Our Mission
SOCM is a 52-year-old, member-led organization dedicated to empowering Tennesseans in their efforts to have a greater voice in determining their own future. We accomplish this by training local leaders and by developing and sustaining long-term, democratically run, and locally rooted membership organizations in communities throughout Tennessee. Together, SOCM members work towards a Tennessee where all people are treated with dignity, where our environment is preserved and protected, and where corporations and public officials are held accountable to the needs of the people.
Our Values
We believe that extraordinary change is rooted in the power of ordinary people.
We believe that those who engage in enterprise, commerce, and industry should be accountable to the communities in which they operate, as should politicians and government officials.
We believe that effective organizing is learned and refined through training, peer mentorship, experience, practice and reflection with our neighbors.
We believe that progress in our communities should center on the common good and not on the profit of a few.
We believe that movement towards social, economic, and environmental justice must involve building solidarity across lines of age, race, gender, sexual orientation, income, and party politics.
We acknowledge our interdependence and interconnectedness and therefore take shared responsibility for inspiring growth and change for the common good.
We believe that decision-making power should not be dependent on social status or personal wealth.
We believe in an approach to organizing grounded in listening to our neighbors, identifying deeply and widely felt issues, developing an analysis of power, and creating campaigns to address issues together.