Let This Radicalize You: Organizing & the Revolution of Reciprocal Care by Krystal Kavita Jagoo, MSW.

Kelly Hayes' Introduction

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 17:12:35 UTC

“In the poetics of struggle & lived experience, in the utterances of ordinary folk, in the cultural products of social movements, in the reflections of activists, we discover the many different cognitive maps of the future, of the world not yet born.” - Robin D. G. Kelley

Kelly Hayes' Introduction

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 17:14:21 UTC

"How did people survive desolate times? How did they find the joy & humor that sustained them in long stretches of siege & survival? How did they build relationships that allowed people who disagreed to collaborate & achieve convergence? What did those uneasy alliances look like?" - Kelly Hayes

Mariame Kaba's Introduction

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 17:16:16 UTC

"Uprooting oppression is the work of...lifetimes...Taking action is a practice of hope. Experience & meaning are derived from doing. To transform the conditions of our oppression(s), we can only do what we can today, where we are, in the best way that we know...together.“ - Mariame Kaba

Chapter 1

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 17:17:03 UTC

"That is the organizer’s unique gift: an invitation to participate in a transformation worth experiencing and fighting for. Organizing welcomes people into a different way of thinking and living in relation to one another and allows people to cultivate—and dwell in—hope, collectively."

Chapter 1

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 17:17:54 UTC

"People across history have largely turned to one another for comfort, sustenance, and protection in moments of crisis. Acknowledging this truth threatens a social order built on the myth that we need authority to protect us from our own chaotic impulses in times of crisis."

Chapter 1

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 17:18:56 UTC

"Anyone can tell someone who is wrong that they are mistaken. Organizers go farther, welcoming people into the practice of envisioning and enacting change. As old worldviews fall away, new worlds must be built."

Chapter 1

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 17:19:46 UTC

"Part of our work is helping people understand the world on a new set of terms—a framework in which the social dynamics of capitalism are spelled out in gritty, honest terms but also understood as malleable, impermanent, and breakable."

Chapter 1

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 17:20:39 UTC

"Imagining how the world ought to be, and then fighting and rehearsing for that world, demands a great deal of the human psyche. People need new, transformative stories to embrace in place of the false narratives they must let go—or that are being ripped out from under them."

Chapter 1

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 17:21:23 UTC

"They may need to reimagine what the fulfillment of their values looks like—or even reimagine their values. Organizers must help people reimagine the world, commit to rehearsing for & building that world, & develop creative ways to remain grounded in an increasingly chaotic...environment, together."

Chapter 2

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 17:21:46 UTC

"These practices of cultivating hope & joy as a matter of survival, under extremely oppressive conditions, are instructive in these times. We must throw our energy into building active relationships with other people whom we refuse to abandon & who refuse to abandon us."

Chapter 2

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 17:22:38 UTC

"To resist the erosion of empathy, we must invite people to participate in acts of care, defense, aid, & rescue. We must normalize acts of mutual aid amid the everyday crisis of capitalism & build these mechanisms into our organizing work at the ground level."

Chapter 2

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 17:23:14 UTC

“For me, relationship building is as much of a politic as my commitment to abolition is, or my commitment to anticapitalism. Some people see building relationships as a chore, but I actually feel like you’ve got to believe in it. You have to believe...it matters.” - Ejeris Dixon

Chapter 2

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 17:24:01 UTC

"That impulse—to find our boats after a storm & to pull each other from the water on unauthorized, community-led rescue missions—will be key to surviving these times & to the creation of a new future. It is not saviorism, but collectivity & solidarity, that will fuel our best efforts."

Chapter 2

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 17:24:53 UTC

"Laws that criminalize sex workers & people who use illicit substances,...are often depicted as “saving” those people from harmful, depraved forces. In reality, the enforcement of such laws plunges people into a system that inflicts physical & sexual violence,...while also robbing them of...time."

Chapter 2

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 17:25:39 UTC

"The importance of saving others should not be dismissed—& we should recognize that, in these tumultuous times, none of us are far from needing saving ourselves. Our goal should be interdependence: to be part of a community where rescue is viewed...as something that we owe each other."

Chapter 2

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 17:26:48 UTC

"We need people who are committed to one another’s survival, who are willing to act on the basis of that commitment. Unfortunately, we are living in an era where refusing to abandon people can be a revolutionary act. It could also be the key to our collective survival."

Chapter 2

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 17:27:40 UTC

"Having studied apocalyptic events..., Begley quashes notions of rugged individualism, insisting that “basic traits like kindness, fairness, and empathy” will be the basis of any sustainable, meaningful effort at collective survival—and as Begley stresses, we cannot survive alone."

Chapter 2

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 17:28:24 UTC

"...displaced Black people, are more likely to be targeted..., as reactionaries double down on their bigotry & a mentality of scarcity...We saw this kind of violence in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, when some white residents armed themselves & hunted displaced Black people amid the flooding."

Chapter 2

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 17:29:19 UTC

"To brave shifting conditions, we will have to strive to create communities “in which everyone’s basic needs are met,” because “leaving people out eventually costs everybody.” Interdependence & the social skills that facilitate that connectedness or cooperation are at the heart of...survival."

Chapter 2

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 17:30:43 UTC

"In the community of protest that Kelly & Philip move in, helping an injured person to the sidewalk amid police violence is...what...activists believe they owe...each other. Acts of rescue & assistance are part of the...rhythm of solidarity, love, & action...when people...hold...ground collectively"

Chapter 2

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 17:31:23 UTC

"We should...think of our protective instincts...as a connectedness that facilitates reciprocal care. By not abandoning people, we contribute to a culture where we...are less likely to be abandoned. By defending one another,...we are reclaiming our capacity to help each other survive."

Chapter 2

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 17:32:06 UTC

"Like an electrical current that reactivates a stopped heart, crisis can create a social defibrillation that re-enlivens our connectedness to...human beings & allows...compassion,...& political will to flow...freely. This is why...innovative...modes of...support emerge rapidly in...perilous times."

Chapter 3

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 17:33:13 UTC

"We believe in caring for each other as...cultural rebellion. We believe in the need to foster a counterculture of care—a politics larger than any siloed issue, one that can challenge dehumanization & the erasure of atrocity while allowing us to hold on to each other & our humanity."

Chapter 3

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 17:33:59 UTC

"The state has the capacity to help us all survive—& even thrive—but in its current form, it is actively opposed to doing so. We must have the will to survive in collectivity, as people...willing to seize, defy, & upend whatever they must for the sake of life, dignity, & decency...for...each other."

Chapter 3

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 17:35:03 UTC

"Contrary to fictitious...depictions of...dire straits, many...coping with...the pandemic longed to connect through acts of aid & care, & they did...In a society where we are taught to fear each other, many were moved by the realization that we were & are each other’s best hope amid catastrophe."

Chapter 3

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 17:35:45 UTC

"That realization was bolstered by the failure of the US government to respond...with...decency or competence...As our...government hijacked planes...of personal protective equipment...& spread...misinformation..., it became clear that no...agency was going to...support people in their...survival."

Chapter 3

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 17:36:33 UTC

"Everyday people, some experienced & others newly activated, toiled & organized, both according to time-tested models & with ingenuity in the absence of experience or instruction. People experimented, muddled through, & endeavored to hold each other in whatever ways they could, even at a distance."

Chapter 3

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 17:37:18 UTC

“The scale of the mutual aid groups...during the pandemic was staggering, with thousands...coming together to support each other. What was so remarkable is that much of this did not come out of radical or political communities; they were just people looking to survive by caring for one another.”

Chapter 3

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 17:38:05 UTC

Chapter 3

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 17:38:35 UTC

"Clinicians suggested best practices for safer demonstrations, & a culture of care sprung up...; the distribution of masks & hand sanitizer became standard...Protesters reminded each other that...preventing the spread of COVID-19 were manifestations of...concern for their communities & each other."

Chapter 3

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 17:39:50 UTC

"The phrase “we keep us safe” became both a mantra & a call to action...A study conducted by the National Bureau of Economic Research...indicated that “cities which had protests saw an increase in social distancing behavior for the overall population relative to cities that did not.”"

Chapter 3

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 17:40:50 UTC

"Thousands...rallied against police violence...in...Chicago.“I’ve never seen a more diverse crowd...People were finally starting to get it—what Black queer women & BIPOC folk have been saying for decades...I even ran into people...who rarely went to protests.”" - Asha AE

Chapter 3

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 17:41:16 UTC

"Asha and her friends were there to offer supplies and aid to protesters, many of whom carried signs bearing messages like “Defund the Police” and “Justice for George Floyd.” Asha noted that she was surprised by “the amount of explicitly abolitionist signs there were.”"

Chapter 3

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 17:42:18 UTC

"Asha’s experience of providing care amid rebellion was formative. In the...weeks that followed, she continued to participate...“We don’t just do this to demonstrate what care can look like,...[but] for our people to ensure...wellness despite...the forces stacked against us. Abolition can’t wait.”

Chapter 3

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 17:42:55 UTC

"Opening the school as a healing space...for young people to regroup...during protests was a common practice for CFS, but one Alvarado-Rivera had not anticipated that day. Yet, seeing young people in need,...CFS...made their way to the school to receive young people who might need...assistance."

Chapter 3

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 17:43:40 UTC

"At CFS that day, young people were “bleeding & crying & sobbing,”...who had never been associated with CFS or considered abolitionist politics were voicing their horror that the police could turn on them so brutally, realizing that law enforcement was a threat to their safety."

Chapter 3

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 17:44:26 UTC

"Amid the hectic scene, Alvarado-Rivera was struck by the courage of the young people who had taken the streets & were now caring for one another: “I thought about the civil rights movement, during the Children’s March, when the dogs were being set on people, when hoses were being used.”

Chapter 3

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 17:45:20 UTC

"The pandemic & the 2020 rebellions pushed Alvarado-Rivera & others to consider, “How do we not just survive, but extend love & care & also have joy in that survival?” For Alvarado-Rivera, that care & joy is found in youth organizing."

Chapter 3

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 17:46:09 UTC

“When I would see young people laughing, or going into actions downtown, late at night, & they would...start dancing. Knowing that in those same streets, they were beat up, gassed, with cops flipping them off & talking shit, I would think, ‘Yes, this is our city & you deserve to claim all of it.’"

Chapter 3

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 17:46:52 UTC

"1 popular method of organization that people engaging in mutual aid practiced during the pandemic was the formation of mutual aid “pods.” Pods are a model for community care...developed by disability activist Mia Mingus in which small, autonomous groups of people practice...mutual aid &...support."

Chapter 3

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 17:48:59 UTC

"Mutual aid formations can also create political possibilities beyond...community care. In Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood,...a mutual aid network that sprung up...escalated its activities to include direct action when one...member...reported racist behavior on the part of...building...management."

Chapter 3

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 17:49:35 UTC

"Through building relationships & engaging in political education..., the members of Edgewater Mutual Aid expanded their understanding of what care demanded of them as a group—everything from simple acts of assistance like providing groceries & making medication runs to defensive direct action."

Chapter 3

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 17:53:53 UTC

"This kind of evolution does not occur in all mutual aid projects, but it will become increasingly necessary as environmental catastrophes broaden human suffering & the carceral system, which manages problems through criminalization & the disposal of people, expands its reach."

Chapter 3

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 17:54:17 UTC

"Just as some COVID-era...efforts evolved to include direct action & support..., some efforts...ultimately pivoted into the realm of ongoing community-based mutual aid. In Chicago,...jail support efforts for protesters who had been arrested...led to the creation of Chicago Community Jail Support."

Chapter 3

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 17:55:27 UTC

"...the practice of jail support and mutual aid work directly outside jails long predates CCJS but...“our daily, unrelenting presence is what sets us apart from those traditions.” The group is all-volunteer and community funded, with no plans to join the “nonprofit-industrial complex.”

Chapter 3

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 17:56:10 UTC

"CCJS’s mission is specific & aid-based but exists within the framework of broader abolitionist principles. “We believe no one should be held in a cage,...& we make it our mission to work against the daily, unrelenting harm of incarceration by providing care when & where it is needed most"

Chapter 3

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 17:56:47 UTC

"The resulting moments of care, cooperation, & community defense offered a glimpse of our future in struggle. This system will continue to fail people en masse & continue its attempts to legitimate itself through violence, which will make further uprisings & mass protest inevitable."

Chapter 3

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 17:59:16 UTC

"People...have always mobilized & deployed their creativity to...rescue, deliver medical care, & provide nourishment...during disasters. Yet these histories are often erased in favor of popular...authority-driven & masculinist narratives [that] reinforce...hierarchies that mutual aid undermines."

Chapter 3

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 18:01:05 UTC

"Why aren’t these narratives of spontaneous mutual aid more widely shared...? Perhaps it’s because...our collective capacity for care during...chaos does not reinforce state hierarchy. It does not reinforce...what the government...wanted most out of...9/11: a greater allegiance to US militarism."

Chapter 3

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 18:01:43 UTC

"Care-driven organizing confounds the logics that are deployed to perpetuate wars...All movements that offer aid & comfort to criminalized...people are antiwar movements, because they exist in opposition to the war-making of targeted criminalization, scapegoating, & escalations in militarism."

Chapter 3

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 18:02:27 UTC

"If the death-makers who manufacture our oppression can imagine us remaking the world,...our own visions...can...be realized. The creative power of the oppressed will always exceed...the oppressor because...the oppressed...must exercise creativity to navigate & survive a world...set against them."

Chapter 3

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 18:03:15 UTC

"It is the oppressed who create art & poetry & revolutionary ideas to cultivate hope in bleak places, so...people might galvanize & make change. It is the oppressed who, upon experiencing the defibrillation of disaster, have demonstrated what the bonds of solidarity can accomplish for...good."

Chapter 3

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 18:05:09 UTC

"...transformative change will require global cooperation...& shared demands around collective survival as we respond to...disasters...For this to occur, we...have to break free from the shackles of individualism & commit to...a culture of care...[for] everyone’s well-being..."

Chapter 3

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 18:05:50 UTC

"This is not the outcome the powerful are hoping for. They are relying on our cynicism...& our despair, in addition to their mass apparatus of repression, to prevent us from cultivating a new way of living in relation to each other. To...defeat them, we must cultivate hope, belonging,...& action."

Chapter 3

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 18:06:28 UTC

"A counterculture of care exists in opposition to...the...nature of empire. It requires the undoing of individualism...& harbors the potential for...life-giving frameworks. Care-driven organizing compels us to ask, What would it take to provide for people...& address the root causes of a problem?"

Chapter 3

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 18:07:07 UTC

"How do we care for each other as crises unfold? At what cost are we willing to offer shelter and protection to people who are under attack? These basic questions pose a challenge to the status quo, to the normalization of suffering and mass death, and to capitalism itself."

Chapter 3

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 18:07:49 UTC

"To undermine...the violence of this system, we must free ourselves from...individualism & unite in acts of solidarity & collective care. It is in that spirit, & with that energy, that we...confront the death-making forces that would leverage cynicism & despair to keep us idle as our world burns."

Chapter 4

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 18:08:27 UTC

"Life-giving organizing in this catastrophic era will require us to chart new political & social maps...Our movements are...practicing & shaping new visions of how we might better relate to one another & to the Earth itself...Radical organizers are attempting to create something new."

Chapter 4

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 18:23:54 UTC

"Geography...helps people ask the question, “Why is this place the way it is? Why is it like it is?” & the answer generally has got to be more detailed than “racism” or “colonialism,” although those 2 categories & sets of relationships matter."

- Professor Ruth Wilson Gilmore

Chapter 4

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 18:24:46 UTC

"This call to understand...dynamics that inform our...oppression is...urgent..., because our...goal is not...to label...our oppression, but to...dismantle it...To sabotage a machine, being able to identify the machine is a start, but understanding how the machine functions...could...disable it."

Chapter 4

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 18:25:41 UTC

“What I find...exciting about being a geographer is...how we make the world...The concept of place...has...a dynamic, expansive fullness to it...It occurred to me...25 years ago, to realize that freedom is a place...not...a destination, it’s the place that we make.” - Professor Ruth Wilson Gilmore

Chapter 4

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 18:26:32 UTC

"To think of freedom as a place we create...is instructive. We live on a planet in...climate chaos, where powerful actors...use borders...to maintain...capitalism...To think of...organizing...as...making place helps ground us in...what we are fighting for...transformed lives in transformed places."

Chapter 4

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 18:28:21 UTC

"In working toward liberation, we are making place in opposition to those who would rob us of time, space, togetherness, & possibility itself. What are the ways that people make the places they inhabit, daily, through their participation, cooperation, & interdependence?"

Chapter 4

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 18:28:54 UTC

"What would those dynamics look like if...truly free? How can we manifest those ideas, values, & visions in the spaces we create together? Reading can play an important role...For some activists, a regular practice of reading...in discussion groups...with co-strugglers—helps advance their work."

Chapter 4

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 18:29:27 UTC

"In a prison where official education programs have been gutted, Wilson facilitates group discussions of books like Are Prisons Obsolete? & Captive Genders. Due to people’s varying academic backgrounds, Wilson said he found it “easier to copy out chapters of books & to work through them together.”

Chapter 4

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 18:30:03 UTC

"Wilson also uplifted the importance of zines (self-published print work, usually created for small-scale circulation)...He explained, “Zines were really big for us because it was more intimidating to give someone a book that’s 200-300 pages long...they probably wouldn’t pick it up."

Chapter 4

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 18:31:19 UTC

"But if I gave someone a zine & it was 3 or 4 pages long, they could take a week & read that & we’ll come back & we discuss it...the zines play a major role in the work inside the prison also because even for me to disseminate zines & books, it’s less costly & the administration doesn’t see it.”

Chapter 4

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 18:31:58 UTC

"Wilson also stressed that reading is a subversive act in prison, and passing around large numbers of books might result in the confiscation of those texts, in addition to harassment or punishment of those circulating them. Zines can also be shared in a more clandestine manner."

Chapter 4

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 18:32:40 UTC

“If I went to the yard and tried to give out ten books, I wouldn’t make it. But if I have ten zines there, I can give them out, you see? So part of it also is knowing the inside of here because, remember this much: learned prisoners are an affront to the [prison-industrial complex].”

Chapter 4

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 18:33:12 UTC

"Activists often quietly feel embarrassed about the important books they have not read. We have news for them: most people in movement spaces have not read the books everyone seems to quote. There are many reasons for this. Capitalism robs us of our time, exhausting our bodies & minds."

Chapter 4

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 18:33:50 UTC

"...while pollution, stress, & shifting media patterns shorten our attention spans, & other mediums offer effortless modes of escapism. The gutting of public education was geared toward the prevention of an “educated proletariat”—as a Reagan adviser once put it while denouncing free college..."

Chapter 4

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 18:34:25 UTC

"...and has robbed many young people of the opportunity to explore a great deal of history and literature and to develop a personal practice around that exploration. Consequently, most people do not read as much as they would like to. Of course, reading is not the only way to learn,..."

Chapter 4

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 18:35:05 UTC

"& for some people, it is not the means best suited to them. But capitalism also makes it difficult for people to access information in other ways. How many times have you planned to check out a museum exhibit, a lecture, a podcast, an art installation, or any other opportunity to learn & expand?"

Chapter 4

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 18:35:36 UTC

"...your analysis, & found that you...do not have the time or energy? Some people will call themselves “lazy” for missing such opportunities without recognizing who or what seized the time or energy they might have devoted...We are not simply “missing out” on knowledge; we are being robbed of it."

Chapter 4

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 18:36:57 UTC

"The ruling class is going to great lengths to obstruct the journey of discovering those lessons & tools. As the conservative movement to ban books that discuss anti-Black racism, Indigenous genocide, trans identities, & more builds momentum, organizers must fight the erasure of knowledge..."

Chapter 4

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 18:37:29 UTC

"Histories of the oppressions our communities have faced...have been largely suppressed...Learning & reclaiming those histories & ideas are essential. In addition to reading groups where...books are discussed, zines, podcasts, teach-ins, & webinars can also create opportunities..."

Chapter 4

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 18:38:57 UTC

"For some people, making time to read & learn can be difficult. If you have a habit you are trying to cut down on, like doomscrolling, you might start by intentionally swapping out some scrolling time for an audiobook or an ebook on your phone."

Chapter 4

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 18:39:48 UTC

"If you are unsure where to begin, we recommend you begin with the words or ideas that have already had an impact on you. As an exercise, pick out a quotation that has had a deep impact on your politics. Write it down. Now let’s elaborate upon its context. What injustice was being challenged?"

Chapter 4

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 18:40:25 UTC

"We urge organizers to spend more time...learning, not as an admonition...but to encourage you to claim an inheritance of knowledge your oppressors hope you never discover, embrace, or build from—the stories, wisdom, hope, & imaginings of organizers who came before us."

Chapter 4

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 18:42:55 UTC

"What did the speaker want most immediately? Was the quote part of a statement to the press, a line from a speech or book, or a comment to a friend? Was it in a letter from a jailhouse? Who was president of the United States when these words were spoken? What was the economy like?"

Chapter 4

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 18:44:27 UTC

"Gilmore has drawn the distinction between “recital” & “rehearsal” in political education. Information, Gilmore notes, does not automatically translate into knowledge that makes organizers more effective. “What is it about information that becomes knowledge that becomes useful for shaping action?”

