Serious Change is about reclaiming the symbols of power. We do that by attending public protests against the war in Iraq dressed in professional attire.Dressing professionally will communicate two ideas. Firstly, it will symbolize our ease in speaking the language of power. Professional attire is associated with business and politics, but neither of these domains belongs exclusively to the Right, or even the mainstream. Our critique of power will gain added force when we appear calm, intelligent, and articulate. Like it or not, all of those things are associated with professional appearance and presentation.

Secondly, professional attire sends a signal to the community of protesters. Professional attire is associated with organization and, of course, with professionalism. As activists labor to end the war, and as we look even beyond the war’s end to the goal of building a more just society, we have to keep these concepts in mind. The simple act of dressing professionally may help us to feel more professional, more organized, more in charge.

The message is simple. We are intelligent. We are organized. And we are seriously dissatisfied with our country’s direction. We demand serious change.

Find Out More About Serious Change

• Sign Up! [email updates]
• Participate [guidelines and downloads]
• Upcoming Protests [officially recognized events]
• Resources [historical articles, pictures and logos, and media coverage]

Sign Up!

Enter your email address in the form below to receive updates about Serious Change events.

Participate

If you like our tactics, you can be part of Serious Change. To attend a protest as part of the Serious Change movement:

• Dress professionally. Suits, jackets, slacks, nice shoes, and ties (for men) are preferred. Button down shirts or other business casual attire is also acceptable.
• Act simply. Large signs, slogans, noisemakers, and other forms of protest theater are not necessary to get your point across. If you wish, carry pamphlets explaining your position, American flags, or wear simple slogans in the form of stickers or buttons on your lapel.
• Be organized. If you plan on attending a protest as a representative of Serious Change, organize in your city to try and bring more like-minded people out to the event.

Click here to download a .pdf pamphlet outlining the basic idea behind Serious Change. Feel free to print this out and carry it with you to explain to others why you are dressed in professional attire.

If you decide to organize a Serious Change protest in your city, email us with your plans so we can inform our network of interested people.

After the event, please email us your pictures and let us know about any media coverage you received and the reaction to the Serious Change concept by fellow protesters.

Upcoming Protests

Thank you all for attending our protest on October 27th. It was a huge success! Check out our wrap up for pictures and descriptions.

Serious Change currently has no upcoming protests planned, but we are busy thinking of ways to reclaim the symbols of power over the winter. Check back soon for new ideas!

Resources

Historical articles:

• Action: Protesting in Professional Attire on September 15th
  
• Protesting in Professional Attire: A Follow-Up
• Serious Change: A National Protest Movement to End the Iraq War
• Serious Change: Protesting in Professional Attire, October 27th
• Action: Protesting In Professional Attire With Serious Change, October 27th
• Protesting in Professional Attire, October 27th: A Follow-Up

Pictures and Graphics:

• Serious Change logo (.gif / .psd)
• September 15th, 2007 - Washington D.C: Serious Change debut protest
• October 27th, 2007 - 7 cities around the U.S: October 27th protests

Media

• Bryan Suits Show, KVI 570 AM - Seattle Washington (9/20/07): Interview with Alex Thurston of Serious Change
• WGOW, 102.3 FM - Tennessee (10/25/07): Interview with Jason Rosenbaum of Serious Change
• New Jersey Star Ledger - New Jersey (10/28/07): Interview with Josh Nelson of Serious Change