What is Participatory Democracy?

I read an interesting article the other day and thought it'd be pertinent given the political and social movements that are currently taken place.  This article "Ella Baker and the origins of the 'Participatory Democracy,'" touches on the subject of democracy and of course, participatory democracy.  First of all, democracy is the rule of the people - a government that is of the people, for the people, and by the people.  However, not every people is included within the democracy which is what Ella Baker is addressing: what the people can do for the people who do not fall under those terms is what she calls participatory democracy.  We can choose to participate in our democracy by getting involved either directly or indirectly; examples of such acts include marches, voting, donations, writing to representatives, and rioting. Riots are a completely different subject because when we riot it is under certain circumstances where our democratic system has failed us especially for people of color.  We have social movements such as the Black Lives Matter movement, the Chicano movement, the Civil Rights Movement, and of course the recent March for Our Lives movement.  There are also interest groups with a movement for example: the NAACP and Students for Democratic Society were interest groups within the Civil Rights Movement.  Brown stresses the need for direct action for such movements such as sit-ins, demonstrations, and boycotts which are necessary in order to give power to the people - the right to protest and go against government decisions that affect our communities.
 

                                                                     References
     "Ella Baker and the Origins of 'Participatory Democracy'" by Carol Mueller


By:  Leslie Macias