Chapter 4

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 18:45:02 UTC

"Who might have disagreed with this quote at the time it was spoken, both within & outside of...movements? If the quote is from a book, have you read it? If not, is it possible these words are calling you on a journey? One way to enrich our practice of reading is to rehearse, rather than recite."

Chapter 4

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 18:45:35 UTC

"When we pursue information in an extractive manner, diving for facts rather than immersing ourselves in histories and ideas & engaging with them imaginatively, we often miss the larger stories, undercurrents, and motivations...that the powerful have worked hard to erase."

Chapter 4

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 18:46:56 UTC

"We need to practice...outreach...in digital spaces & in physical spaces...we need to be literal about meeting people where they are at. Think...of the places people congregate in person & remotely where conversation is possible, from restaurants to schools, parks, porches, places of worship,..."

Chapter 4

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 18:47:29 UTC

"We...advise you to think critically about what services & platforms...could be taken away, & what you would do...Many...movements happen in public online, but...would still exist if every activist’s social media account were purged tomorrow. What tools would we have amassed to meet that moment?"

Chapter 4

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 18:47:59 UTC

"The teen’s death was the last straw for Quezada & her friends, who were tired of tangling with bureaucracy. They ordered a life ring online & installed it on the pier themselves. As expected, the park district removed the unauthorized rescue device—& local media captured the removal on film."

Chapter 4

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 18:48:33 UTC

"Public pressure grew, & finally the city yielded, installing its own life ring on the pier. Quezada & other local activists also worked to help pass legislation that made the change a matter of law. Quezada stresses that it was the power of direct action that made these victories possible."

Chapter 4

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 18:49:07 UTC

“The fact of the matter is, we had worked for 3 years while people...died preventable deaths due to...hazards in public parks & nothing was...done,”...people in power had the solutions & the funding..., but they also had what Quezada describes as “a competing need to be the authority.”

Chapter 4

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 18:49:50 UTC

"2 people...have been rescued using the life rings...Those lives were saved by a community’s willingness to commit defiant acts of care...direct action & mutual aid...Systems of power can obscure our ability to act on our environment...& make changes that can have transformative impacts."

Chapter 5

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 18:50:21 UTC

"None of us is exempt from the creep of cynicism in our movements...But it must be actively fought...Kelly did not initially believe that the Reparations NOW campaign could be won...Even a hopeful person who believes in people power can mentally foreclose certain possibilities."

Chapter 5

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 21:36:42 UTC

"...friendship, solidarity, & comradery overwhelmed doubt, & Kelly enthusiastically joined the effort...even though she did not initially believe that victory was possible. Kelly’s cynicism.. made her doubt that the city would ever mention police torture in the Chicago public school curriculum..."

Chapter 5

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 21:37:16 UTC

"...her faith in her friend & co-strugglers...was stronger than...doubt. She...believed in the mass movement against police violence, which would take up the call for reparations locally, & in rallying & marching with those people, Kelly came to believe that victory was...within reach."

Chapter 5

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 21:39:28 UTC

"Cynicism is a dominant force in today’s political discourse, with some good reason, & a favorite approach of the world’s political hobbyists...A...political hobbyist debating the latest headline protest is “no closer to engaging in politics than watching SportsCenter is to playing football.”

Chapter 5

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 21:39:52 UTC

"When we believe in each other, we are more likely to take risks & to invest ourselves in possibility...Relationship building can change our sense of what’s possible. As you...strategize, it’s important to be aware of the pervasiveness of cynicism among many of those you may be trying to reach."

Chapter 5

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 21:43:02 UTC

"...political hobbyists...often have very strict political standards around respectability or radicalism, to which few activists ever seem to rise. If you organize anything political, you are likely to attract the criticism of hobbyists, since for some people, critique is a pastime."

Chapter 5

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 21:43:29 UTC

"...organizers make genuine mistakes that political hobbyists may react to, but...making mistakes is a consequence of trying. The more you take action, the more errors & missteps you...make along the way. A person who has attempted nothing can...have never failed, but what have they built?"

Chapter 5

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 21:44:01 UTC

"Political hobbyists have the luxury of pontificating about what organizers should do without...knowledge of...what actually moves people...In...crisis..., hobbyists will...insist that “something” be done but...aren’t terribly particular about what “something” consists of—or whom it might...harm..."

Chapter 5

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 21:44:45 UTC

"Getting into heated debates with people who do not understand the work...or the context...or who do not share your values, is wasted energy & can create distractions that take you off message & disrupt your efforts. Remember whose opinions matter most & direct your energies accordingly."

Chapter 5

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 21:45:26 UTC

"One persistent form of cynicism on the “left” comes in the form of the dismissal, “This is nothing new.” To explain that something is not new & to share important histories are good things, but such interventions should be the beginning, not the end, of a conversation."

Chapter 5

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 21:46:02 UTC

"When...reacting to...injustice, our role as organizers is not to dismiss...During the Trump administration, when the...child-separation policy was revealed,...outrage provoked...proclamations...[of] “nothing new" [as]...Black & Native children have been...parted from...parents since...colonialism."

Chapter 5

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 21:46:34 UTC

"It’s easy to dismiss any given injustice as “nothing new,” because there is always a parallel to highlight in this country’s bloody history. & since the education system imparts US history so poorly by design, it’s easy to bombard people with facts that make a mockery of their shock & outrage..."

Chapter 5

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 21:47:07 UTC

"From slavery to residential schools to the...immigration system & the prison-industrial complex, child separation is...on-brand...Some...treated Trump’s violence...as...novel, as though Trumpian policies interrupted the...noble history of a country that welcomed all—which is nonsense."

Chapter 5

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 21:47:47 UTC

"Rather than simply dismissing or admonishing people whose analysis was lacking, some activists took action to highlight the history & continuous nature of child separation in the US...Those activists understood that “this is nothing new” should not be a dismissal but a call to understand & to act."

Chapter 5

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 21:48:52 UTC

"But is making people feel foolish for being shocked...our goal as organizers?...When we find ourselves correcting people’s ignorance, we should ask ourselves what we are inviting those people to do. What are we directing them toward? What do we ultimately want from them? And are our words in line?"

Chapter 5

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 21:49:52 UTC

"It is true that the ruling class has never stopped finding ways to exploit, brutalize, and annihilate human beings. But it is also true that people have always defended their communities and one another against these tactics, at times upending death-making structures entirely."

Chapter 5

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 21:50:33 UTC

"Making people aware that an atrocity is in keeping with the character of their country...can lead to...resignation: the sense that we are experiencing an...inalterable cycle, so there’s no point in getting riled up...For this reason,...organizers...must leverage history lessons as calls to action."

Chapter 5

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 21:51:20 UTC

"Rather than shaming people for their lack of historical understanding, organizers should distribute the stories and histories we have amassed like shared weapons. Helping people understand the connections between historical events can spur new strategic action, alliances, and growth."

Chapter 5

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 21:52:02 UTC

"We do not suffer oppressions identical to...our ancestors, but the struggle...has never ceased. Our struggles have shifted in shape, form, & context because our ancestors resisted. The histories of those struggles & the specifics of what people endured are intentionally buried in US culture..."

Chapter 5

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 21:52:55 UTC

"It’s also important to remember that we are all ignorant of many aspects of this system’s history & violence, because the violence of imperialism is so vast that coming to thoroughly understand any one aspect of it can be a lifelong endeavor."

Chapter 5

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 21:53:22 UTC

"Instead of responding with cynicism to...shock..., we should seize...outrage...to draw people into our movements. An organizer should...urg[e] them to consider the broader context...The stories...we carry position us to warn people that they cannot fight...without understanding...the past..."

Chapter 5

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 21:54:01 UTC

"Part of what’s exciting about organizing is making something new amid a world replete with heartbreakingly repetitive cycles of violence. It’s important to communicate this potential—and this excitement—to your audiences."

Chapter 5

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 21:54:37 UTC

"Finally, we must consider the fact that even if some of the oppressive violence that surfaces on a daily basis seems like “nothing new,” we can develop creative new organizing strategies to respond to that violence—& build the transformed world we want to live in."

Chapter 5

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 21:55:16 UTC

"We ask...questions not to prescribe answers but...provoke them. Our aim is to...invite people into a...change. Many...people will decline the invitation, but...fewer will accept an invitation...never offered. If...committed to improving..., some...will accept the invitation, &...build"

Chapter 5

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 21:55:51 UTC

•What is the outcome you want?

•Do your words & actions lend themselves to...that...?

•If not, how can you change?

•What is the impact you would like...?

•Do you believe you are capable of...that...?

•If so, how will you go about...it?

•What power do you possess, & how are you leveraging that?

Chapter 5

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 21:56:28 UTC

"Survival strategies take hold, even as we enter...new environments where the...threats may not exist. We have all seen...this...: someone is responding to a...harm..., which may be real, but the reaction...is...connected to another...more serious...event...where...stakes may...be...higher."

Chapter 5

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 21:57:09 UTC

"Sometimes cynicism can be rooted in...our...trauma. As we build together,...organizers...confront painful issues that many people avoid so as not to experience the ache of awareness. At a visceral level, humans have fundamental responses to threats: fight, flight, freeze, appease, or dissociate."

Chapter 5

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 21:57:46 UTC

"For the person reacting, however, the stakes in the present...may feel...the same, because when their safety...feels threatened in some way, their reaction is a reflexive one. The survival strategies summoned by this internal alert may have little connection to the situation at hand."

Chapter 5

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 21:59:14 UTC

"Traumas abound in our society, & the many disasters ahead are sure to leave an ever greater number of people feeling traumatized. Navigating a crisis—or even a misstep by an organizer or activist—is much more difficult with unchecked trauma responses ricocheting around a room."

Chapter 5

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 22:00:01 UTC

"Grief work, healing work, & conflict resolution have always been important to our movements, but in this age of catastrophe they are more crucial than ever. A strong organizing community is more than a labor force for social justice. It is an ecosystem of care,...relationship building, & action."

Chapter 5

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 22:00:31 UTC

"Many of the social patterns and behaviors that lead us to reject one another and revert to individualism are the products of trauma, so to do the work of being human together, we must make space to address these emotional and physiological realities."

Chapter 5

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 22:01:09 UTC

"The stakes in our larger struggle against this death-making system...can be less visible to us because systemic violence is more widely distributed and largely normalized. Effective organizers emphasize the connections between struggles, instead of making totalizing comparisons."

Chapter 5

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 22:01:40 UTC

"With regard to chattel slavery & Native genocide, in both cases we are talking about...horrors...on unthinkable scales, at the hands of the same system. The character of & connections between these atrocities frame every horror that the US has perpetrated since, including...border imperialism."

Chapter 5

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 22:02:14 UTC

"The goal is to pull people into...formation & build something...We have to draw people into conversations about the harms..., how we can help 1 another, & how we can thwart the forces that are harming us. Through that work, the generation of new visions born in collectivity becomes possible."

Chapter 5

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 22:02:49 UTC

"During...presentations, members...draw connections between the contamination of...water on reservations &...contamination caused by lead pipes, which affects...water in Chicago. Black & Native communities...bear the brunt of environmental racism, & by drawing connections we can...build solidarity."

Chapter 5

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 22:03:24 UTC

"When we organize people, we are inviting them to relate...We are...reminding them, or...telling them for the 1st time, that...their liberation, & their particular social concerns do not exist in any kind of singularity. Individualism has programmed people to view our fates & histories as divided."

Chapter 5

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 22:03:57 UTC

"Drawing connections...,rather than...comparisons...lends itself to empathy, which is essential...Organizers help people understand their...social & historical position in relation to other people, which means reframing their own history & the histories they know in relation to other...experiences."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 22:04:25 UTC

"The words “Black Lives Matter” began to appear in large block letters on roadways in major cities...As philosophy professor Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò has pointed out, the mayor of Washington, DC, had a BLM mural painted on streets near the White House “atop which protestors continued to be brutalized.”

Chapter 5

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 22:05:01 UTC

"Movement education is, in part, a deprogramming process. It is a path toward unlearning mythologies and liberating ourselves from the isolation of individualism and enclosed narratives."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-06 22:14:21 UTC

"By mimicking protest art, officials sought to refashion BLM into a mainstream phenomenon...that belonged to everyday people & politicians alike...How could...officials be...the problem if...making the philosophical concession that Black lives mattered but also offering a...visual to affirm it?"

Chapter 4

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 01:00:19 UTC

"To succeed in our movements, we must resist this theft & reclaim what has been stolen from us. Many of the histories that delivered us to this movement, the science & data of our struggles, the poetry & stories that have propelled struggle, are...in books, in documents, in films, in recordings."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 13:34:52 UTC

"When such efforts are successful,...what was once an intervention becomes political wallpaper. Radicalism that is not successfully co-opted or defanged, that continues to linger within the mainstream, will be met with increasing hostility &, ultimately, condemned as associated with violence."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 13:35:38 UTC

"These efforts were targeted fiercely...The idea of defunding the police was too radical, they insisted. Some suggested a return to the tired & failed rhetoric of “reform,” arguing that...would be better accepted...Joe Biden, actually insisted that to fund the police was critical to reform."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 13:35:53 UTC

"The language of reform is more easily accepted by the public, because language that lacks substance is generally inoffensive. Yet “reform” poses no threat to the order of things &...often leads to policies that further entrench that order. “Reform” is not a battle cry. It is a political pacifier."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 13:36:27 UTC

"The Defund the Police movement was challenging the order of things & would ultimately be blamed for the electoral losses of politicians who never embraced it,...[&] for supposedly rising crime rates. To understand why, we have to understand how violence is framed in relation to social movements."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 13:37:05 UTC

"The terms “violence” & “nonviolence” don’t have static & indisputable definitions...People deploy these terms...to serve their...political purposes. To some..., nonviolence is a strategy..., & to others, it is a moral ethos. Popular definitions of violence tend to include property destruction."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 13:37:41 UTC

"Destruction of property is...viewed as violent only if it disrupts profit...If food is destroyed because it cannot be sold while people go hungry, that is not considered violent...If a person’s belongings are tossed...during an eviction...those destructive acts are part of the “order of things.”"

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 13:38:29 UTC

"As organizers, we are practitioners of nonviolence, but we also recognize that fetishizing distinctions between violence & nonviolence can lead to the indulgence of rhetoric about “good” & “bad” protesters, where “peaceful” protesters are celebrated & “violent” protesters...viewed as disposable."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 13:39:15 UTC

"This licenses people to care about the cause...without caring about what happens to...“bad” protesters...Even as...people supported the uprisings following the...murder of George Floyd,...fewer...defended the...protesters...arrested for...property destruction & funneled into the...carceral system."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 13:39:43 UTC

"In moments of unrest,...Martin Luther King Jr. stated, there is no greater purveyor of violence...than the US government. From war to policing to incarceration to border violence..., the US government kills untold millions. The violence of rebellion is infinitesimal by comparison."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 13:40:46 UTC

"Gender-based violence is pervasive..., & police officers...are 15 times more likely to commit acts of domestic violence...While...unusual for police officers to be arrested for acts of DV, one study found that, of officers...charged & convicted of DV, more than half keep their jobs."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 13:41:03 UTC

"Researchers...also found that people who perpetrate incidents...such as mass shootings, often have a history of domestic violence. 1 study argued that “prioritization of measures to decrease access to firearms to perpetrators of domestic violence may also reduce the incidence of mass shooting.”

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 13:44:59 UTC

"The frequency with which police kill people...while on the job & in their...homes...illustrates this connection between DV & more widespread violence...under conditions that gov't authorities would characterize as “peaceful,” because violence has always been embedded in...this system."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 13:45:36 UTC

"Some people blame the uprisings of the late 1960s and early 1970s for the derailment of the civil rights movement, and we saw a resurgence of those arguments in 2020, from people who condemned some forms of protest and discouraged certain illegal acts."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 13:46:12 UTC

"It...erases the...US government, which ramped up imprisonment, brutality, & assassinations & launched...infiltration & disruption,...to destroy Black-led movements. Racist white people have always lashed out..., & white liberal support for Black-led movements is historically fickle & unreliable."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 13:47:07 UTC

"As...rebellion subside[s],...people who support the cause tend to have short attention spans, & criminalized people—often, those...accused of “violence”—are...left behind. Prison & court support work is usually maintained by small, committed groups of people who are overworked & under-resourced."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 13:47:48 UTC

"If...supporting people who rebel, we must understand that support as a long-term project. We must never abandon our co-strugglers who’ve been cast as “violent”...Defending people who’ve been incarcerated for acts the state deems violent is...antiviolence—challenging...harm...by the state itself."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 13:48:27 UTC

"If your tactics disrupt the order of things under capitalism, you may well be accused of violence, because “violence” is an elastic term often deployed to vilify people who threaten the status quo. Conditions that the state characterizes as “peaceful” are, in reality, quite violent."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 13:49:04 UTC

"Even as people experience the violence of poverty, the torture of imprisonment, the brutality of policing, the denial of health care, &...other violent functions of this system, we are told we are experiencing peace...When state actors refer to “peace,” they are really talking about order."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 13:50:28 UTC

"When they refer to “peaceful protest,” they are talking about cooperative protest that obediently stays within the lines drawn by the state. The more uncooperative you are, the more you will be accused of...violence. It is...imperative that the state not be the arbiter of what violence means..."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 13:50:59 UTC

"In the past, activists frequently leveraged the violence of police, taking actions they believed police would likely respond to with violence, in order to expose the brutality of policing & force the public to...confront it...a context...very different from today’s world of pervasive mass media."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 13:51:34 UTC

"The violence of the state in response to protest is rarely scrutinized...[like] protesters are scrutinized...If you are defiant in the face of authority, you should expect...its wrath...When people who defy police are abused,...people ask, “What did they think was going to happen?”"

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 13:52:48 UTC

"The ubiquity of the abuse puts the onus on the abused to avoid it because they...“should have known better.” Protesters are expected to remain “nonviolent”...regardless of the circumstances, while the state is assumed to be justified, at least sometimes, in inflicting violence to quell “unrest.”"

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 13:53:23 UTC

"Protesters are expected to absorb violence but never inflict it—to function as shock absorbers to be acted upon, whose sympathetic value is nullified by any deviation from that standard. This expectation briefly wavered during the...George Floyd protests,...but largely restabilized over time."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 13:53:53 UTC

"Even...Republican officials...denounce[d] the...attack [by]...white nationalists...(with the...exception of...Trump, who maintained...there were “very fine people on both sides”)...Between May/27/2020 & Sept/5/2020, there were...104 incidents of people striking protesters with cars..."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 13:54:29 UTC

"Leftist organizers are currently confronting a surge of white supremacist violence, reaching levels...not experienced in decades. When...Heather Heyer was...killed by a man who plowed his car into protesters during the 2017...rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, public outrage was tremendous..."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 13:55:59 UTC

"In...2021, Deona Knajdek was...killed by a car that drove into...protesters in...Minneapolis. While the attack did garner media coverage, Knajdek’s name did not...spark calls for politicians to denounce the attack...Deona Knajdek had 2 daughters & was just shy of her 32nd birthday when...killed."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 13:56:37 UTC

"Like Heather Heyer, Knajdek was an antiracist white woman killed by a white man who intentionally rammed his car into a protest, but Knajdek’s death did not galvanize or polarize the country, because the violence she experienced had already become a standard feature of an ongoing (culture) war."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 13:57:09 UTC

"A # of factors...propelled this uptick in...violence, including...that hitting protesters with cars became a right-wing meme...Racist white people on social media...have...shared images of protesters being struck..., encouraging further violence. The Trump administration...stoked racial hatred."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 13:57:43 UTC

"We are witnessing a rise in right-wing nationalism...across the country that has led to increased violence against marginalized people & activists demonstrating solidarity with marginalized groups. Republicans in...34 states introduced 81 antiprotest bills in the 2021 legislative session."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 13:58:18 UTC

"This legislation seeks to conflate all unpermitted protest with riotous acts of rebellion. Many...bills...would legalize hitting protesters with cars if protesters are...obstructing roadways, even though obstructing streets is a common protest tactic...generally considered nonviolent."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 13:58:47 UTC

"By...these bills, Republicans...tell...white people...angry at Black protesters that even if it isn’t legal to hit them..., it should be, & that people who commit these acts have the backing of...officials. There has always been a...relationship between racist...officials & white...violence."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 13:59:19 UTC

"Other bills would increase penalties for tearing down monuments, blocking sidewalks, &...drawing on someone else’s property. Many of those bills did not pass, but even in states where such bills do not become law, their proposal sends a message of validation to would-be white vigilantes."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 13:59:59 UTC

"This kind of order-making, through the state sanctioning of outright racist violence, is deeply embedded in the US as a political project...As organizers, we must understand...these latest antiprotest laws are part of a long...tradition that becomes...more recognizable in the face of resistance."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 14:04:49 UTC

"Some activists are now taking precautions usually reserved for protests—such as writing their lawyers’ phone numbers on their bodies & wearing glasses instead of contacts, in case of pepper spray—“when we go to poll monitor or even to vote,” due to...police harassment & right-wing interference."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 14:05:07 UTC

"An example of the current onslaught is the antiprotest law HB 1 in Florida, which Republicans promoted as an “antiriot” bill. One federal judge has stated that the law “arguably criminalizes mere presence at a protest where violence occurs—even if that violence is caused by counter protesters.”"

