connect with your entire community, and we aim to educate people about how to facilitate positive change for all sentient beings and the environment. We think that this information should be easily accessible, whether you can attend meetings or not, or whether you can participate in supportive actions or arrestable action, your input and participation is needed.
Be a part of the global Direct Action Movement! Unite, organise and fight against injustice!
ABOUT D.a.m’s FOUNDER
The Founder of The Direct Action Movement and creator of thedirectactionmovement.com, Jessica Williams, is a radical-eco-cultural-feminist, community-builder, a political lobbyist, campaign director, published author, mother, sport volunteer, animal rescuer, vegan and a direct action activist for nature, for her fellow human beings and for non-human animals.
