West Texas Organizing Strategy (WTOS) and our citizen "leaders" are practicing true democracy in West Texas. Founded in 2001, WTOS is a broad-based, 501(c)4 non-profit community organization affiliated with the Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF), the West / Southwest IAF and Texas IAF. Working with our 501(c)3 sister organization, Llano Estacado Alliance for Democracy (LEAD), we develop leadership through education and interfaith relationships to encourage effective democratic practice and meaningful community action. Our motivation comes from the teachings of our diverse faiths and our fervent belief in liberty and justice.
WTOS and LEAD are emphatically non-partisan. We do not endorse political candidates or political parties, but we strive to hold our elected officials accountable.
WTOS believes that for community leaders to be effective we must be educated and informed citizens. The citizens of Lubbock want their voices heard and their opinions considered by the decision makers of our city and region. They want to be part of the democratic process.
We are Anglo, Hispanic, and African American. The diversity of our leaders is unparalleled. We are college professors, clergy, teachers, housewives and warehouse workers. We believe that people working together have the power to change their communities and their country for the better.
We sit together at one table as equals to deliberate about our values. We value families, schools, congregations and our neighborhoods and community. We act on our values. We understand that the democratic process is the instrument for "change" and that the practice of democracy is how individual citizens learn how to act politically.
For this reason, WTOS and LEAD leaders engage elected officials on issues impacting what we value. The actions we take identify us. In all our actions, we are reasonable, we use good judgment, we temper our calls for change with respect, and we always come to the table well-informed.