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 14:05:36 UTC

"As Ransby has written, the antibail provision of the law “is reminiscent of the detention without charge policies that characterize dictatorships...& regimes like the former apartheid system in South Africa.” The law...provides an affirmative defense for motorists who strike protesters with cars."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 14:06:10 UTC

"The elasticity of violence...allows vigilante violence to be legitimized by the state...even attributed to its victims, if...protesting the white supremacist order...[It]...allows police to...kill 3 people per day in the US, while robbing countless others...without being viewed as...violent."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 14:07:08 UTC

"The everyday violence of policing is protested by a...few, while the broader public views the need for intervention narrowly, only supporting protests in cases where police violence is popularly deemed extraordinary, &...only if the victim is viewed as helpless & relatively innocent."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 14:07:50 UTC

"The public may join calls for the offending police officer to be indicted..., [which] are rarely granted, & most do not lead to convictions. Occasionally a conviction or a hollow reform is offered up...Many perceive the system to be redeemed—an officer has been convicted, so it must be working!"

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 14:08:29 UTC

"This...erases the pervasive violence of the system...until the next time. Meanwhile, organizers campaigning to defund the police & redirect funds toward life-giving services are blamed for alleged spikes in violent crime, even though no correlation exists between defund efforts & crime rates."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 14:09:09 UTC

"Elites have merely conjured an association between violence & efforts to disrupt the status quo, & that narrative...gain[ed] traction...It is an...association, propagated through rhetoric, in the hopes that fearful people will reject Defund the Police & eject its radical ideas from the mainstream."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 14:09:42 UTC

"Under capitalism, “peace” is the maintenance of violence on the state’s terms...Efforts to disrupt...harms will...be characterized...as violent...The challenge to social movements...is to be...courageous...in speaking truth to power, no matter what censoring measures those in power...impose."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 14:10:10 UTC

"Amid...Indigenous-led efforts to defend land..., we’ve witnessed a push to designate...protest as “violence” & to...permit brutally violent state-sanctioned tactics...Indigenous land defenders...have been targeted with dystopian...penalties for those who hinder...projects, like pipelines."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 14:10:39 UTC

"Since 2016, 13 states have...enacted laws that increase...penalties for trespassing...& interference with...oil refineries & pipelines...5 more states have already introduced...laws [that] draw from national security legislation enacted after 9/11 to protect...infrastructure considered...“vital.”"

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 14:11:08 UTC

"The fact that these laws draw on national security legislation...in the wake of 9/11 is illustrative of 2...facts: laws that...target “terrorists” will...be used to target activists, & those who would interrupt systemic violence will...be associated with violence by those who maintain the system."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 14:11:46 UTC

"While Indigenous land & water defenders face surging rates of targeted violence around the world, it is the potential disruption of “critical infrastructure” projects that is associated with the catastrophe of 9/11, & it is environment activists who are depicted as terrorists."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 14:12:19 UTC

"[After] the George Floyd protests, these “critical infrastructure” laws invoke vague terminology that conflates passive...resistance with...destructive acts & ramps up...penalties...Language like ‘damage’...& ‘impede’...makes it unclear if...knocking down...cones & starting a fire...are the same.."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 14:12:51 UTC

"In...2021, antipipeline activist Jessica Reznicek was sentenced to 8 years in prison & ordered to pay nearly $3.2M...This hefty penalty was due to a terrorism sentencing enhancement enabled by the Patriot Act [even though] no one was harmed by Reznicek’s acts of property destruction."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 14:13:25 UTC

"Regardless of whether one agrees with the validity of property destruction as a political intervention, it is important that we consider the imbalance of power when it comes to the state’s targeting of pipeline protesters & how the label of “violent” is assigned."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 14:14:17 UTC

"Oil executives have...contributed to catastrophic climate change while suppressing knowledge..., endangering all of humanity...These...actions have...contributed to the death...of millions...meanwhile, activists who challenge those...acts are...“violent” terrorists deserving of..prison sentences.""

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 14:14:46 UTC

"Contributing to mass death while destroying the Earth...are not considered violent..., while damaging equipment...to interrupt...harms is considered terrorism...We must...consider...[how] the fossil fuel industry has...merged its extractive power with that of the carceral state."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 14:15:39 UTC

"The Standing Rock movement’s efforts to stop construction of the...pipeline...cost...$40M. Rather than serving as a deterrent..., these...costs led the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission to create a mechanism by which oil companies...could fund policing to protect pipeline construction."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 14:16:07 UTC

"Police arrested 1000+ people...to stop Line 3, &...water protectors still...[face] bogus felony charges. Thanks to the escrow fund Enbridge established, police agencies received $2.9M for...militarized “field force” trainings &...drone excursions,..the...fund...[was] a piggybank for policing."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 14:16:52 UTC

"Water protectors...have been subjected to carceral violence. They have been jailed, &...threatened with years of incarceration. In retaliation for their protests against profit-driven resource extraction, they are being threatened with what Ruth Wilson Gilmore...[calls] “the extraction of time.”"

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 14:17:22 UTC

"Today’s prisons are extractive. What does that mean?...Prisons enable money to move because of the enforced inactivity of people locked in them...extracted from communities, &...returned...but not entitled to be of...[communities], enable the circulation of money on rapid cycles."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 14:18:01 UTC

"What’s extracted...is the resource of life-time. If we think about this dynamic through the politics of scale, understanding bodies as places, then criminalization transforms...[them] into...territories primed for the extractive activity to unfold-extracting...time from the territories of selves."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 14:18:26 UTC

"A Giniw Collective member,...Siihasin...tied the struggle against pipelines (resource extraction) to the struggle against prisons (time & life extraction)...Siihasin...said...people could act in solidarity by “showing support for...the abolition of prisons &...ending of incarceration”"

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 14:19:05 UTC

"Siihasin emphasized that “[these] systems & structures of violence” are “all 1 & the same.” Siihasin was providing a corrective, emphasizing that the main perpetrators of violence are these extractive systems, which—in varied but connected ways—extract the resources that sustain life."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 14:19:50 UTC

"Stop Cop City...illustrates the connection between environmental destruction & the extractive violence of policing & prisons...[It] is an organized effort to prevent the destruction of 381 acres of Weelaunee Forest for the construction of “a police military facility funded by corporations.”"

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 14:20:24 UTC

"Waging struggle at an intersection of state violence & environmental destruction, Stop Cop City protesters have been the targets of extreme charges & extraordinary violence—including the 1st known killing of a forest defender at a protest site by law enforcement in the US."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 14:20:58 UTC

"These charges are not about individual protesters’ conduct—they’re about using the state violence of cuffs & cages to undermine a movement that threatens Atlanta’s ruling class. As climate change intensifies, legal efforts to suppress environmental activism are not limited to the US."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 14:21:45 UTC

"As climate change intensifies, legal efforts to suppress environmental activism are not limited to the US...The law gives police the authority to choose start & stop times...&...impose noise limits on protests when their sounds...have a “relevant impact on persons in the vicinity.”"

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 14:22:25 UTC

"The bill also gives...police further license to restrict the actions of protesters. These rules apply to all protests, even those that involve just 1 person, & any refusal to comply with police directives or directions police claim protesters “ought” to have known about, can result in heavy fines."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 14:23:12 UTC

"The provisions are largely a response to the massive Extinction Rebellion protests of 2019, in which activists shut down roads..., occupied public spaces, & intentionally incurred arrests...to draw attention to the climate emergency...The...law’s provisions violate international human rights laws."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 14:23:35 UTC

"From the US to the UK..., the suppression of dissent is...ramped up, not to “keep the peace” but to preserve a status quo so violent that it is incompatible with most life on Earth...Laws are being passed to ensure our continued cooperation with the system responsible for...[climate catastrophe]"

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 14:25:02 UTC

"With millions...displaced by climate disasters, rescuers who...retrieved drowning migrants from the Mediterranean Sea are...charged under laws that...target “human smuggling”...Scott Warren, an activist with...No More Deaths, was charged with a felony...after giving food & water...to migrants."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 14:25:48 UTC

"To...discourage migration, governments narrow...routes to scenarios that will...result in mass death. 7000+ migrants...have died along the US–Mexico border...More than 33,000 migrants died at sea trying to enter Europe...People who disrupt...violence are accused of human trafficking & smuggling."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 14:26:39 UTC

"When laws encode violence...those who attempt to prevent this...are...breaking the law...Such is the perversion of “violence” under imperial & colonial rule: the maintenance of state-sanctioned violence is...peaceful, while...disruption of...death-making processes is deemed violent."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 14:27:22 UTC

"In March 2021, Italian prosecutors charged more 20+ rescuers from NGOs...with crimes carrying sentences up to 20 years. The charges...include collaborating with smugglers, & have been vehemently denied by rescuers & contradicted by a forensic study by academics at Goldsmiths, University of London."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 14:29:18 UTC

"Italian officials have complained that...rescues hamper their investigations...that often amount to questioning migrants about who steered a rubber boat, held a compass, or even bailed out water..., so that migrants themselves, who have been thrust into survival roles, can be charged as smugglers."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 14:29:49 UTC

"Pia Klemp, a German biologist who commanded 2 rescue ships...[&] rescued...14,000 migrants...In 2019,...[amid] criminal charges,...[they] announced that Klemp...would receive...the top award of the city of Paris for rescuing migrants at sea. Klemp’s rejection of the award...went viral."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 14:30:22 UTC

"Madame Hidalgo, you want to award me a medal for my solidarian action in the Mediterranean Sea...Our crews “work to rescue migrants...”...Your police are stealing blankets from people...force[d] to live on the streets, while you...criminalize people...standing up for rights of...asylum seekers."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 14:30:49 UTC

"Paris, I’m not a humanitarian...We do not need authorities deciding...who is a “hero” & who is “illegal.”...What we need are freedom & rights. It is time we call out hypocrite honorings & fill the void with social justice. It is time we cast...medals into...revolution! Documents & housing for all!"

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 14:31:19 UTC

"Klemp’s statement calls out the hypocrisy of governments that...obscure their...violence with symbolic gestures. From...murals to...awards that exceptionalize...“heroes” while death-making policies remain unchanged, we must reject...PR maneuvers...[that] sustain the oppressions we struggle against"

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 14:31:48 UTC

"On July 31, 2018, Palestinian poet,...Dareen Tatour was convicted...of “inciting violence” & “supporting a terrorist organization.” Tatour’s crime...took the form of a poem..., titled “Resist, My People, Resist Them,” was written in response to the extrajudicial execution[s] of Palestinian[s]."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 14:32:17 UTC

"She had already been under house arrest for...3 years at...conviction. She would...serve 2 months in prison before being released in September 2018. In 2019, Tatour’s conviction for inciting terrorism via poetry was overturned, while...convictions regarding..social media posts remained intact."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 14:32:50 UTC

"While the idea of a poem being criminalized may sound unthinkable..., Israel...argued, “The...circumstances of its publication created a...possibility that acts of violence...will be committed.” Arguing that her work had been mischaracterized, Tatour received support...from around the world."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 14:33:22 UTC

"Israel’s belated acknowledgment that Tatour’s poem was not a crime does nothing to address the violence the state of Israel inflicted on Tatour. Her arrest, house arrest, & imprisonment were not undone by the court’s...acknowledgment that Tatour had a right to artistic expression."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 14:33:51 UTC

"State violence...is routinely dealt out in such a manner: the state reserves the right to overstep its own laws, & even when it...acknowledges its mistakes, it has already subjected people...to...violence. Such abuse is...crafted to discourage others from expressing themselves or taking action."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 14:34:21 UTC

"In her poem, Tatour wrote,

Resist, my people, resist them.

In Jerusalem, I dressed my wounds and breathed my sorrows

And carried the soul in my palm For an Arab Palestine.

I will not succumb to the “peaceful solution,”

Never lower my flags

Until I evict them from my land."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 14:34:53 UTC

"There is a long history of...Israel...seeking to suppress Palestinian...cultural expression...The US passed similar laws...to stamp out Native cultures...In Israel, Palestinian activist Lea Kayali told us...it was illegal...to use the colors of the Palestinian flag...in any single piece of art."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 14:35:43 UTC

"In 1981, Israel Shahak wrote about art being confiscated from Palestinian shops...It was illegal to use...white, black, green, & red...in...public...work...As Shahak wrote, “A horse wildly rearing on his hind legs was confiscated because...‘The Horse Refuses,’ is...a ‘nationalistic incitement.’”

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 14:36:21 UTC

"The Israeli government’s definition of violence “contorts itself to repress...resistance.” Kayali explained that even...when it was not...illegal to raise the Palestinian flag, nonstate actors enforce its prohibition by...destroying flags...displayed in public & targeting those who carry them."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 14:40:18 UTC

"[Kayali]...noted that...delegated violence...is...occurring in the US, where nonstate actors...enact violence against...communities targeted by state violence. "In Israel, nonstate actors participate in...ethnic cleansing...Israelis invade..the homes of Palestinian residents, forcing them...[out]."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 14:40:36 UTC

"Given the...demolition of Palestinian housing,...& the overall violence of Israeli apartheid, one can easily understand why Tatour would write, Resist, my people, resist them...Kayali points out that...Palestinians have the right to...resist Israel’s unlawful occupation of Gaza"

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 14:41:15 UTC

"Kayali says this shift ushered in...discourse about a “2-state solution” & protecting the “human rights” of Palestinian people...“I want my existence & liberation...valid, whether...the UN agrees with me,...so...this framing can deprive us of...an understanding of collectivism &...liberation.”

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 14:41:45 UTC

"Even though Israel...violates international law, the US...defend Israel..., insisting “Israel has the right to exist.” This language...confers upon a state a fundamental right that Israel does not extend to Palestinians, who are not treated as though they have an inherent right to exist."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 14:42:25 UTC

"In the US, Israel’s many crimes are...defended by those who insist the situation is “complicated."...The word “violence” is seldom invoked by US officials to describe the executions...Palestinians experience at the hands of...Israel...or the apartheid conditions in which Palestinians...live."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 14:43:02 UTC

"When people...rally against Israel..., it is...in response to an active bombing campaign being perpetrated...against Gaza. During such times, marches...may take place..., but once the bombs temporarily stop falling—when supposed “peace” is “achieved”—most...turn their attention elsewhere."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 14:43:49 UTC

"Yet, even within the US itself, state violence against Palestinians continues. The BDS movement, which “works to end international support for Israel’s oppression of Palestinians & pressure Israel to comply with international law” has been criminalized in multiple countries."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 14:44:26 UTC

"In June 2022, the US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit upheld an Arkansas law forbidding public contractors from participating in the BDS movement, arguing that boycotts are not a protected form of speech. Arkansas is just 1 of 30+ states that have passed anti-BDS laws."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 14:44:59 UTC

"Palestinian activists—as well as Jewish activists working in solidarity with them—have been...accused of antisemitism for condemning Israeli apartheid...Palestinians’ armed struggle & nonviolent struggle are both treated as “terrorism,” or as an attack on Israel, or even all Jewish people."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 14:45:51 UTC

"“Student activism is criminalized, nonviolent struggle in the diaspora is criminalized, international mutual aid..., is illegal. Nonengagement through boycotts & diaspora is criminalized.” The repression of Palestinian resistance offers a profound example of the elasticity of violence."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 14:46:24 UTC

"While the powerful can wage war...with impunity & claim innocence, the oppressed can be deemed a...threat...for attempting to...defend their humanity. As Tatour wrote, They burned blameless children;...

Resist, my people, resist them.

Resist the colonialist’s onslaught."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 14:47:04 UTC

"The maintenance of global capitalism necessitates mass death, just as the maintenance of capitalism...requires the...carceral system. If these systems function..., you will be told you are experiencing “peace.”...Police are often cast as “peace officers,” & soldiers are called “peacekeepers.”"

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 14:47:37 UTC

"If you choose to disrupt these systems, passively...or by...extending mutual aid, the concept of violence may be stretched & manipulated by the powerful to encompass your work...We must not allow the frameworks of the powerful to define the bounds of morality in our politics & our action."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 14:48:10 UTC

"The elastic concepts of criminality..., as controlled by the powerful, will always be bent against us...We must...dismantle the...moral frameworks of the death-makers. We must...uplift our own frameworks, which implicate the system...We must, as Tatour says, “resist the colonialist’s onslaught.”

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 14:49:14 UTC

"The powerful encourage us to put individual activists on pedestals. Charismatic leaders...viewed as essential can be co-opted, discredited, or destroyed, thereby harming or...undoing movements. Thus, a movement structure that relies too heavily on hyped-up individuals is...vulnerable."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 20:54:40 UTC

"This is not to say that we should not...learn from...inspiring people. Organizers who do admirable work & say motivating things can move us to...act. They can play a crucial role in our intellectual development. They can even help raise us up as...organizers by nurturing our political growth."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 20:55:05 UTC

"In a culture of individualism & celebrity, admiration can sometimes lead us to overidealization that not only leaves us vulnerable to co-optation & discrediting by the powerful but also can harm the person being pedestaled & the work itself."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 20:55:43 UTC

"When people we’ve pedestaled say things that we find disappointing, our reactions are sometimes outsized because we are experiencing those failings in comparison to an idealization...The snapshots of a person’s life & work that become popularized can become enlarged, eclipsing...their humanity."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 20:56:13 UTC

"And, as with any infatuation, the gaps in what we know are often filled in with fantasies about who we would like such people to be and how we would like to relate to them. This kind of thinking and parasocial attachment makes it easy to completely miss points of disagreement or misalignment."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 20:57:13 UTC

"It can...create the illusion of someone whose actions...will never let you down when, in reality, no such person exists. If we...view the people we admire as flawed but capable human beings with whom we...sometimes disagree, any disagreements we might have with them would be viewed as...healthy."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 20:57:47 UTC

"In the age of social media, we...take a meme-sized sampling of someone’s humanity & project it...over the whole of their being. It is dehumanizing to pedestal people in this way...It erases the wholeness of their being, papering over the truth of their life & beliefs with fantasy & adulation."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 20:59:09 UTC

"It also sets people up to be dismissed or widely condemned when they are inevitably wrong about something, because those moments will always come, for all of us. No one’s politics are infallible, & we all have terrible days where we say or do the wrong thing, even if we believe the right things."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 20:59:25 UTC

"We...cause...& experience harm, & doing righteous work in 1 arena does not purify our politics in...others. We have all waded through the muck of a racist, homophobic, transphobic, ableist, misogynist, classist, &...harmful society. The normalization of harm...we have experienced is...horrific."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 20:59:57 UTC

"The process of disentangling those oppressive forces from our politics, and undoing that normalization, is a lifelong journey. We sometimes like to imagine that the people we admire have completed that journey, but no one ever really has."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:00:34 UTC

"If you look back at your own political stances over the past 10 years,...you can likely spot numerous instances when your...positions were off base...As organizers, we are always learning, & we don’t know what we don’t know. This never ceases to be true, however... admired someone might become."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:01:02 UTC

"When people spend a lot of time in the public spotlight..., they will eventually be wrong in public. The extent to which they are wrong, & how you will reconcile it, may vary...In matters of strategic disagreement, it may be enough to simply state disagreement or say nothing at all."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:01:39 UTC

"When we feel personally disappointed in—or even betrayed by—figures we do not know, it is important to interrogate our reactions & how we are relating to those people. Feelings of personal “betrayal” can be misplaced, because we sometimes imagine ideological compatibility that does not exist."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:02:07 UTC

"If we looked into someone’s previous work..., we might discover...they have long held some positions that we disagree with...This does not mean that we cannot praise someone’s work without familiarizing ourselves with their entire body of work...We should be specific about what we admire"!

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:02:50 UTC

"The idealization of individual leaders can also encourage us to embrace ideas that are harmful or excuse behavior that should be challenged...An organizer who wants your allegiance rather than your solidarity & co-investment in struggle is not someone whose leadership you should trust."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:03:22 UTC

"Putting organizers on pedestals also creates psychological distance between everyday people & movement work. Exceptionalizing organizers does not help everyday people imagine themselves within the struggle...Our movements need everyday people to...be drawn to that work with great enthusiasm."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:03:52 UTC

"What about those pedestaled organizers themselves? How can 1 navigate visibility while staying true to one’s movement roots? These are important questions..., but our movements have fallen especially short when it comes to helping young people navigate the perils of sudden popularity."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:04:30 UTC

"When a movement gains...momentum & an organizer’s leadership...draws...attention,... platforms can grow quickly...A few people may become rich, but the...majority of...organizers who experience high levels of visibility will never have access to the material resources...associate[d] with “fame.”"

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:05:13 UTC

"Some...experience common pitfalls of celebrity, absent those material benefits...Organizers may not become...“famous” but may find...they are being evaluated with additional scrutiny...[or]...overidealized...because they are part of a...community whose movement is presently in the spotlight."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:05:49 UTC

"This...heightened visibility can...have negative consequences for the person being afforded...attention. In a culture...preoccupied with fame..., organizers who experience heightened visibility are...subject to...scrutiny...without any defensive infrastructure...to protect them against...doxing."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:06:19 UTC

"Organizers...experience...mental health impacts as a result of...public scrutiny...When it comes to deciding whether to engage with criticism, or whether to follow through on an opportunity, there are no...rulebooks for organizers. Being idealized...is a trap, as you will...disappoint people."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:06:57 UTC

"All people cause harm...This is inevitable. Therefore, it’s important to figure out how to utilize your platform in a way that uplifts your beliefs & your cause without losing your way. That’s no simple matter in a world that would rather treat you as a brand to be...co-opted,...or destroyed."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:08:51 UTC

"Barbara Ransby reminds us to avoid the illusion that mainstream recognition of any...activist...qualifies as movement success...How do we resist celebrity & the seduction of people bestowing all kinds of praise on you, & understand what is also happening in that process that is corrosive?"

