Moments of genuine progressive strength have been memorialized in the American consciousness with images of national marches—1963’s Civil Rights Movement March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom 1965’s SDS march against the Vietnam War and many others. But today, these sort of marches seem to be quite unusual. How can the progressive movement regain that kind of national galvanization?

In this installment of Creating a Progressive America, New York Times best-selling author Jim Hightower talks about the new trends in progressive movement building, from coalitions of groups working together to dynamic grassroots struggles. From Orange County, California to Madison, Wisconsin, new forms of activism are bubbling to the surface. “There’s… more activities than I’ve ever seen in my lifetime,” Hightower says.

This segment is part of a new video series produced by Video Nation in collaboration with On the Earth Productions featuring progressive thinkers and leaders such as Sen. Bernie Sanders, Jim Hightower and Thom Hartmann. Watch the series introduction and check back each Wednesday for a new video in the series.

—Jin Zhao