It Takes Roots (ITR, also known as It Takes Roots to Grow the Resistance) is an environmentalist advocacy coalition that was created in 2016 by the Climate Justice Alliance, the Indigenous Environmental Network, the Grassroots Global Justice Alliance, and the Right to the City Alliance. The organization was created “immediately after” the 2016 presidential elections to build an “opposition to the racist, misogynist and xenophobic politics and practices of Trumpism.” The network, which focuses primarily on racial, environmental, and housing issues, is comprised of more than 200 organizations and affiliates across the United States.  ^{1 2}

After holding its first leadership council meeting in January 2020, It Takes Roots added the Green New Deal, a U.S. House of Representatives resolution and various legislative proposals supported by radical environmentalist groups, as a main focus of the organization. ³

It Takes Roots seemingly denies the right of Israel to exist by referring to the country, while calling for a ceasefire between Israel and Gaza, as the “75-year history of settler-colonialism and violence across historic Palestine,” while stating it has “unwavering solidarity with the Palestinian freedom struggle for self-determination.” The organization also called for “an end to the siege of Gaza, and an end to the occupation.” ⁴

Background

It Takes Roots states that the organization launched as a collaboration between its founding members in 2014 during the organization of the People’s Climate March in which approximately 400,000 protesters marched in the streets of Manhattan. The protest was organized to coincide with a United Nations climate change summit. The People’s Climate March was also an international event, with 2,646 protests across more than 150 countries. ^{5 6}

The Climate Justice Alliance, the Indigenous Environmental Network, the Grassroots Global Justice Alliance, and the Right to the City Alliance officially created It Takes Roots “immediately after” the 2016 presidential elections to build an “opposition to the racist, misogynist and xenophobic politics and practices of Trumpism.” ⁷

It Takes Roots states that it held its first leadership council meeting in January 2020, when the leadership of member organizations pushed ITR to prioritize the Green New Deal as a focus of the organization. ⁸

The Green New Deal is a U.S. House of Representatives resolution and various legislative proposals supported by radical environmentalist groups. While details of the “Deal” are unclear and frequently change, an attempt to estimate the cost of the plan that critics call a “radical, top-down, socialist makeover of the entire U.S. economy” found it could cost upwards of $90 trillion over a ten-year federal budget window if enacted. ^{9 10}

Trump Inauguration

In 2017, It Takes Roots helped organize local protests in eight cities against the inauguration of then-President-Elect Donald Trump. ¹¹

The organization led a demonstration against the U.S Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, protesting the Trump administration’s choice of leadership for both departments. ¹²

It Takes Roots also states that it was “on the frontlines of resistance” at the inauguration protest, as well as during the Women’s March on Washington, D.C. on January 21, 2017. ¹³

Anti-Israel Stance

On October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorists attacked the state of Israel. On October 31, after Israel had launched a counter-attack against Hamas in Gaza, It Takes Roots called for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. ¹⁴

In its call for a ceasefire, ITR seemingly denied the right of Israel to exist by referring to a “75-year history of settler-colonialism and violence across historic Palestine,” while stating it has “unwavering solidarity with the Palestinian freedom struggle for self-determination.” The organization also called for “an end to the siege of Gaza, and an end to the occupation.” ¹⁵

Affiliated Organizations

It Takes Roots’ collaborative network is comprised of the Climate Justice Alliance, a left-of-center environmental activist group that was launched as a project of Movement Strategy Center; the Indigenous Environmental Network, a collection of environmentalist groups, primarily in North America, that oppose zero-carbon nuclear energy; and the Right to the City Alliance, a national coalition of left-of-center advocacy groups involved in tenant organizing that also oppose zero-carbon nuclear energy. ^{16 17 18}

The Grassroots Global Justice Alliance (GGJA) is a network of over 60 organizations committed to left-of-center social causes, ranging from environmental activism to antiracism awareness, feminism, and support for Palestinians. It Takes Roots advocates at the United Nations for greater environmental regulations and protections on behalf of GGJA, and is the most prominent international channel through which GGJA operates. It Takes Roots also represents GGJA at the United Nations Conference of Parties. ^{19 20}

It Takes Roots has ties with the Center for Story-Based Strategy (formerly SmartMeme), a left-of-center organization that advises advocacy campaigns to create stories or narratives and to use literary elements to persuade individuals to support its advocacy and to disparage its political opponents. ^{21 22}

ITR is also aligned with the Ruckus Society, a community-based organization that trains and provides tools to support organizers in advocating environmental, human rights, and social justice policies through the “strategic use of creative, nonviolent direct action.” ^{23 24}

According to the Indigenous Environmental Network, ITR member organizations collaborate “closely” with Movement for Black Lives, a coalition of more than 50 left-of-center racial-advocacy organizations associated with the Black Lives Matter movement, and the People’s Climate Movement, a coalition of environmental and labor organizations in the United States that has organized a series of marches and protests since 2014. ²⁵

Funding

Grassroots Global Justice Alliance received two grants worth a total of just over $2.6 million in 2019 from the NoVo Foundation, the private foundation controlled by Peter Buffett, son of investor and left-of-center philanthropist Warren Buffett, and Peter’s wife Jennifer. The grants were designated specifically to support It Takes Roots. ²⁶

GGJA also received $2.4 million via two grants in 2022 from the JPB Foundation, a private foundation created by Barbara Picower and one of the largest grantmaking foundations in the United States. ^{27 28}

1. “Trump Inauguration – It Takes Roots.” Accessed June 13, 2024. https://ittakesroots.org/trump2017/.
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6. Alter, Charlotte. “Hundreds of Thousands Converge on New York to Demand Climate-Change Action.” TIME. September 22, 2014. Accessed June 13, 2024. https://time.com/3415162/peoples-climate-march-new-york-manhattan-demonstration/.
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9. McConnell, Mitch. “I could not be more glad that the American people will have the opportunity to learn precisely where each one of their senators stand on the “Green New Deal”: a radical, top-down, socialist makeover of the entire U.S. economy..” X (Twitter). Accessed June 13, 2024. https://x.com/LeaderMcConnell/status/1110289975386492929.
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12. “Trump Inauguration – It Takes Roots.” Accessed June 13, 2024. https://ittakesroots.org/trump2017/.
13. “Trump Inauguration – It Takes Roots.” Accessed June 13, 2024. https://ittakesroots.org/trump2017/
14.  Voss, |By Hendrik. “Frontlines to Big Greens – Stand with us in calling for #Ceasefire now and Justice for Palestine.” October 31, 2023. Accessed June 13, 2024. https://ittakesroots.org/ceasefire/.
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17. “Renewable Electricity Standard Group Letter.” May 25, 2021. Accessed June 13, 2024. https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/energy-justice/pdfs/2021-5-12_600-Group-Letter-for-RES.pdf?_gl=1*1c9h3t8*_gcl_au*MTc3NjM3MTM1Mi4xNjg5OTU1MzAz.
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24. “Mission & History.” Ruckus Society. Accessed June 13, 2024. https://ruckus.org/about-us/mission-history/.
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