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:09:10 UTC

"The powerful create the illusion that movements have succeeded by singling out people to embrace. Usually, after attempting to co-opt the image of a particular...activist, the system moves to...co-opt the demands of the social movement itself &...tries to defang larger efforts toward justice."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:09:45 UTC

"The...whitewashing...of Martin Luther King Jr. has led to many...attempting to weaponize King’s words...when criticizing contemporary protesters. Pundits will...chastise protesters in King’s name, claiming...he would not approve of their tactics, despite King’s own deployment of the same tactics."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:10:13 UTC

"Inclusion is a compromise the powerful...offer...to avoid...systemic alterations...Most of the...Black intellectual tradition has been...outside of PWIs...but then...demands were made...for justice...not just for representation, but [it]...gets...contorted into something...the system can absorb."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:10:43 UTC

"Diversity, equity, & inclusion...creates a kind of cosmetic diversity,...that those who are included are expected to conform to the norms of the institutions that have deigned to include them, rather than rocking the boat...In this way, “victories” of inclusion often lead to disappointment."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:12:07 UTC

"Organizers who are highly visible are...bombarded by critique, but...good-faith critique is...also...essential to movement building...We should...critique behavior...that is counterproductive, &...promote a...culture that has a certain expectation of...how we behave...& how we treat each other."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:12:47 UTC

"Ransby believes in critique that “acknowledges the effort & the rightness in what [organizers are] intending to do & then how you see the...mistakes in that. Finding a way to do it...[that is]...still encouraging & humble...is a challenge.” Critique comes with its own complex set of challenges."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:13:15 UTC

“I’ve had experiences critiquing people privately & lovingly, & them,...not taking it well. On the flip side, “somebody might tell you you’re wrong when you’re not...Sometimes...people who are the most dogmatic about ‘this is wrong, this is wrong’...are wrong themselves, &...can’t see it.”-Ransby

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:14:02 UTC

"Criticism often comes from people who have no connection to the work...When this happens, we...check in with...our co-strugglers...about whether..criticism merits consideration...Ransby encourages organizers to commit to a process of self-reflection that includes...challenging their...positions."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:14:32 UTC

"It is natural for people to want to be affirmed &...we should affirm...1 another in our work. If recognition & affirmation are fostered in healthy ways within...a group, organizers are more likely to engage in a reciprocal culture of affirmation...rather than treating 1 another as competitors."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:15:09 UTC

"It is easier to invest trust in organizers...eager to share the mic with others...When an organizer is determined to redistribute opportunities to speak..., then...maybe that’s the person we want to represent us...because...they’ve not internalized any kind of lust for that." - Barbara Ransby

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:16:11 UTC

"As an organizer whose work began to receive...attention during the BLM protests..., May knows the pressures of...visibility...After she cofounded Assata’s Daughters, the...pressure...became less overwhelming because she was accountable to a community...who could weigh in on decisions together."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:16:44 UTC

"When decisions...are decided jointly, it can...make subsequent critiques feel less personal...May described a process at Assata’s Daughters in which, when speaking requests would come..., they’d be shared...& anyone could...step up...Having...that process takes off a lot of the pressure."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:17:19 UTC

"May...stressed the importance of using the spotlight to elevate new leadership...As a leader, you tend to have a lot of publicity, but...you can start to transition & to train up other people that are coming up behind you to take that on, & just sharing that spotlight as much as possible."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:17:56 UTC

"People who are understandably impatient for...change often want to believe...there’s a shortcut: that one group...is the truth & the way & that merely cheering on that contingent will spur a revolution. This places undue pressure on whatever...demographic is being fetishized as a savior troupe."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:18:26 UTC

"While there are moments when it makes sense for us to take leadership from particular groups, particularly when the struggle at hand centers on their...land, or water, there is no one group—& certainly no one person—who can defeat capitalism, end imperialism, or bring down white supremacy alone."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:18:54 UTC

"Attaching oneself to such fantasies may feel like solidarity to some, but...it is dehumanizing, nonstrategic, & an abdication of 1’s responsibility to forge struggle. Rather than becoming co-strugglers, some...who fetishize movements, groups, or individual activists can become part of fandoms."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:19:27 UTC

"Having “fans” can go to an organizer’s head, because it can mean that whenever...wrong, there is a flock...to...reinforce our worst...impulses...It is...important to have people that aren’t just your fans, &, it’s another place where having a...community—to turn to can...keep you in check." - May

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:20:05 UTC

"May said...at 1st, she “naively” failed to realize how “dangerous...” the spotlight could be. It was her co-strugglers who alerted her to the...downsides of celebrity-organizer status. “...I didn’t want to be that person, because I had friends that would complain about those...people,” she said."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:20:42 UTC

“I want to get free...& that’s going to take longer than our lifetimes...I think a lot about how I am trying to be in this world...I have a vision of a community that I am a part of, where everyone knows that if there’s a cat that needs help, come to that lady.” - Page May on Liberation

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:21:26 UTC

"Organizers need to develop a vision of who they want to be in relation to their community,...instead of focusing on self-elevation. What role will they play in...the...group? What are their skills...? What will they not do? These are questions that must be answered...with others in the struggle."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:22:05 UTC

"Having people whom you are accountable to, whom you can...engage with about visibility, is a must...Once a quarter, or...a couple...times a year,...to have an honest space [& asking], ‘Who’s visible right now? How is that going? What needs to change? Who is on...track to become more visible?" - May

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:23:26 UTC

"May also suggested...rotating the role of “spokesperson” among members...is a way to avoid placing 1 organizer on a permanent pedestal. “The media is going to turn [some...] into spokespeople regardless,” she said. “Having that be understood as a role that can be switched out would go a long way.”

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:24:02 UTC

“I’ve preferred to keep my work at the grassroots level,” Wane told us. He explained that his organizing around state violence & immigration “organically” led him to embrace abolitionist politics. “I felt pretty early on that the immigration system cannot simply be reformed into..justice,” he said."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:24:36 UTC

"Over the decades, Wane has seen organizers rise & fall in mainstream popularity, including some who became wealthy. “I...genuinely feel for people who become...‘movement celebrities,’” Wane told us. “I think that’s a very dangerous space...I’m offering this from a place of love. I’m 44 years old.”"

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:25:08 UTC

"“If I was given the money & the opportunities & the platform that some...who...have become movement celebrities, would I maintain my politics...?” he said. “I feel like I’m old enough to know that I would, but...the younger I was, the more tempting it would have been to...go a different way.”"

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:25:44 UTC

"Wane echoed May’s sentiments that a highly visible activist needs to be accountable to a community. “I think that once you start to get that level of attention, you need to absolutely ground yourself in a community of people who have been there with you before you became a celebrity."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:26:17 UTC

"The folks...in your corner, who...love you, but...will call you in lovingly when they feel like, ‘Hey, you’re starting to zig where you should have zagged.’” Wane emphasized that organizers who’ve been thrust into the spotlight need to persistently return to their...communities for critique."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:27:00 UTC

"Having the support of disingenuous people, as well as people who overidealize us, can...compromise our ability to address conflict. Wane stressed that it is...hard for most...to “see past their egos” when navigating conflict. When an activist’s popularity surges, some...may...view them as a brand."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:27:30 UTC

"This can be perilous, Wane warned, because people who are invested in you as an idea...“are invested in protecting your brand rather than...address[ing] harms you...perpetuated.” It is...important to ground yourself in a community of people who were there for you before you became...visible."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:28:01 UTC

"He emphasized the importance of friends who offer loving correction...“It’s...important to have...people who are going to ground you because once you become a...big name, it’s...easy to be unbalanced..,” he said. Wane acknowledged that criticism will...be plentiful for any highly visible activist."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:28:37 UTC

"“You’re going to have...people who are there to gas you up,” & he warned..., without trusted co-strugglers to keep you grounded, “You...lose your sense of self.” Wane reminded us...it doesn’t have to be this way—organizers who get swept up in the spotlight sometimes return to more grounded work."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:29:05 UTC

"There’s a friend of mine who definitely moved into the bigwig sort of movement celebrity space who started to appear on MSNBC & all of these sorts of channels & was approached by all of these foundations & the Democratic Party. & at a certain point, he was just like, “Nope, this is changing me.""

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:29:44 UTC

"This is starting to change who I am as a person.” So he intentionally stopped accepting all of those offers. He decided to go back to the organizing group that he worked with & to do a retreat with them, to recommit himself to a model of horizontal leadership. Now he’s doing a lot of good work."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:30:17 UTC

"For Ruth Wilson Gilmore, the...popularity of prison abolition in 2020 brought a new wave of attention to her..&...some...unhelpful...pedestaling. Gilmore, who always warns against the flattening...of histories..., shared...that she found she was being credited as a cocreator of prison abolition."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:30:50 UTC

“There was an awkward period...where...younger people...believed that abolition was something that was invented by 2 Black women, me & Angela Davis. & it’s like, ‘No. It’s really lovely that you want to look up to your Black women elders in this way, but boy, that’s so far wide off the mark.’”

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:31:50 UTC

"Gilmore’s anecdote is worth remembering anytime you may be credited...for something that was...a group effort. This will frequently occur, as people...are accustomed to looking for an individual to credit...—because individualism...taught them to search for a person..., rather than a community."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:32:29 UTC

"As an organizer, if...given credit for a group effort, you are in the...position of telling a larger story—& issuing an invitation to become part of that...It is important to name the wholeness of what we do, because becoming individualized—& divorced from the...community...—is a death knell."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:33:00 UTC

"While it’s important to dispel oversimplifications...., Gilmore does not believe...a large platform is...inherently bad...“I...want to share with people who want to hear what I think...Not because I’ve got all the answers, but I’ve been thinking about it so hard. & I [can]...point some things out.”

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:33:28 UTC

"Gilmore said, “While I don’t encourage paranoia, there’s an outward-looking suspicion that can also help keep us true to the fight—which is to wonder, Why the attention? How come people are clamoring for me/us? What’s the opportunity & what are the pitfalls of heightened visibility?”"

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:34:30 UTC

"In the summer of 2021, Harsha Walia, an organizer for migrants rights & Indigenous justice & author of the book Border & Rule, became the subject of a targeted harassment campaign orchestrated by conservatives & right-wing trolls after using the phrase “burn it all down” on Twitter."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:34:52 UTC

"Individuals had..set fires at 2 Catholic churches in BC, following the discovery of previously unknown mass graves at residential “school” sites in Canada where generations of Indigenous children had been held. Walia’s statement was...metaphorical—a call for decolonization & social transformation."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:35:27 UTC

"“Let it burn” & “burn it all down” have a rich history of metaphorical usage...but in Walia’s case, the language was seized upon, & she was beset with...death threats,...accusations of terrorism, & inciting arson. Some...called for her to be imprisoned, &...some...had filed police reports."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:36:03 UTC

"Activists face the threat of...harassment, doxing, & even “swatting” (the practice of calling in a fake emergency so that a SWAT team will descend on someone’s home). Walia resigned from her role as executive director of the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association over the controversy."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:36:37 UTC

"As Walia explained...after her resignation, “I wasn’t dismissed; I did resign on my...terms. But through the days, my leadership was undermined, my hiring was questioned, & there was no consideration for my safety. The board leadership acknowledged this...‘served to push her out in any event.’"

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:37:19 UTC

"Others were vocal in their support of Walia, including the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs, which made a statement on Twitter declaring, “UBCIC stands in strong solidarity with [Harsha Walia] in condemning the brutally gruesome genocide of the residential ‘school’ system.”"

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:37:48 UTC

"Activists & scholars across Canada, the US, & beyond pushed back against the racism & misogyny...being leveled at Walia & celebrated her work. As Walia tweeted after her resignation, “Everyone’s support means so very much—a reminder that struggle, kinship & grounded relationships is home."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:39:08 UTC

"When oppressive power structures come for you, there are so many who show up with generosity & ferocity, reciprocity to co-create resistance...” It’s important to note that in cases such as Walia’s, where respectability is at issue, right-wing & centrist forces aren’t the only source of attacks."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:39:40 UTC

"Liberals...committed to...the status quo...distance themselves from...dissent...This reflex can result in...absurdity, such as when the OC Republican Party HQ was fire-bombed...Eager to distance Dems from the event, a...researcher started a...GoFundMe...“Dems Raise Money to Reopen...GOP office.”"

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:40:11 UTC

"When Republicans were campaigning against the humanity of trans people, immigrants, Muslims, [etc.]..., the people who donated...could have been supporting...antifascist organizing. Instead, they...paid $13,000 to establish...they did not approve of someone...destroying the property of fascists."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:40:44 UTC

"While Walia’s experience was...extreme..., the targeted harassment of leftist activists..., including efforts to criminalize people or terminate their employment, have become...common. “When organizers find themselves targeted by...conservatives, liberal...forces...create a support network."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:41:17 UTC

"What are the movements...you are...accountable to...? What support can they offer publicly...to defuse the...targeting? We are only as strong as the constellation of communities that hold us up. By building our collective capacity to respond, we...challenge the ‘single...leader’ phenomenon.”"

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:41:51 UTC

"Walia noted...“our political opponents have a hard time accepting...our movements are nonhierarchical..&...believe that targeting 1 person can challenge...an entire movement.” The right’s investment in individualism means...they...assume they can topple...social movements by harming...individuals."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:42:33 UTC

"Walia...cautioned that activists should be “strategic & thoughtful about what deserves our attention.” She advises activists to “block freely”...& think twice before engaging with a “pile-on.”...On social media, we should not hesitate to block, mute, or..avoid people we do not wish to engage with."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:52:56 UTC

“There are...resources for organizers, especially racialized women & gender-diverse people, on keeping safe as a public leftist on the internet,” she told us. If you need help developing a personal digital security plan,...the Surveillance Self-Defense project can help you...take...cautions."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:53:29 UTC

"Ultimately, Walia told us, “it is impossible not to internalize the hatred of those who target you. It might be hard to admit,...but it will most likely impact your mental, physical, & spiritual well-being. Take the time to process that harm & know that you deserve care & safety.”

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:54:15 UTC

"Walia’s advice to organizers in the spotlight can be applied more broadly...Each of us is being watched, even if...not elevated to the status of “celebrity.” Many of us live much of our lives online,...under constant surveillance..., & manipulated by content engineered to promote..engagement."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:54:51 UTC

"Algorithms...are now the most powerful curators of information, whose actions enable such manipulation by creating our fractured informational multiverse...Algorithms work to promote...engagement, which means content that provokes a...reaction becomes more visible,...rewarding users for extremity."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:55:20 UTC

"Algorithms exacerbate divisions around identity...& even casual disagreements to calamitous effect...Given the simplifying features that algorithms use...& the...generalizations they draw, the real-life consequence is informational segregation, not unlike previous racial & social segregation.”"

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:55:59 UTC

"Social media algorithms that produce & amplify this stratification have already proven catastrophic to the health of our societies: Facebook algorithms can create political rabbit holes that can lead conservatives to embrace QAnon conspiracy theories in as little as 2 days’ time."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:56:31 UTC

"When we navigate the digital world, we are experiencing...commercial surveillance that aim to map human behavior...to craft interventions that generate profit &...reduce uncertainty by influencing people’s behavior (curating content to anticipate...our...preferences..., as tracked in real time)."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:57:05 UTC

"Apps built on algorithms of stratification curate content aimed at prompting users to react in observable ways. Any response, from the “likes” we click on Twitter or Facebook to our willingness to engage with a question posed on a social media platform, is potentially valuable data."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:57:35 UTC

"There is no clear divide between corporate data harvesting & governmental surveillance, just as there is no clear divide between government propaganda & the corporate media... like a partnership between AT&T & the Drug Enforcement Administration & the Office of National Drug Control Policy."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:58:03 UTC

"This is not to say that social media cannot be leveraged for organizing purposes—&, if we deal in the realities of where people are & what they are doing, it must. But we should engage with it carefully, with full understanding of how these structures function, who they actually serve, & why."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:58:33 UTC

"Marginalized people have utilized social media...for...movements that might not otherwise find an audience. We have accomplished projects on Twitter that would not have been replicable in the physical world. We have...seen social-media-based tactics...catapult campaigns to victory,...& more."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:59:13 UTC

"In this landscape of surveillance, corporations...exploit...“behavioral surplus"...as Google’s path to profitability took shape when they...discovered that...the extraneous data it gathered in the process of improving its products had additional value...for...the ‘sustained & exponential’ profits."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 21:59:43 UTC

"Mass connectivity does not have to be harmful, but...under capitalism,...the motives that govern corporate platforms will never be...in our interests, no matter how brilliantly we use them. Our presence...will be monitored by law enforcement &...mined by corporations for behavioral surplus."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 22:00:12 UTC

"All of us must move through digital corridors with this knowledge, regardless of whether we perceive ourselves to be in the “spotlight.” We must also remember that corporate algorithms elevate content geared toward increasingly insular groups—reinforcing echo chambers—& they reward conflict."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 22:00:49 UTC

"Facebook researchers told the company’s executives in 2018, “Our algorithms exploit the human brain’s attraction to divisiveness.” The most divisive, oversimplified content rises to the top, & the algorithm presents people with increasingly divisive content over time,...to hold their interest."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 22:01:59 UTC

"We must take advantage of social media platforms as best we can, connecting with people we would never otherwise meet or be exposed to, while also understanding that the algorithmic fragmentation of common ground is an ongoing disaster we will have to navigate in our work."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 22:02:43 UTC

"“Connectivity”—connection with...people...mediated by technological platforms—is...presented as an inherent good, but...[it] does not necessarily generate understanding or inspire reflection on our shared humanity...What we...cultivate...is at odds with the extractive economy of “connectivity.”"

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 22:03:17 UTC

"Political communion necessitates...connection & purpose,...[&] a profound recognition of the shared humanity of those participating, whether in digital or in-person spaces. We must engage with the tools of the digital world with this in mind, no matter how...publicly we use these platforms."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 22:03:50 UTC

"Navigating...visibility...will be an ongoing struggle for...organizers. Our enemies would like us to fashion ourselves into dueling brands that can be bought off...We must...push past those reductions &...engage...with people who are looking...for...a co-struggler with whom to build."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 22:04:24 UTC

"In October 2020, as the US...lost 100,000 people to COVID-19, the lack of commemoration was striking. While gathering...was not possible due to COVID restrictions, Kelly & other...organizers felt...there needed to be some outlet for the grief people were...not allowing themselves to experience."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 22:04:54 UTC

"Many...worried that a lack of memorialization played into a larger erosion of empathy that would...empower fascists...To help people process...together, in spite of the physical distance between them, Kelly’s collective, Lifted Voices, & others set out to plan a week of action & memorialization."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 22:05:32 UTC

"People could not safely gather, [so] the group worked with friends...on a weeklong event called “Signs, Shrines, Collages, & a Mixtape: A Remote COVID Vigil.” Participants were encouraged to make signs...& collages & to share photos of...work on social media using the hashtag #WeGrieveTogether."

Chapter 7

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 22:06:02 UTC

"Scans of memorial artwork created by participants & volunteers were available online & could be printed for use in the creation of shrines & collages. Organizers dropped off signs outside the homes of people who wanted to photograph themselves with the artwork but didn’t have printer access."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-07 22:06:33 UTC

"Activists...hung...banners bearing the words “We Grieve Together” in neighborhoods...The banners, many of which depicted the names of people lost to COVID-19, appeared on park fences, outside of schools,...at the First Nations Garden, in storefronts, & in front of people’s homes."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 04:41:34 UTC

"Young people from the Chicago Freedom School...carried out a banner drop—a...tactic in which large banners are displayed in a public location—downtown...We...associate banner drops with disruption, & the same was true...[here] as organizers were disrupting the erasure & suppression of grief."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 04:41:57 UTC

"Activists...recorded speeches they would have given at an in-person memorial, & Chicago...artist Ric Wilson cut those speeches into a mixtape called Let This Radicalize You as a loving nod to Mariame’s oft-quoted words, “Let this radicalize you rather than lead you to despair.”"

