Mission Statement

Democracy Unlimited of Humboldt County (DUHC) educates citizens about the illegitimate seizure of our authority to govern ourselves. We design and implement grassroots strategies that exercise democratic power over corporations and governments. We seek to create a truly democratic society by provoking a non-violent popular uprising against corporate rule in Humboldt County that can serve as a model for other communities across the United States.

Democracy Unlimited Program Areas

Resisting the Dominant System

Slowing Down Harm (“Fighting Fires”)

As corporations gain more power and governments become more complacent and dependent, our society will continue to face social, economic and environmental degradation at an ever quickening pace. We help local residents understand how these harms are a symptom of corporate rule. Fighting these “fires" helps preserve the overall health of our community and is noble work, but does not necessarily bring systemic change. Fighting fires does provide the opportunity to demonstrate and make visible the reality of rule by corporations. DUHC’s role is to provide a bridging analysis from single-issues to the systemic issue of our lack of democracy.

Creating New Tools and Strategies that Shift Power Away From Corporations

Strategies that shift power are the step after fighting fires. Often we do not have the time to address systemic problems (or propose systemic solutions) when we are responding to a local crisis. In order to create lasting change, we must shift power balances away from multinational corporations and to local communities. Tools that do this change both law and culture. For examples of these tools please look at our section on Rethinking Resistance to Corporate Rule.

Promoting & Nurturing Alternative Systems

We promote and network with local organizations that offer ways for Humboldt County residents to opt out of the corporate capitalist system and that to build a new system of meeting social and economic needs. These institutions include Community Supported Agriculture, local business alliances, community currency, farmers markets, etc. Without alternatives citizens and communities remain dependent upon corporations and corporate culture. These models help foster a culture of local sovereignty which is fundamental to our work.

Shifting Culture & Decolonizing Our Minds

Our primary mission is to shift the culture of Humboldt County and to inspire our community to believe that we have a right to resist corporate rule and to see that another world is not only possible – but necessary for survival of life on earth. We provide an historical and analytic framework for understanding how our society got into this mess in the first place, and we suggest ways to make lasting, systemic change. We strive to move away from the corporate capitalist system that is based on oppression and violence and towards a system of democracy that is based on justice and lasting peace.

Learn more at http://www.DUHC.org