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 04:42:45 UTC

"The week culminated in a noise action: a small group...gathered outside the Metropolitan Correctional Center in downtown Chicago & played the mixtape on a loudspeaker so those incarcerated inside the federal jail could hear it. The tape was also released online so that people could listen at home."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 04:44:14 UTC

"Some of the speakers...on the mixtape addressed the imprisoned people directly, condemning the system’s abandonment of them as COVID raged...expressing solidarity with the people... [in] prison. The speeches from the mixtape were...compiled in a zine...mailed to many imprisoned people."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 04:44:55 UTC

"Loved ones...joined activists as they...held...a banner that read “We Love You.” People...inside the prison acknowledged the action by flickering... their lights...The week’s actions offered people...the opportunity to...extend the truth of their shared grief—&...our interconnectedness."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 04:45:41 UTC

"As people grappled with...mass death, & the rising threat of fascism, they were able to create a sense of political communion & push back against the...normalization of mass death...There is a reason our collective grief has been suppressed with lies & political circus acts during this pandemic."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 04:46:29 UTC

"There is power in...memorialization, & the powerful are afraid of that...This pandemic, like the horrors of the prison system, has demonstrated how harmful it is to...be deprived of connection...The answer is to become an immovable force when...together & a constellation of...empathy when...apart."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 04:47:10 UTC

"An unthinkable question haunts many...: Amid rising temperatures...we have heard...warnings...about the need to curb...emissions...that...the US have...ignored. As...damage continues, fears that the end of life...is near leave some...to wonder if...movements still hold meaning. We believe it does."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 04:47:51 UTC

"We do not...minimize...that human activity has warmed the Earth’s climate at an unprecedented rate...According to the IPCC’s 2021 report, “Global surface temperature will continue to increase until at least the mid-century”..., which means that climate catastrophes will continue to worsen."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 04:48:54 UTC

"While...humans still have some ability to affect how high temperatures rise,...despite our best efforts, the effects of climate change will claim many lives...,precious creatures & ecosystems...We feel deeply for those...suffering & for the young people who have inherited this...catastrophe."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 04:49:34 UTC

"Hope & grief can coexist, &...to transform the world, we must...hold &...process both simultaneously. That process will, as ever, involve reaching for community. In a society where...connections are...lacking, where isolation & loneliness abound, we are often ill equipped to process grief."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 04:50:23 UTC

"Our fumbling efforts to do so often end in...despair. Such ineptitude can prove dangerous, as in the wake of 9/11...Grief can also lead us to retreat...&, too often, to abandon people to suffer in ways...we cannot bear to...behold. We saw such behaviors manifest among some...during...COVID."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 04:51:00 UTC

"We say this...to convey that we, as people, do have power. Depending on our choices, we can turn away from injustice & let it continue, or we can confront our grief & move forward to shift the course of societal action in the face of a massive failure of leadership & institutional abandonment."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 04:51:30 UTC

"Grief...is a manifestation of love...[It] is painful, but when we process our grief in community, we are less likely to slip into despair. To maintain the current social & economic order in the unstable years ahead, capitalist governments will have to rely on the...normalization of mass death."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 04:52:08 UTC

"As climate-driven migration continues to intensify...disasters cause food shortages,...the disposal of humans who have no place in the economy will escalate, unless we fight for another way of living...If the public...accepts preventable...deaths as inevitable, the system will maintain itself."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 04:52:48 UTC

"The pandemic gave us a preview of how the government will address...experiences of catastrophe...: by prioritizing the economy over human lives. They will rely on us to doggedly pursue normalcy instead of...upending the culture of greed & human disposability that has already caused so much death."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 04:53:24 UTC

"Our oppressors rely on...our suppression of empathy & grief & on the desensitization that often takes hold as a defense mechanism in the face of so much suffering. They are hoping...the battery of catastrophes we witness...will shorten our attention spans until the fallen are forgotten."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 04:54:08 UTC

"The system’s reliance on us to deaden...our capacity for grief presents us with a lever for change. Our oppressors are...unprepared to confront a multiracial, intergenerational movement...who share a loving practice of grief &...are prepared to care for 1 another & act in 1 another’s defense."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 04:54:35 UTC

"Our grief...can open up cracks in...the system. It can...pry open spaces of contestation & reconstruction, intervulnerability & strength, empathy, & solidarity. It can discomfort the stories...that would have us believe we aren’t...deserving of life-affirming lives—or...life-affirming deaths.”"

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 04:55:07 UTC

"Confronting our grief in connection...can be a rebellious political act in the face of top-down...normalization. Even...acknowledging...we are not alone in grief can...bring a sense of solidarity & collective strength...that...kindles our energy to face the future, sparking the fire of hope."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 04:55:36 UTC

"To make change, someone must 1st imagine...it can be so. Some find it difficult to practice hope..., but it is important to remember that people have always found ways to cultivate hope, even in the face of daunting...odds. Many of our ancestors experienced the end of the worlds they had known."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 04:56:06 UTC

"During...enslavement, amid...famine, behind bars...while living as fugitives...with the threat of nuclear annihilation looming overhead, previous generations...found ways to organize for...collective survival. We must learn from their histories & traditions as we face an uncertain future."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 04:56:43 UTC

"For Native organizers..., the violence of capitalism has inflicted... grief & trauma. Morning Star Gali, a member of the Ajumawi band of the Pit River Tribe,..the...director for...Restoring Justice for Indigenous Peoples...told us, “98% of our juvenile salmon populations were killed..last year.”"

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 04:57:11 UTC

"This mass death of salmon is...part of the California economy’s historical & ongoing “gold, greed, & genocide framework.” Mercury was used to enhance the recovery of gold during the California gold rush...3 million pounds of mercury were lost...at hard-rock mines, contaminating local waterways."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 04:57:47 UTC

"“The toxic legacy of gold mining &...these environmental health effects...continue to affect us today, in terms of the water being polluted with mercury...Our communities have been...greatly impacted by not having clean water...[or] salmon...in our rivers, that only 2% of them are surviving.”"

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 04:58:24 UTC

"Gali notes a parallel between...mass death of the salmon & the genocide of Indigenous peoples...Gali emphasized that the struggle against colonialism has...been...to prevent...destruction of the...world. Everywhere land & water have been stolen from...Indigenous stewards, contamination...followed."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 04:59:00 UTC

"Native people are...again faced with...death. 1 study found that COVID-19 mortality among Native people was 2.8 times as high as...white people & considerably higher than other groups...due to...risk factors. Native people have...proven vulnerable to epidemics...fueled by poverty, trauma,...etc."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 05:00:12 UTC

"1999-2015, Native people experienced a larger increase in opioid overdose deaths than any other...group in the US...Suicide rates among Native people went up 139% 1999-2017—the highest increase...Native people also suffer disproportionately from the health impacts of environmental racism."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 05:00:45 UTC

"To Gali, the work of saving Native lives imperiled by trauma & despair & the struggle to preserve all life on Earth are part of the same...struggle...since...colonialism. “That was a battle against colonialism, when our lands & waters were being decimated by toxins in...gold mining,” Gali told us."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 05:01:23 UTC

"“We have...rampant wildfires...in California, & with the high rising temperatures, we...worry about a fire season that’s not just...3 or 4 months here, but it’s going to be possibly...9-11 months...” Yet amid all these crises, Gali told us, “There has to be hope.”...Hope comes through community."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 05:01:56 UTC

"Gali co-organizes support for berry-picking...led by the families [of MMIW]. The berries are redistributed in Native communities as...mutual aid. “That’s a way to...support...their healing journeys,” Gali told us, noting that...elderberries & chokecherries are used...for traditional foods."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 05:02:30 UTC

"When groups go into the mountains to pick berries, they have to carry bear spray..., because we understand that this is the bear’s food source. Because of the wildfires,...scarcity of water,...they’re not getting the food supply that they’re used to, &...starving." - Gali

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 05:03:19 UTC

"How are all of those animal relatives being sustained when their habitats are being burned out?...Still, Gali does not see despair as an option...“It’s a responsibility that we just understand...that for us to be healthy,...Mother Earth needs to be healthy, that there is a symbiotic relationship.”"

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 05:05:03 UTC

"Even though the salmon are perishing, Gali still teaches her children how to make traditional fish traps. “That’s what we did. We lived along...the rivers & had our salmon camps...Even if the salmon are no longer there, we still have to pass that knowledge down...just as our ancestors have done."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 05:05:46 UTC

"Gali believes there is an understanding of our symbiosis with the Earth embedded in those practices that must not be lost, even as the Earth changes. By continuing those practices, & our ceremonies & dances, we understand that there’s a relationship, & we are dancing things back into place."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 05:06:28 UTC

"Gali notes how scientists...disregarded Indigenous knowledge until it became horribly apparent that “the Earth is being destroyed.” Climate scientists in recent years have stressed the need for a return to Indigenous practices...The colonizers...criminalized & sought to extinguish those beliefs."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 05:26:41 UTC

"But, despite grim projections & resentful feelings, Gali told us, “At the end of the day, I have 4 children between the ages of 8 & 18. I know...for myself personally,...I have to have hope for what their life is going to be. We have to think ahead of the impact. They say 7 generations ahead.”

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 05:27:16 UTC

"The Haudenosaunee principle of planning for the...next “7 generations,” as opposed to simply providing for 1’s own family & immediate survival, is widely invoked by Indigenous people...Leaders must be accountable not only to themselves & those around them but also to the next 7 generations."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 05:27:49 UTC

"It may be difficult...to imagine 7 generations...under current conditions, but this...is no less overwhelming to Native people who have survived...colonialism...efforts to exterminate their...communities. Gali acknowledged that...ensuring the well-being of the next 7 generations is daunting."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 05:28:25 UTC

"It is frightening that there are projections,...in the Bay Area, in the next 25-30 years that they’re going to be out of water. They’re going to be out of clean drinking water. I don’t want that for my children. I don’t want that for potential grandchildren in the future." - Gali

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 05:29:03 UTC

“But Gali reminded us of how far-fetched the existence of Native people living today must have seemed during past moments of mass murder, siege, & survival—& yet Native ancestors did not abandon their hopes for future generations: “Our ancestors prayed for us....being here & living today.”

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 05:29:38 UTC

"Gali observed that there are many catastrophes ahead but again reminded us of Native ancestors who survived mass death & the destruction of the world they knew. “There are ways that we have been able to navigate our own survival. I have hope that in the future that we can care for the Earth."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 05:30:12 UTC

"The Earth...can care for us in a way that is mutually sustainable, that we can participate in Mother Earth’s healing as we tend to our own healing.”[When]...we talked with Gali about grief, she was preparing to speak at the memorial service for “1 of our sister warriors” who...died of COVID-19."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 05:31:02 UTC

"Gali’s friend, a formerly incarcerated Pueblo woman, was only 38 when she contracted COVID, which was complicated by diabetes, & she had a massive heart attack. Gali is no stranger to heartbreaking loss. “I lost my father when I was 15 years old [when]...he had been incarcerated in San Quentin."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 05:31:54 UTC

"He had spent 7 years in there. I was just so grief stricken. I remember being 15 years old,...like, “What am I going to do?” I...had...no idea. We were very...grounded in our ceremonies, but I didn’t understand how to move that grief...This was the mid-’90s in the midst of the AIDS epidemic."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 05:32:28 UTC

"Gali’s mother...lost her best friend...She was...not in a space where she could care for herself, let alone...us. She...ended up leaving...Gali & her sisters worked...to provide for themselves & a nephew...For her, these...losses have not led her to...despair—they’ve moved her to organize."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 05:33:11 UTC

"“It was from holding...that grief to the organizing that we do today. We have so much loss &...grief...all the time...It’s just so many losses that we stopped even counting how many within the last few years of the pandemic. So many relatives...have been lost.” - Gali

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 05:33:58 UTC

"In the face of...grief,...hope is...a necessity...There has to be some light...we can follow.” Gali described...her work with MMIW...in which she...deals with “unthinkable situations” such as “having to write a press release for a prayer vigil for my sister that was...murdered by her partner."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 05:34:36 UTC

"Hope may not be the immediate emotion in these moments of acute grief, but Gali believes that “in the larger context we are moving towards healing. Through...organizing that is healing work, through us supporting the families, that...is an opportunity for them to heal & for us to hold...space.”

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 05:35:15 UTC

"Organizing makes it possible to grieve in ways that make a different future visible: “This is bringing our communities together...when we are addressing injustices,...the invisibility & how misogyny & patriarchy play an essential role in the disappearance of Indigenous women,” Gali said."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 05:35:55 UTC

"A prayer run was taking place...Gali expected the event would draw 50 people or so. She & her co-organizers had invited around 12 MMIW...families & had prepared breakfast...for their 8am start...When Gali arrived, there were 600+ people waiting for the event to begin. “It was beautiful.”"

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 05:36:29 UTC

"“We had local Miwok...youth [who] were leading this march of 600 relatives holding signs...calling for justice for their loved ones & chanting ‘No More Stolen Sisters’ [&] ‘Whose land? Miwok land.’” Gali emphasized the importance of...the prayer run in helping community members process...grief."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 05:36:59 UTC

"“It’s...being done with this...spiritual...understanding that we have to move...grief through our bodies...Every step is a prayer, & with every movement our ancestors are with us...The collective experience of community...people experience during the prayer run is itself an answered prayer."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 05:37:30 UTC

"Gali told us that amid the heartbreak of MMIW...organizing, hope comes...in witnessing profound transformation. “6+ months ago, we had a sister that was the youngest sibling of...our relative...that was killed. She was...deep in her addiction, & we always came from a place of nonshaming & support.”

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 05:38:19 UTC

"Gali &...co-organizers helped the young woman attend...vigils when...able & “..did what we could to keep those lines of communication open, recognizing that when they were ready that they would...be welcomed & embraced within our communal spaces.” Eventually, something shifted for the young woman."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 05:38:52 UTC

"It meant us physically driving up & helping pack her apartment & putting her belongings into storage.” Gali &...co-strugglers helped the young woman navigate the extra testing & paperwork...& drove her to a Native-run treatment facility. “As of today, she is 6 months...sober,” Gali told us."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 12:20:25 UTC

“She is working full-time...in transitional housing...participating in the MMIW prayer run & we were able to cover...her transportation...& lost wages.”Gali’s story reminds us that accompanying each other through grief can help pave new paths...“Situations like...that give me hope,” Gali told us."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 12:20:41 UTC

"What is there possibly left for us to be afraid of, after we have dealt face to face with death and not embraced it? Once I accept the existence of dying, as a life process, who can ever have power over me again? —Audre Lorde, The Cancer Journals"

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 12:21:32 UTC

"While...working to educate the public about voting rights, Changa was...fighting a...personal battle. “I started getting sick in...2019 & landed in the ER,” Changa told us. She was uninsured...& noted that she still...has collection notices...Changa was shaking & experiencing extreme...nausea."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 12:23:20 UTC

"Anoa J. Changa is a Black Atlanta-based organizer & journalist whose work...on electoral justice & voting rights...highlighted voter suppression tactics in Georgia & documented the...victories of the multiracial, grassroots coalition that overcame a highly sophisticated antidemocratic apparatus."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 12:23:50 UTC

"The doctors told her she was experiencing acid reflux, but due to the severity...Changa had doubts. The episodes continued, followed by long bouts of fatigue...In...2020, Changa had a new job & new insurance. During her 2nd...month of work, she experienced an...episode & ended up in the hospital."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 12:24:52 UTC

"This time, Changa brought a friend with her to the emergency room. Changa’s friend advocated for her, arguing with doctors who, Changa says, “were acting like I was exaggerating about the pain.” Changa’s friend rejected the doctors’ dismissiveness & insisted they run more tests."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 12:25:25 UTC

"Finally, the doctors relented & ordered a CT scan...When the...doctor entered the room, Changa could tell...the news was bad. “He tells me, ‘So, we got your scans back’—‘We saw some things on your liver.’” Changa was admitted...& diagnosed with inoperable stage IV neuroendocrine cancer."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 12:26:01 UTC

"Doctors cautioned Changa against “doomscrolling” about her condition on the internet and assured her that recent medical advances could potentially help her “live into older age,” but the situation was critical. Changa found a specialist and began advanced treatment, including radiation therapy."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 12:29:11 UTC

"As a...healthy 40-year-old woman, Changa had been accustomed to moving at a certain speed. Cancer, she said, has slowed her down—& that...has been intensified by the...pandemic...Changa struggled to balance...treatments...with the need to earn a living in COVID...while...coping with anger & grief."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 12:30:13 UTC

"“The fact that they could have done scans much earlier, but they didn’t,...made me so mad,” she told us. Changa...knows too well that medical racism may have played a role in her delayed diagnosis, as the concerns of Black women are...dismissed by doctors. She wrestles with that outrage as well.“

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 12:30:42 UTC

"“The fact that uncertain things could happen to us does not really help when we have this idea or vision for our future laid out,” she said. Instead, she began to grieve her diagnosis—not because her fate was decided but because her feeling of certainty that she’d reach old age was gone."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 12:31:18 UTC

"In the early months..., Changa struggled to articulate her grief “for what I had thought of my life...I thought, I’m going to be an old woman like my grandma...I’ve seen myself as a white-haired old woman with grands & great-grands...as an older person. That’s what I have seen for myself.”"

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 12:32:45 UTC

"For Changa, practicing hope while...holding space for her grief means recognizing that “I can still...shape my experience. But I have new limitations, in some ways, that I have to also factor in.” Yet her limitations have not prevented Changa from acting in pursuit of justice & transformation."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 12:33:20 UTC

"While Changa is pursuing treatments that could allow her...to grow old..., she is also grappling with “the possibility of not making it to 50.” Changa has also struggled with acknowledging & accepting her physical limitations...as part of “grieving the person who I thought I was on track to be.”"

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 12:33:53 UTC

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 12:34:31 UTC

"Her passion for universal health care & voting rights has only intensified since...diagnosis, as she continues to write stories...she hopes will...fuel movements. While she...struggles with anxiety, Changa’s practice of hope is a grounded 1. “I’ve been defying odds my entire life,” she told us."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 12:35:04 UTC

"Audre Lorde battled cancer for 14 years. She wrote..., “I realize that if I wait until I am no longer afraid to act,...I’ll be sending messages on a ouija board...When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less important whether...I am unafraid.”

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 12:36:07 UTC

"Reflecting on the state of the climate while facing her...mortality, Changa refused to embrace...doom. “The doom is possible, but it’s also possible that we can stave it off. So, I choose to walk into possibility. It’s not a lack of realism; it’s just choosing to work from a different framework.”

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 12:36:34 UTC

"Changa said she’s learned to focus less on the potential scarcity of time. “The clock is definitely ticking,” she told us, “but instead of worrying about how little time we have left, I’m thinking about what we can do with the time we have—or who we need to move to extend the time we have.”

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 12:37:09 UTC

"As we work to use & extend our time on this planet, we should also avoid becoming mired in assessing our chances of success, Changa advised. “In organizing, the odds are always stacked against you. That’s always been the way. So you find a window & if the window is small, you still aim for it.”

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 12:37:43 UTC

"On April 11, 2020, with...schools shut down & a statewide shelter-in-place order in effect due to COVID-19,...Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood were faced with another disaster as the world outside their windows disappeared in...toxic smoke...that... looked like something out of a war zone."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 12:38:15 UTC

“This toxic dust infiltrated people’s homes with no warning,” organizer Juliana Pino told us. “Just imagine being in your home, & all of a sudden, every surface...is coated with...powder...you don’t recognize, knowing...this dust...is coming from a coal plant...responsible for 41...deaths a year.”

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 12:38:46 UTC

"The dust cloud was the result of...a decommissioned coal stack...by...Hilco Redevelopment Partners...Organizers...objected to the...demolition plan, but...had little time to mount an intervention. Most residents...were wholly caught off guard when the dust enveloped the neighborhood."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 12:40:02 UTC

"Fernando Cantú, a 78-year-old resident of Little Village, died shortly after the demolition. Like many residents of the...Latinx neighborhood, Cantú had asthma, & residents believe the dust from the implosion may have aggravated his respiratory system."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 12:40:44 UTC

"As for the long-term effects on residents’ health, Pino told us, “that’s a story that continues to unfold.” Pino is the policy director for the Little Village Environmental Justice Organization, a community-based frontline group based in Little Village that organizes for environmental justice."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 12:41:53 UTC

"LVEJO & its co-strugglers waged a decade-long & ultimately victorious battle to close the environmentally hazardous Crawford Generating Station coal plant. In 2020, they were faced with reckless demolition efforts waged by Hilco—the new owners of the property on which the Crawford plant stood."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 12:42:30 UTC

"Pino told us, “They came into the community, snatched up the coal plant, & said, ‘We’re going to put a warehousing distribution facility here.’” Community members had a different vision...: a cleaned-up & repurposed space that could be used for workforce training programs & an indoor market."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 12:42:59 UTC

"But their vision had been rejected in favor of a plan that would generate even more pollution...Pino believes Hilco leveraged the chaos of the pandemic to gain...approval of their demolition plans. The city authorized Hilco’s plan despite...indicators that the implosion could prove disastrous."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 12:43:32 UTC

"”The impacts of environmental racism have long been part of daily life...“Residents deal with toxic pollution every day, with people suffering from respiratory illnesses, not knowing if they are going to wind up in the ER or if their kids will develop asthma or if their [tap] water is safe.”"

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 12:44:03 UTC

"Pino explained, “Little Village is also 1 of the youngest neighborhoods in Chicago, so a huge proportion of folks in Little Village are under 18, & an even larger number are under 25. So you have social & economic factors that add up to the neighborhood being really heavily policed."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 12:44:40 UTC

"In spite of the pollution and the heavy-handed policing residents experience, Pino told us, “the neighborhood...is a beautiful place. Folks have a lot of love for where they come from, and they stay there, & fight back, in spite of the oppressive conditions that are foisted upon them.”

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 12:45:17 UTC

"LVEJO was already in crisis mode prior to the...pandemic. By May of 2020, Little Village had more confirmed COVID cases than any other...zip code in the state...Little Village residents pleaded with the city government for a rapid expansion of COVID testing, but their requests were denied."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 12:45:47 UTC

"They asked for...resources...for the pandemic’s disproportionate impacts on the neighborhood but were dismissed. “We knew that Black & brown communities...heavily impacted by air pollution were going to be hit hard because they already experience high rates of respiratory illness,” Pino said."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 12:46:15 UTC

"“We knew...this was going to be...difficult for families who don’t have...safe water. There was already...acute grief about what was happening outside of Little Village, & then things got worse in Little Village really quickly.” LVEJO kicked into high gear, making tough choices at every turn."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 12:46:52 UTC

"“Pino told us,...“We weren’t going into the office, but our organizing work...maintained in-person components, because it was...important to be...with the community &...for us, there was this additional layer of, how is this manifesting in our bodies? We needed to attend to...our...community.”"

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 12:47:23 UTC

"Organizers were...concerned about community members being held in Cook County Jail...On March 23, 2020, 2 people imprisoned in the facility, which is 1 of the nation’s largest jails, tested positive for COVID-19. In...over 2 weeks, the virus had spread through the jail, infecting 350+ people."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 12:47:53 UTC

"“Many people [in Little Village] had family members who were incarcerated at the time,” Pino told us. “People were fighting...to make sure...their family members survived, & some of them didn’t due to the county’s negligence & complete lack of care for people in the jail as community members.”"

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 12:48:28 UTC

"Pino stressed that...nonincarcerated Little Village residents have family members in the jail, everyone inside Cook County Jail is part of the Little Village community. “It’s an arbitrary wall that separates them physically from everyone else, but there’s no difference in our mind,” she said."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 12:48:57 UTC

"“When people are being held in Cook County Jail, it doesn’t matter if their residence is somewhere else—they’re part of the Little Village community, & they’re impacted by things that happen in the community & the lack of regard for their lives impacts the rest of the community.”"

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 12:49:27 UTC

"The pandemic threw the Chicago government’s disregard for incarcerated people—& their place in the Little Village community—into sharp relief. The negligence exhibited toward those in the jail reverberated throughout the neighborhood.“They didn’t want to distribute masks...,” Pino said."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 12:49:59 UTC

"Jail-community cycling “far exceeds race, poverty, public transit use, & population density as a predictor of variance.”..The cycling...through Cook County Jail was associated with 15.7% of...COVID-19 cases in IL & 15.9% of...cases in Chicago...1 in 7 people in...Little Village...had...COVID-19."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 12:50:30 UTC

"For...organizers, “it was a question of, how do we support people..., if we couldn’t get people supplies that they needed.”...HA published a study that found...“jail-community cycling was a significant predictor of cases...accounting for 55% of the variance...across ZIP codes in Chicago.”"

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 12:52:34 UTC

"“It’s all connected,” Pino told us, “because structural violence is...compounding.” 11 days after the Hilco implosion, Chicagoans participated in a car caravan protest to demand accountability...for the demolition & to honor the memory of Fernando Cantú & other victims of environmental violence."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 12:52:54 UTC

"The caravan was a sprawling demonstration...“There’s a legacy in environmental justice work of doing toxic tours, where you show people an overview of some of the facilities in a neighborhood,” Pino explained: This was...a modified version of that because it wasn’t just the toxic part of it."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 12:54:06 UTC

"The caravan...ultimately encircled city hall. The protest included livestreamed audio...explaining the history & continuum of environmental racism residents were struggling against, including those trapped in...jail...Residents shared...stories, & participants...ask[ed] questions as they learned."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 12:54:38 UTC

"“We needed to help people understand it’s not just that communities are facing 1 facility; it’s 100s & it’s not just that it’s 1 community. Most Black & brown communities in Chicago are facing...environmental racism...& people’s lives are...decades shorter because of it."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 12:55:10 UTC

"Making this seen through the windows of the cars, & showing...that people were angry, was important,” she told us. “The decision makers had to know we were determined to make the unseen seen.” The...protest was a coalition effort that brought together labor groups &...community organizations."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 12:55:40 UTC

"“It was...important that there was a specific person who was lost, whose life had meaning, & that there were so many other people who are struggling...who were losing family members...that in a way it was about Señor Cantú but it was also about the mass death occurring in the community.”"

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 12:56:18 UTC

"Pino said the caravan allowed people in the community to combat the...erasure of their suffering by the city...“People needed to say, ‘This is happening. We are feeling it...Storytelling, paired with community care, were defining elements of LVEJO’s response to the pandemic & the implosion."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 12:56:46 UTC

“People felt the grief & felt it hard,” Pino told us...that acknowledging feelings of despair, rather than simply trying to push past them, was important. “In...our work, the odds are...long, & folks...were having moments of feeling, like,...‘What are we going to do? Is there anything we can do?’”

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 12:57:16 UTC

"The caravan was a powerful action that drew mass participation, but...organizers were...feeling the grief...of the moment. The exacerbation of existing structural violence, such as industrial pollution, police harassment, & the deprivation of resources, was taking its toll on the community."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 12:57:48 UTC

"“Our work happens in opposition to what...others in power think will happen...Remembering that allowed us to push back the hopelessness, and to find each other, as people committed to the work and community, in that sort of relational space, and that’s where we found the energy to fight back.”"

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 12:58:21 UTC

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 12:59:00 UTC

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 12:59:34 UTC

"For...community members, the implosion felt like the realization of a complete dystopia, and some...acknowledged...they could feel despair...But even as the culmination of COVID-19, carceral violence, and environmental racism bore down on them, Pino and her co-strugglers did not lose hope."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 13:00:04 UTC

"Pino told us that strained organizers...went back...to...checking in on individuals, going door to door to make sure residents had access to water,...and making sure people knew about COVID tests...Organizers acted as problem solvers..., asking..., “‘Do you have everything you need...?’"

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 13:03:11 UTC

"“We say, ‘We will wage this act of care in defiance of the state, which tells us...our bodies are...expendable.’” Pino said that by waging acts of care, organizers...raged against the normalization of mass death and against the erasure of the inequities they experienced in the face of disaster."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 13:03:44 UTC

"It was in the rejection of disposability. It was in the constant check-ins. It was...looking into each other’s eyes and saying,...‘Do you have what you need?’ It was like we were all just holding little candles in the night, trying to collectively...see each other, and make sure we kept warm.”

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 13:04:18 UTC

"The only way...to navigate grief...in a meaningful way...was...to...weave those things together...Those things matter, of course, but how we’re doing matters just as much...How are we waging acts of care? What is our own practice of care? How are we making sure that the community is cared for?"

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 13:04:46 UTC

"The people most impacted by environmental racism are the very same families...staring down police violence. They are the same people...losing mental health clinics...And all...these things cumulatively are killing us. And so weaving that narrative, at that moment, felt really important to folks."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 13:05:19 UTC

"It...felt like an opportunity to...attend to the community’s broader set of needs in a new way. In a way that only the timing of the pandemic and this sort of intersection of issues, as they were presenting themselves, made possible. Collective survival was just underwritten into everything."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 13:05:55 UTC

"There was...so much work done to make sure folks had access to medicine and food, basic survival. Folks really ramped up their efforts to feed each other in the days after the implosion and to make sure people were able to get to the store to get what they needed, to get their asthma inhalers."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 13:06:28 UTC

"The volume on that kind of care turned up, not just because the need was greater, but because folks felt deeply recommitted to sustaining each other. And that was part of the resistance. It was the community’s way of saying, “They’re trying to kill us. We want us living. That’s the battle."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 13:07:05 UTC

Together, we transform water dripping with poisonous particles.

Together, we clear the air, thick with pollution, COVID, and lies.

Together, we honor the soil ground down with waste of industry and the bones of ancestors.

Together, we remember the souls snatched away from our family, always too soon

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 13:07:41 UTC

"Together, we turn chains to dust, returning the minerals in steel and concrete to the plants.

Together, we rest in community without being disposed of in our own beds.

Together, we rise to deprive the monster of its simple story, and replace it with our own."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 13:08:23 UTC

"Andreas Malm writes, “How do you keep on fighting when everything is lost? Ask a Palestinian.”..“A Palestinian is someone who is wading knee-deep in rubble. Palestinian politics is always already post-apocalyptic: it is about surviving..., salvaging something out of all that has been lost.”"

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 13:09:00 UTC

"Palestinian organizer Lea Kayali is well acquainted with...salvaging something out of all that has been lost. Her great-grandparents...fled during the Nakba, a...violent displacement...that occurred 1947-1948 as British troops destroyed...Palestinian villages...for the creation of...Israel."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 13:09:40 UTC

"“My family fled by boats and by foot...from Jaffa, Palestine, under fire to Gaza, and it was horrific,” Kayali told Kelly on Movement Memos...Thousands...were killed during the Nakba, and hundreds of thousands were displaced...Since the Nakba, Palestinians...have lived in...an open-air prison."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 13:10:15 UTC

"Israel has...engaged in...bombing campaigns...leaders cynically characterize as “mowing the grass.” During...bombing..., it is not unusual for Palestinian families to send 1 of their...children to another...while welcoming someone else’s child,...[so] a single bomb will not destroy a...family."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 13:10:46 UTC

"Being Palestinian...does not allow for the body to return to homeostasis due to the consistent trauma...Ereikat described the climate of grief...in May 2021, as Israeli bombs...rained down on Gaza: “My mother doesn’t allow music to be played in our house and declines invitations to gatherings."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 13:11:15 UTC

"My father...stops speaking and the news is on...for 18+ hours a day.” Yet, that same month, as Israeli bombardments of Gaza continued, Palestinians engaged in a historic general strike. Amid...bombings..., a message written by anonymous Palestinian organizers was...spreading fast on social media"

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 13:11:48 UTC

“The Dignity and Hope Manifesto,” addressed to the people of Palestine, states, “Here we are, writing a new chapter of courage and pride, in which we tell a story of justice and of the truth that no level of Israeli colonial repression can erase, however cruel and brutal that repression may be."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 13:12:24 UTC

“The Dignity and Hope Manifesto” describes how Palestinians have been separated by forced migration, bureaucracy, acts of violence, militarized isolation, and forced dispersal..The document states, “In these days, we write a new chapter, a chapter of a united Intifada that seeks our 1...only goal"

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 13:13:04 UTC

"...reuniting Palestinian society in all of its different parts; reuniting our political will, and our means of struggle to confront Zionism throughout Palestine.” The statement calls this struggle “an Intifada of consciousness” and “an Intifada to overthrow...the filth of quietude and defeatism.”

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 13:13:38 UTC

"The manifesto calls on all Palestinians to unite around their right to return home. Notably, the vision the manifesto invokes is global, stating that “this Intifada will be a long one in the streets of Palestine and in streets around the world; an intifada that fights the hand of injustice.”

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 13:14:10 UTC

“The Dignity and Hope Manifesto” conjured a powerful vision of global Palestinian solidarity...As Kayali told us...in August of 2022, “An all-out rejection of fragmentation gives strength and credence to our ability to hold the line and not cede to violence that’s happened over the last 75 years.”

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 13:15:24 UTC

"While Kayali believes that resistance should “materially challenge the conditions of our oppression,” she also believes that Palestinian traditions “that have been stolen from us over the last 75 years” can be sources of politicization, renewal, and hope. “I recently joined a dabke troupe."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 13:16:32 UTC

"“That...saved my life, being able to dance with my people...has...been amazing.” Kayali convinced the troupe...they should also form a reading group. She sees great potential in pairing “our...desire to reconnect with our culture...” with political education...to advance a...political project."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 13:17:07 UTC

"She...finds solace in her family’s...recipes..., but she acknowledges, “I wish we could live our messy lives without needing to cling to...joy as resilience, instead of just as joy.” Kayali...finds mutual aid...in Gaza inspiring, as people...collaborate with their co-strugglers in Palestine."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 13:17:38 UTC

"At the close of her reflection on Palestinian grief, Ereikat reminded readers of a video of 2 Palestinian children who searched through the rubble...Ereikat wrote, “I hope they save the birds...We are all birds who aspire to 1 day fly back to Palestine,...with more freedom and...less grief.”

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 13:18:12 UTC

"When...communities experience disaster, we understand that care...efforts are essential, even if some loss is inevitable...We know...care matters and...trying matters, come what may. It may be difficult for some...to imagine extending such sentiments to the larger world,...but it is possible."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 13:19:36 UTC

"Sometimes we expect the energy and feelings that we need in order to build movements amid crisis to flow naturally...That is the influence of individualism. Just as patience is a practice, rather than a feeling, hope and grief are not simply things we feel but things we enact in the world."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 13:20:09 UTC

"When we enact grief with intention, and in concert with other people, we can find and create moments of relief, comfort, and even joy—and those moments can sustain us. As Malkia Devich-Cyril writes, “Becoming aware of grief gives us more choices about how to respond to grief.""

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 13:20:39 UTC

"“[It] opens up possibilities to approach grief not only with compassion for self and others, but also with joy...Grief is the opposite of indifference.” Hope, too, requires us to reject indifference. And like any indifference-rejecting phenomenon, it demands effort in order to thrive."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 13:21:09 UTC

"Like...gardening,...[Active Hope] is something we do rather...It is a process we can apply to any situation...1st, we take a clear view of reality; 2nd, we identify what we hope for in terms of the direction we’d like things to move in...; and 3rd, we take steps to move...in that direction."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 13:21:37 UTC

"This practice of hope allows us to remain creative...It does not require us to deny the severity of our situation or detract from our practice of grief. To practice active hope, we do not need to believe that everything will work out in the end. We need only decide who we are choosing to be."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 13:22:23 UTC

"We need only decide...how we are choosing to function in relation to the outcome we desire and abide by what those decisions demand of us. This practice of hope does not guarantee any victories..., but it does make those victories more possible. Hope, therefore, is...a strategic imperative."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 13:22:55 UTC

"If we believe having a practice of hope and...grief are important..., we should be creating spaces...for this work...We must ask ourselves, Are we making space for grief in our organizing...? Are we talking about the practice of hope, and how we can orient ourselves in these daunting times?"

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 13:23:37 UTC

"What would making room for grief in your spaces look like? Some groups with a physical space might have “altar hours,” when members can visit...to grieve for...victims of any struggle. These could...be art-making hours, with craft supplies available for people to add decorative commemorations."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 13:24:11 UTC

"Making art and preserving stories are essential...in this era of overnight erasure...Grief spaces can provide opportunities for people to create and...hold space together..., or...allow people to experience grief in a place where...their loss, and...continued existence are held sacred."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 13:24:46 UTC

"In Octavia Butler’s novel The Parable of the Sower, characters who had...been deprived of the opportunity to memorialize lost loved ones buried acorns together, to lay their memories to rest...Similarly, memorial gardens for...whatever loss a community is enduring can create a therapeutic space."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 13:25:19 UTC

"In Chicago,...Assata’s Daughters dedicated its group’s garden to Takiya Holmes, an 11-year-old member...killed by a stray bullet in...2017. In...2022,...Chicago...groups...invited community members to contribute to the creation of a “seed quilt”...that will disintegrate...as...seeds...take root."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 13:25:51 UTC

"Even as participants stitched together squares to create this symbol of hope, they memorialized formerly incarcerated loved ones who were recently lost. The quilt will be installed...as a symbol of...abolition, which requires us to counter death-making institutions with life-giving efforts."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 13:26:23 UTC

"Memorials can...be biting or disruptive, and that,...can be a source of healing for participants. As politicians and corporations push us to accept a society that does not grieve mass death, our grief and stories of the dead can function as resistance. Dirges should drown out their speeches."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 13:27:05 UTC

"Pop-up memorials...from guerilla art to direct actions...where people use their own bodies to memorialize the dead, our practices...should overwhelm normalcy’s narratives...A...memorial...could draw connections between...forces causing...death while disrupting a violent cycle of forgetting."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 13:27:35 UTC

"Hundreds of memorial messages could be wheat-pasted throughout a city...People could spontaneously disrupt events that erase...deaths with poems...or songs. Acts of rebellious grief can take many shapes, but all are a rejection of mass death, an insistence on the humanity of those...passed."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 13:28:47 UTC

"We must also create practice space for hope...Our movements cannot be echo chambers of doom. When the news cycle is depleting us or members are worn down by loss or defeat, we should acknowledge this and engage in conversations, activities, and exercises that can help us reorient ourselves."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 13:29:08 UTC

"From...dialogues to artistic exercises..., we must create space for renewal and recommitment. Sometimes, the practice of hope takes the form of mutual aid...Lee Sandusky writes of grief, struggle, and mutual aid...where thousands...have died...attempting to cross the US-Mexico border."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 13:29:44 UTC

"Sandusky notes...the dead go uncounted, unidentified, and...ungathered. Sandusky organizes with No More Deaths, a group that provides mutual aid to border crossers...She and her co-strugglers...go on search missions for people lost in the desert and leave jugs of water for thirsty migrants."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 13:30:34 UTC

"Some...jugs are slashed open by US Border Patrol...By leaving jugs of water, mutual aid workers in the borderlands hold hope and grief...Some...jugs they scatter will alleviate suffering or...save lives, while others will become “plastic memorial stones for those who don’t make it.”"

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 13:31:06 UTC

"As Sandusky writes, “Border work is predicated on ending the deaths of those crossing—currently an insurmountable task—and much of the action we take is in response to grief, but also anger and hope; the 3 are inseparable motivations that sustain organizing and action within our community.”

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 13:31:39 UTC

"How does your community practice hope and grief in collectivity? Are such efforts planned intentionally? Has your group created any space...for people to process their hope or grief...? 1 exercise that might allow for the practice of...[both]...might be the creation of a memorial time capsule."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 13:32:26 UTC

"Members...could write messages, detailing what...activists 100 years from now should understand about the moment we are living in, and what losses were being erased. This activity...assumes the existence of activists 100 years from now, [so] there is hope embedded in...[its] basic premise."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 13:33:10 UTC

"Even as we fear environmental catastrophe, we can prepare messages for the activists of the future—asserting their existence in order to help make it so. This is also a time to cherish poetry, which has always played an important role in fueling hope and making space for grief in movements."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 13:33:41 UTC

"Poetry, like prayer, can provide a sense of communion—a joint hope, plea, or promise projected onto the world. Our movements are rich in poems, and we should embrace their anchoring power, incorporating poetry into actions...and events, dedicated with the specificity that groups see fit."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 13:34:13 UTC

"The system we are raging against erodes our compassion and confines our imaginations. In the face of such violence, poetry is a fitting weapon...we should wield...often. Some will consider these actions insufficiently political...[and] memorializations alone can sometimes be politically timid."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 13:34:43 UTC

"Actions that...prevent us from going numb, and...bring us into...communion with...people will be necessary to build a counterculture of care...Created thoughtfully, vigils can introduce radical ideas, initiate relationships, foster solidarity, and build power while...fulfilling an...unmet need."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 13:35:26 UTC

"Regardless of how we choose to grieve or cultivate hope, we know that we are living in disastrous times and that we will need one another. We are wading through hell and high water, tasked with dreaming new worlds into being while the worlds we have known fall down around us."

Chapter 8

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 13:36:04 UTC

"Cultivating hope...,anchoring people to one another, is as important...as it has ever been...As James Baldwin emphasized at the close of his book Nothing Personal, “The moment we cease to hold each other, the moment we break faith with one another, the sea engulfs us and the light goes out"

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 13:36:39 UTC

"Most people’s politics will not mirror our own, and even people who identify with us strongly on some points will...differ...on others. When organizers do not...understand each other’s...identities, people will...stumble and offend 1 another, even if they...wish to build...solidarity."

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 15:13:00 UTC

"Efforts to build diverse intergenerational movements...generate conflict...but the desire to shrink groups down to spaces of easy agreement is not conducive to movement building. The forces that oppress us may compete..., but...they...work together based on their death-making...shared interests."

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 15:13:17 UTC

"Oppressed people, on the other hand, often demand ideological alignment or even affinity when seeking to interrupt or upend structural violence. This tendency lends an advantage to the powerful that is not easily overcome. Put simply, we need more people. What do we mean by this?"

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 15:13:54 UTC

"We are not talking about launching search parties to find an...army...with already-perfect...politics with whom we...easily...align. Instead, organizing on the scale that our struggles demand means finding common ground...and building a...practice of politics in the pursuit of...just outcomes."

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 15:14:29 UTC

"To create movements, rather than clubhouses, we need to engage with people with whom we do not fully identify and may even dislike. We can build upon our expectations of such people and negotiate protocols around...respect, but...we will sometimes be uncomfortable or even offended."

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 15:15:06 UTC

"We...have to constructively critique people’s behavior or...allow them room to grow. There will be...times...when we have to draw hard lines, but if we cannot organize beyond the bounds of our comfort zones, we will never build movements large enough to combat the forces that would destroy us."

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 15:15:41 UTC

"Some groups have learned to navigate difference and animus out of necessity. Incarcerated people organizing within prisons, for example, often learn to put feuds, rivalries, and personal differences aside because they recognize the necessity of building with who is there."

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 15:16:36 UTC

"As Kelly and...Ejeris Dixon wrote...when discussing solidarity in the face of right-wing violence and the rise of fascism, "Not everyone we work with on a particular issue has to have deep ideological alignment...A skilled organizer should be able to work with people who aren’t of their...choosing"

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 15:17:08 UTC

"It’s...as simple as being attacked by fascist police...Once the attack begins, there are 2 sides: armed police inflicting violence and everyone else. We need to...see each other in those terms...in the face of unthinkable violence, scrambling to stay alive...doing the work to protect 1 another"

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 15:17:43 UTC

"This [alignment] will not come easily, because white supremacy and classism have forced many wedges between our communities. Great harms have been committed and very difficult conversations are needed, but refusing to do that work, in this historical moment, is an abdication of responsibility."

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 15:18:22 UTC

"This is not to say that we should seek no respite from the messiness...of...movement work. We...need spaces where we can operate within our comfort zone, whether...a collective,...or a group of friends, we need people with whom we can feel...seen and heard...with whose values we feel...aligned."

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 15:18:53 UTC

"They are full of contradiction and challenges we may feel unprepared for. Effective organizers operate beyond...their comfort zones, moving into...their “stretch zone,” when necessary. No one has to be able to work with everyone, but how far beyond the bounds of easy agreement can you reach?"

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 15:19:24 UTC

"In such a violent and oppressive world, we are all entitled to some amount of sanctuary. Many organizers have tight-knit political homes, sometimes grounded in shared identity, in addition to participating in broader organizing efforts. But broader movements are struggles, not sanctuaries."

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 15:20:12 UTC

"How much empathy can you extend...? How much discomfort can you navigate for what you believe is truly at stake? These are not questions anyone can answer for you,...but if we do not challenge ourselves to navigate some amount of discomfort, our political reach will have terminal limits."

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 15:22:47 UTC

“Like a lot of activists, I started out organizing out of trauma,” Aly Wane told us...Wane is an undocumented...activist...“I went into the work...as a traumatized activist...I...know where to express that trauma better...now.” Navigating his own traumas...in organizing spaces became a challenge."

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 15:23:17 UTC

"Many activists enter the work having...experienced...trauma...Those who are not directly traumatized by systemic violence often enter from a place of outrage. The trauma...that drives people into organizing spaces are real, but...our valid feelings can manifest...in ways that...hinder our work"

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 15:23:54 UTC

"“If someone came into an organizing space and didn’t know as much as I did, or would say offensive things about ‘illegals’ or ‘criminals,’ I would immediately go into fight or flight, saying, ‘Well, you said this,’ or ‘You called me that,’ and ‘How dare you,’ and blah, blah, blah.”"

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 15:24:33 UTC

"Wane’s anger about the use of dehumanizing language was valid. Throughout..., he...heard words like “illegals” and “criminals” deployed to justify violence...But venting his outrage in meeting spaces came at a cost. “It felt good, but then next meeting, it would just be me and my four acolytes.”"

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 15:25:21 UTC

"Wane says his organizing...in those days was “more of a crusade.” After years of being silenced and degraded, Wane told us, “it was about proving that I was right.” Most oppressed people spend their entire lives being told...their experience of oppression is natural, correct, or their own fault."

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 15:26:05 UTC

"Entering spaces where...struggles are recognized can be...empowering. It can...bring to the surface...emotions that society has never given us...space to process...“Every organizer knows that person who...talks and talks...and...they’re emotionally downloading,...it’s really not organizing.”"

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 15:26:46 UTC

"Entering therapy helped him make...intentional choices about...continuing to navigate his...trauma, Wane came to accept...he was going to encounter ideas...that...offend...“I can’t be reactive...I can’t...go, ‘Well, here’s why I’m right.’ I...need to think about where that person is coming from.”

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 15:27:17 UTC

"People who have experienced...dehumanization...want...environments where they do not experience the dynamics that have made their lives...difficult...When we...realize...people can and...do treat us with...respect...,...we would want to insist...all interactions be held to such a standard."

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 15:27:56 UTC

"After all, if some people can treat us in ways that make us feel good and whole, why shouldn’t all people in movement spaces automatically do so? But political transformation is not as simple as handing newcomers a new set of politics and telling them, “Yours are bad, use these instead.”

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 15:28:32 UTC

"We will sometimes have to accompany people along messy transformational journeys. And...no matter how far we have come, we are...on our own messy journeys, and our...transformations will continue...To expand the practice of our politics..., we have...to organize outside...our comfort zones."

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 15:29:34 UTC

"People whose words and ideas don’t yet align with our own...need room to grow,...in...imperfect ways. How do...organizers cope with the frustration and discomfort that...accompany organizing alongside people with whom we don’t perfectly align? For Wane, resisting reactive responses was key."

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 15:30:11 UTC

"“I found that by not reacting, and [by] drawing out that person’s story, I became a much more effective organizer, because people who I thought I would never have been able to be in conversation with were at least receptive to what I was saying in ways that they weren’t before.”

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 15:30:52 UTC

"Wane recalled 1 occasion when...his team set up an outreach table at an upstate New York farmers’ market, predominantly...with conservative white people. Wane and his co-organizers set up a table of fruits and vegetables and distributed literature about the issues undocumented farmworkers face."

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 15:31:39 UTC

"He and his co-organizers knew that many...white people...would not be sympathetic to their cause, but they viewed their efforts...as a challenge: an opportunity to sharpen their organizing skills...“We had...conversations with folks you would assume would be...anti-immigrant,” Wane told us."

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 15:32:24 UTC

"Upon reading...literature, white people...would sometimes get defensive or make offensive comments about “illegals,” but instead of arguing, Wane’s team would ask questions. “We started asking, ‘How do you make...money?’...Asking how hard or easy it was for them to make...money in this economy.”

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 15:33:06 UTC

"Encouraging people to talk about their...hardships opened up...space for exchange, and Wane found that people became...open to...the struggles of undocumented families. “We started having...conversations about...how hard it is to make ends meet, and we were able to get...folks...to sign petitions.”

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 15:33:36 UTC

"Wane’s handling of the situation was the product...of organizing skills. He knew from experience that even among people with shared values..., it is easy to be derailed by...defensiveness. This practice effort, of engaging...people...allowed him to flex and test his communication skills."

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 15:34:07 UTC

"While the exercise was...focused on honing the craft of organizers than actually attaining signatures for petitions, some...did sign the...petition, which he considered a...victory. When he was young in his organizing, Wane would not have had the patience to listen to...what he heard that day."

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 15:34:45 UTC

"“I would not have had the capacity,” he told us, to tolerate the deployment of stereotypes about “illegals.” But that day, Wane was not quick to react. “I just kept listening,” he said. Wane noted that having...intentional space...to talk about such moments made his practice of patience possible."

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 15:35:13 UTC

"He knew he would not have to hold in his feelings indefinitely, but...he was waiting to share them with people who cared...Wane...says that in organizing..., “What I’m trying to achieve is to get as many folks...at the table having conversations about the immigration system and how to change it.”

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 15:35:50 UTC

"Wane has...come to realize...the system deals out bias...and...he...probably wouldn’t understand the realities of his oppression if not for his 1sthand experience. “I know...that if I weren’t an immigrant..., I would have...no idea how this system works or how complicated it is,” Wane told us."

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 15:36:29 UTC

“And I might have the same stereotypes that many of the folks who I would consider on the other side would have, because it’s an opaque system just like the criminal justice system. These systems are intentionally opaque in order to sort of preserve the mythos around them.”

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 15:37:13 UTC

"To do the...work...Wane has described, a person has to hone...the ability to listen. When people delve into activism, they often grapple with questions like, “Am I willing to get arrested,” when often the more pressing question for a new activist is, “Am I willing to listen, even when it’s hard?”

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 15:37:52 UTC

"For...Ruth Wilson Gilmore, it was her time in Alcoholics Anonymous that helped...transform her practice of listening. “...I learned...especially in the 1st couple years...I was going to meetings, was the beauty of the rule against cross talk. It was the best thing...I had to...learn to listen.”

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 15:38:24 UTC

"The urge to interject or object ran deep for Gilmore. “I’ve always been a nerd, yet I’ve always been a know-it-all,” she told us, “so there’s this tension between my nerdiness that wants to know everything and my know-it-all-ness that wants everybody to know that I know it all already”

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 15:39:01 UTC

"At 1st, listening did not come easily—or feel particularly productive—to Gilmore. “I would sit in these meetings,...and at 1st I was like, ‘I don’t get this’...in the early days, it was just a performance of words...My main thing was, ‘I won’t drink when I leave this meeting. I won’t drink.’”

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 15:39:39 UTC

"Over time, Gilmore began to appreciate the role of listening in the group’s collective struggle to avoid drugs and alcohol—even when she did not appreciate what was being said. “...[I was] learning to...listen, and keep my eye on the prize, which was not just that I wasn’t going to drink.”"

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 15:40:19 UTC

"Being committed to the sobriety of every person...meant listening to their story and being invested in their well-being, helped Gilmore develop a...practice of patience. “That was...this transformation...that carried into the organizing...I already used to do before I got sober,” she told us."

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 15:40:53 UTC

"It is our ability to constructively engage with other people that will ultimately power our efforts. We have to nurture that ability and respect its importance in all of the ways that our society does not. And that skill of constructive engagement starts with listening."

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 15:41:29 UTC

"Radical educator and philosopher Paulo Freire wrote, “The more radical the person is, the more fully he or she enters into reality so that, knowing it better, he or she can better transform it. This individual is not afraid to confront, to listen, to see the world unveiled.”

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 15:42:40 UTC

"This may sound like an attitude...but it’s also a skill set. The impulse to interrupt...or pull conversation in another direction can be strong. The temptation to exert power over, rather than power with, by attempting to deposit our...perspective in a person’s mind is ingrained by this system"

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 15:43:50 UTC

"In teacher-student relations, Freire called...efforts to deposit ideas the “banking concept of education.” He argued that instead of trying to deposit ideas into people, as [if] humans were receptacles, knowledge must flow from a relational, nonhierarchical, and mutually creative process."

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 15:44:29 UTC

"Freire argued for...political...“problem-posing” education. While banking...“anesthetizes and inhibits creative power,”...problem-posing education “involves a constant unveiling of reality.” The ability to...contemplate challenges in concert with people...makes collective growth possible."

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 15:45:03 UTC

"Many...describe themselves as good listeners. In reality, most...are not. This disparity...can be explained by the fact that most people think of being a good listener as a personality trait...but while being a good listener may come more easily to some..., it is not...a mere personality trait."

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 15:45:37 UTC

"Like so many...aspects of organizing, listening is a practice,...a strategic one...When people say things that make us uneasy or impatient, instead of listening, we often hone in on what we want to say next, or drift into contemplation of how the matter relates to our own plans or experiences."

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 15:46:11 UTC

"To stay in the moment with another person, to truly...consider what they are saying without slipping into reaction or retreating inward, can require intention. If we are bored, uncomfortable, or irritated, we may be inclined to...interrupt or escape. This tendency hinders us in a number of ways."

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 15:46:50 UTC

"1st..., we might need to hear something true that makes us uncomfortable. Listening deeply makes space for that...But even if the person...is off base, we can...learn by listening...Why do they feel the way they do? What sources informed...them?...What makes them hesitant to...engage...boldly?"

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 15:47:23 UTC

"If...in an organizing space together, how has that issue brought them into a shared space...despite...differences? What...agreement might you build upon?...A good organizer wants to understand these things about the people around them, and you cannot truly understand...without listening."

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 15:48:00 UTC

"Organizers will often repeat the maxim, “We have to meet people where they are at.” It is difficult to meet someone where they’re at when you do not know where they are. Until you have heard someone out, you do not know where they are, so how could you hope to meet them there?"

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 15:49:10 UTC

"Relationships are not built through presumption or through the deployment of tropes or stereotypes. We must understand people as having their own unique experiences, traumas, struggles, ideas, and motivations that will inform how they show up to organizing spaces."

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 15:50:33 UTC

"Some task-focused activists brush off activities that involve “talking about our feelings.” This is a common sentiment among bad listeners. The fundamental skill of patiently absorbing another person’s words in a respectful and thoughtful manner is desperately lacking in our society."

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 15:51:35 UTC

"It is folly to expect this skill to manifest itself fully formed when it is...needed, such as in a heated meeting, if we are not building a greater culture of listening in our work. A group culture that helps participants build...listening skills is an important component of successful organizing."

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 15:51:54 UTC

"Political education can create opportunities...to practice listening to one another, without interruption, and interacting meaningfully with what others...contributed...During the Great Depression,...organizers in...Alabama, developed a practice of devoting 30 minutes...to political education."

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 15:52:26 UTC

"For 30 minutes, material would be read aloud—creating space to collectively listen while also allowing members who could not read the opportunity to hear the information. Members would then spend 15 minutes discussing the material, listening to each other’s thoughts in response to the work."

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 15:53:33 UTC

"Poetry circles are another activity that can deepen a group’s ability to listen, reflect, and grapple with ideas together. In 2010, Project NIA released a curriculum Mariame developed called “Giving Name to the Nameless”: Using Poetry as an Anti-Violence Intervention with Girls."

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 15:54:18 UTC

"This...was the result of years of sitting in circles held by...a youth-led, adult-supported social-change project...Young people of color sat and read together and listened to how the texts related to personal...communal experiences...Everyone had their turn to read, to speak, and to listen."

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 15:55:16 UTC

"The act of listening..., as participants read aloud and...share their...perspectives on the poems, is good practice in a society where people are...distracted or focused on what they might say next. Listening to someone talk about a poem and how it impacted them is an empathetic exercise."

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 15:55:53 UTC

"In organizing, we sometimes expect people, including ourselves, to shed the habits this society has embedded in us through...force..., when in reality we all need practice. Activities that help us hone our practice of listening can make us better organizers...and help us build stronger...movements"

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 15:56:30 UTC

"As we...build more sustainable movements, we must think...about...strategies for responding when organizers make mistakes. Social media can...foster...“zero-tolerance”...about...missteps. Platforms like Twitter...have...created an arena for political..critique...divorced from relationship building"

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 15:57:06 UTC

"For many..., social media is not an organizing tool but a realm of political performance...A trend has emerged in which some organizers will demand performances of solidarity and awareness on social media but then critique or even tear apart those performances when they fall short."

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 15:57:44 UTC

"When the performance of solidarity via the replication of the right words...becomes our central focus, it’s not surprising that responses might read as empty...Sloganizing is not organizing, and paying righteous lip service to a cause,...does not empty any cages or transform...material conditions."

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 15:58:25 UTC

"Rather than fixating on the grammar of people’s politics, we organizers must ask ourselves what we want people to do. When debates arise around language, we must also understand the extent to which the language of dissent and liberation has shifted over time."

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-08 15:59:03 UTC

"The terms...we use today do not represent an “arrival” at the “correct” words..., while our predecessors flailed about in search of them. The language we uplift...today represents an unending process of grappling—a search for words that embody the experiences of oppressed people..."

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-09 19:38:16 UTC

"Policing language, as though our phrasing is written in law, misunderstands that pursuit and the purpose it serves. If these words merely exist to divide us into categories—those who can properly discuss ideas and those who cannot—what is their value in the pursuit of liberation?"

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-09 19:38:49 UTC

"While it is important to trouble terminology and to engage with its evolution, the mastery of language does not spur systemic change or alter anyone’s material conditions. The concept of “allyship,” for example, is often grounded in presentation rather than substantive action."

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-09 19:39:17 UTC

"...people who believe they are “good people” often view goodness as a fixed identity, evidenced by...feelings about injustice rather than a set of practices...Goodness...is a designation to be defended rather than something...they seek to generate in the world in concert with other people."

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-09 19:39:50 UTC

"Mainstream liberals often fall prey to this...thinking because liberal politics play...heavily into political identity as being determinant of whether a person is good or bad...But the left can fall into...this trap by treating politics as a test of how well we...perform language or recite ideas."

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-09 19:40:28 UTC

"Our movements are not driven by getting the words just right. They are driven by the goal of enacting change through collective struggle as we endeavor to both understand ideas and turn them into action. Fumbling is inevitable, but, as Gilmore tells us, “practice makes different.”"

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-09 19:41:10 UTC

""Longtime organizer and Vision Change Win founder Ejeris Dixon emphasizes that people will show up imperfectly and that organizers have to anticipate that mistakes and harm will happen. “I worry we’re creating a culture now where people are so afraid to make mistakes,” she told us."

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-09 19:41:47 UTC

“They’re afraid to not have the analysis before they open their mouth. The bonds...I’m...trying to build within organizing are...where we can divulge the things that we are nervous about..., because that’s when...we’re building the...intimacy that takes care of each other around heightened threats.”

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-09 19:42:20 UTC

"When trust is lost, organizing...becomes more difficult,...[and] more vulnerable to...infiltration: “A huge piece of COINTELPRO was...seeding distrust.” Therefore,...a key part of organizing is building bonds of trust, and that can only happen...where people are allowed to...make mistakes."

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-09 19:43:05 UTC

"Learning and growing in front of other people can be embarrassing...,for people who have been put down...Even seasoned organizers...worry about derailing their work with a verbal misstep. “I have a...crew of...organizers where...our text thread is mostly questions we are afraid to ask publicly.”"

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-09 19:43:40 UTC

“It’s our own...political education circle, where we ask, ‘What does this mean?’ Or, ‘Is this fucked up?’ Or, ‘What is the right way to say this? Because I don’t think this is right.’” Dixon...believes “everyone needs...movement spaces...for people to “feel safe in their process of transforming.”

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-09 19:44:11 UTC

""Creating trust-based movement spaces also puts us in a better place to confront harm and conflict, Dixon says. “The biggest part of the work is how we maintain relationships while navigating harm,” she told us. “Because that’s the thing, that will break your group. That’ll break any project.”"

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-09 19:44:40 UTC

"Dixon stresses the importance of conflict resolution and accountability mechanisms within groups—that is, group- or community-based methods of confronting harm...She also reminds us that in order for accountability mechanisms to serve their purpose, people need room and opportunities to grow."

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-09 19:45:08 UTC

"“People need to build skills and mechanisms to navigate conflict. Sometimes we’re not apologizing. Sometimes we’re not accountable. Sometimes we have done harmful things. Sometimes we’re doing things we were never told go against the norms [of the group] and then are being held accountable.”"

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-09 19:45:32 UTC

"In an organizing space, accountability should not be about policing or punishment, but our punitive impulses can sometimes twist accountability mechanisms into those shapes. It’s easy to forget how imperfectly we have shown up in movement spaces and throughout our lives."

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-09 19:46:05 UTC

"Sometimes our aggravation with others is rooted in pain...we...experienced; sometimes it is rooted in our uneasiness about things we...said...that were equally upsetting because we did not...know what we know now...Many of us would not be in this work...if someone...had not been patient with us."

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-09 19:46:32 UTC

"There is no formula for moving from a problematic comment to a celebratory dinner...but such outcomes are possible...Even if we never get to...develop...mutual respect...we can still build power...In many cases, we must...We must ask ourselves, How much discomfort is the whole world worth?"

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-09 19:47:09 UTC

"What activists call “burnout” is rarely characterized by exhaustion alone. If people experiencing burnout were simply exhausted..., they could...rest away the problem. But for activists, burnout often describes...a profound exhaustion paired with an injury to our dignity or sense of belonging."

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-09 19:47:43 UTC

"People experiencing burnout may feel unappreciated, betrayed, exploited, blamed, or as...[if] they no longer belong, in addition to feeling physically and emotionally depleted. Too often, burnout marks the end of an organizer’s work, as many depart...movements resentful, weary, or...in despair."

Chapter 9

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-09 19:48:17 UTC

"These destructive dynamics are perpetuated...by a culture of martyrdom...The idea that we should be willing to die for what we believe in resonates with many...and lends itself to the notion that we should...work ourselves to death. This can lead us to make commitments that exceed our capacity."

Chapter 10

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-09 19:48:45 UTC

"Movement work can endanger our lives, but if we...believe that human lives have value outside of capitalism..., we must value our own. We must preserve our health...So, how can we reconcile the urgency of our work—as we...square off with intractable enemies—with preserving our health?"

Chapter 10

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-09 21:01:21 UTC

"People who commit themselves to justice work should not see their lives ruined or shortened because they chose to fight for a better world. Such losses are themselves a form of injustice. We must also understand that when we lose activists and organizers to burnout, our movements suffer."

Chapter 10

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-09 21:03:05 UTC

"We...lose knowledge and experience, hard-fought bonds of solidarity, and people who model what the world should be. As we struggle to balance our lives with what the work demands of us, we must ask ourselves whether the manner in which we organize reflects the world we want to build."

Chapter 10

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-09 21:03:56 UTC

"The 2 of us have learned that care must be a community practice and, further, that our personal care practices may require discipline. Sometimes we must apply the same level of effort and focus that we bring to our projects and campaigns to the maintenance of our health and well-being."

Chapter 10

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-09 21:04:29 UTC

"Like many..., we sometimes push our limits and exhaust ourselves, but we...endeavor to make space for rest, learning, and joy, because we know that without those...we will not endure as people or in this work. As organizers, we do not want to inspire a culture of martyrdom or self-destruction."

Chapter 10

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-09 21:06:17 UTC

"We believe in a culture of care, where people who engage in struggle are...supported...If we exempt ourselves from that vision, we cannot model...it in the world. We...believe that developing group practices around conflict resolution and cultivating belonging can help to mitigate some...burnout."

Chapter 10

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-09 21:06:52 UTC

"Sharon Lungo is an Indigenous organizer...When we talked..., we asked what advice she wished she had been given as a young organizer. She told us, “I wish...people would have been more staunch in reminding me...I get to prioritize myself..., in addition to everything...I....give to the movement.”

Chapter 10

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-09 22:19:42 UTC

"Lungo told us, “I...wore this work as an identity for a long time,...and stepping outside of that meant that I wasn’t supporting my people or supporting the Earth,...when I...had gifts that would support this movement...” The feelings of guilt...that Lungo described are common among...organizers."

Chapter 10

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-09 22:20:15 UTC

"[Lungo] coordinated countless protests and facilitated...trainings for thousands...But while her work was rich, Lungo deprived herself of many comforts. “I wish...more people had reminded me that it was OK to...take pleasure in things...that it wasn’t...about sacrificing my youth...,” Lungo said.

Chapter 10

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-09 22:20:41 UTC

"After devoting over 1/4 of a century to movement work, Lungo wishes she had prioritized...her mental health...Lungo believes she should not “have settled for living on couches,...while...white folks...took big vacations. I should have given myself permission to love myself by saying no to things.”

Chapter 10

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-09 22:21:33 UTC

"While organizing...involves sacrifices,...they are not evenly distributed. Most communities have stalwart organizers who...work through the night to ensure...a deadline gets met. The...sacrifices of those organizers are rarely acknowledged, just as their labor is...assumed rather than supported."

Chapter 10

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-09 22:22:24 UTC

"Committed organizers often carry the weight of knowing they are...a potential vulnerability..., since their sudden absence...could bring important work to a halt...Too often, organizations that have the resources to lighten the workload..., instead treat such people as assets to be exploited."

Chapter 10

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-09 22:22:54 UTC

"Black, Indigenous, and women and trans people of color...experience...“hyper-accountability,” where, in addition to performing a disproportionate amount of labor..., a...marginalized person...is expected to respond...flawlessly to any and all claims that their work...is...lacking."

Chapter 10

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-09 22:23:45 UTC

"For a long time, Lungo felt she must simply endure these blows until the bitter end...In her 40s, Lungo experienced a profound level of burnout and faced a reckoning: Was she truly disposable, or was she deserving of care, healing, and recovery? After years of self-neglect, Lungo chose to heal."

Chapter 10

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-09 22:24:25 UTC

"As she began to care for herself, Lungo realized that in treating herself as disposable, she had failed to envision herself in the future she had been striving to create...By failing to imagine her place in the world she was fighting for, Lungo impeded her ability to fully envision that world."

Chapter 10

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-10 00:10:35 UTC

"Lungo...emphasized the importance of understanding that movement work is “a life journey” and that “things happen slowly over time.” Such pacing can be difficult to reconcile for people who are mobilized during highly energetic moments or who organize around local...emergencies."

Chapter 10

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-10 00:11:12 UTC

"Transformation is slow work,... so we must find ways to sustain it for the long haul. “Real change, real development, real growth, real organizing happens slowly,” Lungo said. “...It happens on the day-to-day, and in encouraging each other to find the balance between these big bursts and moments.”"

Chapter 10

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-10 00:12:52 UTC

"Lungo warned that a “thirst for something big...” that would “move...people in big ways” can inhibit an activist’s ability to pace their work...“We actually don’t need to move everyone...” she explained. “We need to move a smaller portion of people...” to initiate...shifts in political...action."

Chapter 10

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-10 00:13:36 UTC

"Lungo noted...“the everyday work that you do with each other...” is...important...Rather than...attempting to force a mass activation in the absence of momentum, Lungo hopes more organizers will...cultivate skills that will help them...cope with pressure and trauma in higher-intensity moments."

Chapter 10

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-10 00:14:18 UTC

"Taking...time to learn and...grow your skills is as important as getting off your ass when shit is happening, and heading to the streets. Building with each other in the “off season”...in the spaciousness of that time [helps] to have conversations about...strategy. Asking, “What if we tried this?”"

Chapter 10

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-10 00:15:07 UTC

"Exploring all...different scenarios...in a moment where you can breathe,...think, and...take care of yourself spiritually and emotionally—and factor in all the trauma that comes with your body and your life..., we can stop and expand [our practice] and have a larger view of things."

Chapter 10

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-10 00:16:12 UTC

"Creating space for exploration outside of high-pressure moments allows organizers to develop a deeper understanding of the strategies, tactics, and histories that inform their work and to build stronger relationships. Burnout...can...have lasting emotional and physical impacts."

Chapter 10

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-10 00:16:47 UTC

"“How many...have we lost due to mental health struggles...?” Lungo asked. She urges us to ask ourselves how we are recognizing that reality and shaping our movements to respond to it.“That is as important as driving ahead with your campaign or continuing to get the signatures...,” Lungo told us."

Chapter 10

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-10 00:32:49 UTC

"“Stopping and giving yourself that space to converse, to learn, to explore, to try the things...you’ve been wanting to do...To really get to know and understand yourself in situations that could potentially be hard, so that when you’re in those moments, we can support each other.”"

Chapter 10

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-10 00:34:21 UTC

"What does it mean to support each other and take care of ourselves during urgent times?...It can be difficult...to rest when pausing means the work...will not happen...We do not all have the same skill sets or capacity for risk, but...[taking] pressure off of organizers can take many shapes."

Chapter 10

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-10 00:35:36 UTC

"“To...[support] me can mean asking, ‘Hey,...Can I send you food?...how do I take something off your plate?’ Not, ‘You should slow down,’ but, ‘I see what...we’re up against...’ Dixon believes in care strategies that involve assessing conditions and making sure organizers are not going it alone."

Chapter 10

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-10 00:36:10 UTC

"The best way to do collaborative...collective care is to ask, How are we backing each other up? How are we encouraging each other to take the breaks we need...? How do we make sure the goals of our work are covered so that nobody has to burn themselves out because they’re politically committed?"

Chapter 10

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-10 00:36:56 UTC

"Are we making sure that every role has multiple people in that role? How do we create more of our work in teams? Relief teams and mechanisms can be created...around particular organizing tasks or roles, or...when an organizer...needs help with...life tasks, like cooking...or picking up groceries."

Chapter 10

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-10 00:37:43 UTC

"Organizing...can be done in shifts so...people have time to take breaks and take care of themselves...These...formations will vary..., but their core function is essential: to treat organizers as human beings whose lives will sometimes interrupt their labor, rather than as batteries to be drained."

Chapter 10

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-10 00:38:23 UTC

"“How do we create more of our work with the idea that any of us may need to take a pause at any point in time?”...Rather than grounding self-care in individualism, “it’s really about building structures for collective and collaborative care that also don’t leave anyone behind.”"

Chapter 10

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-10 00:39:00 UTC

Chapter 10

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-10 00:39:48 UTC

"To create sustainable movements, we must view relief structures, mechanisms, and agreements as essential to the architecture of our movement work...To understand what we owe to the Earth and what we owe each other, we must recognize our place within a larger web-work of interdependent life."

Chapter 10

EquitableForAll — 2026-02-10 00:40:37 UTC

"We all have a responsibility to care for our communities and care for the Earth. And again, it is that reciprocal relationship, and it’s part of how we’re in balance with ourselves, in balance with our communities, in balance with our tribal communities, and that’s how it was historically."

Chapter 10

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 20:28:47 UTC

"We all had a place, and...a role...Embracing interdependency and rejecting individualism can help us develop sustainable practices of balance...We must [also] take seriously the daily, personal practices that can nurture our well-being...that can...become compromised amid a heated struggle."

Chapter 10

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 20:29:24 UTC

"Is there a place that makes you feel whole or revived in some way? How often are you able to inhabit that space? If that place is inaccessible, what ritual...brings you closest to it? What practices...help you experience a sense of renewal? Are these practices an ongoing part of your life?"

Chapter 10

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 20:29:46 UTC

"Organizers are not machines. We are living beings who experience stages of energetic growth, periods of exhaustion, and...stages of healing, reconfiguration, and renewal. The same is true of movements and communities. However, under capitalism, our value is measured in terms of our productivity."

Chapter 10

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 20:30:16 UTC

"When our capacity wanes due to illness, exhaustion, or duress, workers are largely expected to remain productive...and to continue to contribute to the economy. When we fail to do so, we are viewed as less valuable and made to feel inadequate or even burdensome, and we are at risk of disposal."

Chapter 10

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 20:31:07 UTC

"When we fail..., we are viewed as less valuable & made to feel inadequate..., & we are at risk of disposal. It is unsurprising that this mentality manifests...in our movement work, but the idea that we must remain “productive” at all costs leads to frustration, resentment, burnout, & collapse."

Ableism

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 20:33:40 UTC

A system, according to Talila “TL” Lewis, that assigns “value on people’s bodies and minds based on societally constructed ideas of normality, intelligence, excellence, desirability, and productivity. These constructed ideas are deeply rooted in eugenics, anti-Blackness, misogyny, colonialism, imperialism, and capitalism. This systemic oppression leads to people and society determining who is valuable and worthy based on a person’s language, appearance, religion, and/or their ability to satisfactorily re/produce, excel and ‘behave.’”1 See, for example, Decarcerating Disability: Deinstitutionalization and Prison Abolition (Liat Ben-Moshe, 2020).

Abolition

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 20:35:06 UTC

A broad-ranging movement to both eradicate the prison-industrial complex and its foundations of racial capitalism, settler colonialism, and cis-hetero-patriarchy and to create new systems in its place that focus on meeting people’s needs, preventing and transforming harm, and building true community safety and well-being. See, for example, No More Police: A Case for Abolition (Mariame Kaba and Andrea Ritchie, 2022) and Becoming Abolitionists: Police, Protests, and the Pursuit of Freedom (Derecka Purnell, 2021).

Activism

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 20:39:00 UTC

The many ways that people fight for justice, including through advocacy, research, canvassing, fundraising, attending marches or meetings regularly, and using other skills in service of a cause or campaign.

Capital

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 20:39:22 UTC

Money that is used to accumulate more money. Those with capital have the power to accumulate more capital due to the social relations under capitalism in which workers are compelled to labor and produce value for the capitalists.

Capitalism

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 20:40:28 UTC

An economic system under which private actors control and own the means of production (tools and materials necessary for production such as land, factories, office buildings, machinery, IT infrastructure, and so on) and pay workers a wage while keeping the surplus value of workers’ labor (profit). Capitalism relies on the exploitation of the working class to maintain concentrated power and profit for a small group. See, for example, A People’s Guide to Capitalism: An Introduction to Marxist Economics (Hadas Thier, 2020).

Capitalist Class

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 20:40:54 UTC

A class of people made up of those who control the means of production, have political power, dictate the terms of others’ working conditions, or own capital that can be invested in production.

Colonialism

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 20:47:17 UTC

The practice of violently taking & maintaining political, physical, & social control of another country or territory & either expelling or subjugating the prior inhabitants in order to extract resources & concentrate power. See, for example, The Wretched of the Earth (Frantz Fanon, 1961)

Direct Action

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 20:48:51 UTC

Tactics often used in social movements such as protests, civil disobedience, sit-ins, blockades, strikes, walkouts, dearrests, banner drops, and sabotage that are meant to disrupt the system and achieve a political goal outside of the formal channels of civic engagement. Direct action tactics are used for a wide range of purposes, such as to prevent evictions, defend the environment, highlight systemic contradictions, bring awareness to a problem, stop harmful proposals, and express community outrage See, for example, Shut It Down: Stories from a Fierce, Loving Resistance (Lisa Fithian, 2019).

Healing Justice

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 20:50:45 UTC

A framework, according to healer & organizer Cara Page, that “identifies how we can holistically respond to & intervene on generational trauma & violence & to bring collective practices that can impact and transform the consequences of oppression on our bodies, hearts, & minds. Through this frame-work we continue to build political and philosophical convergences of healing inside of liberation movements and organizations.” See, for example, Care Work: Dreaming Disability Justice (Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, 2018) and Healing Justice Lineages: Dreaming at the Crossroads of Liberation, Collective Care, and Safety (Cara Page and Erica Woodland, 2023).

Migrant Justice

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 20:52:31 UTC

A movement for dignity, freedom, housing, self-determination, medical care, and freedom of movement for migrant communities and workers. Like all movements, the migrant justice movement has varying aims, but it generally works against deportations, immigrant detention, and the criminalization of migrants and in favor of open borders or a world without borders. See, for example, Border and Rule: Global Migration, Capitalism, and the Rise of Racist Nationalism (Harsha Walia, 2021).

Mutual Aid

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 20:58:28 UTC

Collective and community-based practices and efforts to meet people’s needs, independent of state systems and other hierarchical, oppressive arrangements ...Mutual aid is grounded in reciprocity and solidarity rather than charity, and builds shared understandings of the systemic failures that make community care for survival necessary. Mutual aid is a form of...political participation that allows us to build relationships and formations that make the conditions we face more survivable and strengthen our ability to take collective action. See, for example, Mutual Aid: Building Solidarity between This Crisis (and the Next) (Dean Spade, 2020).

Neoliberalism

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 20:59:18 UTC

A political-economic dynamic generally beginning in the 1970s and 1980s that is characterized by prioritization of “free”-market capitalism, deregulation, hyper-individualism, government austerity, and cuts to social welfare spending, manufactured scarcity, and upward redistribution of resources. See, for example, Neoliberalism’s Demons: On the Political Theology of Late Capital (Adam Kotsko, 2018).

Nonreformist Reforms

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:00:24 UTC

Reforms that get at the root of a problem and don’t maintain the status quo. The idea of nonreformist reforms has been taken up by prison-industrial complex (PIC) abolitionists and include changes to the criminal legal system that remove power, authority, equipment, legitimacy, and resources from the PIC, reducing the system’s capacity for violence and social control ...Non-reformist reform is a common framework in PIC abolition movements, dedicated to the principle that we should not support reforms that we will later have to dismantle (such as building “mental health” jails or supporting electronic monitoring and other forms of community control) See, for example, Prison by Any Other Name: The Harmful Consequences of Popular Reforms (Maya Schenwar and Victoria Law, 2020).

Organizing

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:05:56 UTC

The process of building collective power as a group and using this power to create positive change in people’s lives and shift existing power relations. Organizing involves building people power, constantly bringing new people into the struggle, challenging systemic injustice and inequity, and giving people who are directly impacted by injustice a sense of their own power and a way to exercise it.

Prison-Industrial Complex (PIC)

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:09:26 UTC

The vast web of government and private interests that create, sustain, and reproduce the criminal punishment system. According to the organization Critical Resistance, the PIC is a term used “to describe the overlapping. ...interests of government and industry that use surveillance, policing, and imprisonment as solutions to economic, social, and political problems.” See, for example, Abolition Now! Ten Years of Strategy and Struggle against the Prison Industrial Complex (CR10 Publications Collective, 2008).

Safety

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:09:52 UTC

The ability, according to the organization API Chaya, “to bring, be, and move through the world as your full self.” See, for example, Beyond Survival: Strategies and Stories from the Transformative Justice Movement (ed. Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha and Ejeris Dixon, 2020).

Working Class

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:10:26 UTC

A class of people made up of anyone who must sell their labor in order to survive and has no access to the means of production themselves.

Kelly Hayes' Conclusion

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:17:04 UTC

"That irresistible urge to join in a collective experience, to embrace a fuller sense of connection and communion with those around you because something beautiful is happening, is not attached to every moment of protest or struggle, but we do need those moments to exist."

Kelly Hayes' Conclusion

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:17:42 UTC

"The action...created inspiring imagery that would hearten an imprisoned co-struggler, challenge a government official, & bring community members together in...political communion, where...moral certainty & belonging overwhelmed any impulse to justify, tolerate, or cooperate with the system."

Kelly Hayes' Conclusion

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:18:07 UTC

"That communion against injustice, that defiant love, that refusal to abandon, our willingness to stand...together, & the ability to find joy in that togetherness,...I was...grateful...because in our...fractured world there was a sense of wholeness to be found...in struggle with other humans."

Kelly Hayes' Conclusion

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:18:50 UTC

"Defense committees or campaigns are grassroots efforts to secure the freedom of a person who has been incarcerated or otherwise targeted for criminalization, through community organizing, political pressure, community education, legal and media advocacy, and other strategies."

Kelly Hayes' Conclusion

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:19:28 UTC

"Defense-committee organizing is a form of mutual aid that embodies...ideas that we have discussed in this book: resisting state violence, refusing to abandon people, and delegitimizing the carceral state’s simplistic conclusions about who is worthy of punishment and who is worthy of life."

Kelly Hayes' Conclusion

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:20:15 UTC

"Black women who were faced with the prospect of having their futures stolen by the carceral system because they were willing to defend their...lives against abusive partners. It is essential...to understand that...some people are simply expected to die rather than disrupt the order of things."

Kelly Hayes' Conclusion

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:20:30 UTC

"In a just society, people would have hung their heads in shame, asking how we could have allowed this child to arrive at such a choice. How could we have failed an abused child, one who begged to be saved, so horribly that she would have to do the unthinkable?"

Kelly Hayes' Conclusion

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:21:05 UTC

"In a just world, a loving community would have rallied to meet the needs of Bresha’s family, to ensure she could access healing, and to make whatever changes were necessary to ensure that no child would ever be plunged into a similar hell. But we do not live in that society."

Kelly Hayes' Conclusion

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:21:36 UTC

"In our world, Bresha was charged with murder. The prosecution intended to try her as an adult. Bresha had been robbed of her childhood by her father’s cruelty and violence, and now the state was assuming the abuser’s role and threatening to steal her future as well."

Kelly Hayes' Conclusion

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:22:03 UTC

"We wrote op-eds and held rallies...We also rallied people to send postcards and letters to Bresha and circulated a petition demanding that the charges against her be dropped. Thanks largely to our efforts on social media, the campaign drew national and international attention."

Kelly Hayes' Conclusion

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:22:22 UTC

"Bresha’s mental health was deteriorating over the course of...incarceration...We...ramped up...efforts, urging supporters to send Bresha notes of love and support. She would later tell me that the letters and postcards people sent helped her carry on, even on days when she could barely read them"

Kelly Hayes' Conclusion

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:22:43 UTC

Kelly Hayes' Conclusion

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:23:08 UTC

"No one had intervened to save her from her father, but her new abuser, the carceral state, was being fought. There were people trying to defend her & trying to save her life. It was as though, after years of reaching out for help without anyone grabbing her hand, people were finally reaching back."

Kelly Hayes' Conclusion

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:23:27 UTC

"There were walls and bars and in some cases thousands of miles between Bresha and those people, but their existence and their encouragement gave her strength. In late 2016, under tremendous national and even international pressure, the prosecutor opted to charge Bresha as a juvenile after all."

Kelly Hayes' Conclusion

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:24:05 UTC

"Bresha accepted a plea that led to a period of incarceration in a mental health facility. The defense committee raised funds so she could spend...months in the facility of her choosing, rather than a state hospital she...heard horror stories about. On February 4, 2018, Bresha was finally freed."

Kelly Hayes' Conclusion

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:24:27 UTC

"Upon getting out, she began to read some of the articles and op-eds that had been written about her case. She also came across a video of an action that was co-organized by my collective—Lifted Voices...Bresha was moved by the video and reached out to thank Lifted Voices for the action."

Kelly Hayes' Conclusion

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:24:53 UTC

"That thank-you began a conversation between Bresha & me that would go on for years. I was thrilled to hear from this young person who had become...an important part of my life...I had written...pieces about Bresha’s case,...& worked to raise national awareness..., but I never...expected to meet."

Kelly Hayes' Conclusion

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:25:48 UTC

"It was my honor to be part of such an effort, and Bresha having a future outside of a cage was all the reward any of us had dared hope for. But getting to build a relationship with Bresha,...to laugh at her jokes, to ease her doubts about herself—these were gifts I had not imagined."

Kelly Hayes' Conclusion

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:26:08 UTC

"Since joining Lifted Voices, Bresha has attended Project NIA’s Youth Abolitionist Institute for young organizers and has trained to become an abortion doula. She is passionate about reproductive justice and, after the fall of Roe, was eager to take action to expand abortion access."

Kelly Hayes' Conclusion

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:26:34 UTC

"I never imagined, when I agreed that we needed to form a defense committee to help Bresha, that she and I would one day meet and become close...My friendship with Bresha is an everyday reminder that the work of fighting for other people and a better world can bring rewards we never imagined."

Kelly Hayes' Conclusion

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:27:13 UTC

"In a world that is breaking down our connections, isolating us, and sub-siloing us to death, life-giving relationships are our best hope. The connections that will sustain us will not happen instantly, and some people are heartbroken when a movement space does not provide a sense of...belonging."

Kelly Hayes' Conclusion

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:27:33 UTC

"In my experience, the work of doing justice transforms people, relationships, & the dynamics between people over time. In those transformations, there is a great deal of joy & meaning to be found. I am the person I am today because of the people who chose to build relationships...along the way."

Kelly Hayes' Conclusion

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:27:55 UTC

"Mentors like Mariame changed my life by inviting me to organize alongside them, valuing my feedback,...& building with me from...mutual care...Today, as a person who has a...loving community of activists..., I feel...for people who are...going it alone,...and blaming themselves when they falter."

Kelly Hayes' Conclusion

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:28:55 UTC

"We were not meant to survive that way...That is not to say that having a loving community erases all...horrors...Like many..., even as I...act against injustice, I also get overwhelmed by the...terror of it...But then I look at Bresha and I remember that we can refuse to leave each other behind."

Kelly Hayes' Conclusion

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:29:25 UTC

"Many of us are waging acts of care in response to...crises, but far too many...have embraced the status quo...If you are not...looking back on these words as echoes of a tragic past, then I have hope that you may be battling for the world we want, or that you may be on the cusp of doing that work."

Kelly Hayes' Conclusion

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:29:53 UTC

"I have hope that you will build reciprocal movements, grounded in care and a regard for life on Earth, that will cultivate hope and give life greater meaning in these times. I have hope that you will rebel against the continued normalization of mass death, human suffering, and annihilation."

Kelly Hayes' Conclusion

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:30:21 UTC

"I have hope that you will choose to keep feeling the things that are hard to feel, even as people around you may surrender their values. I have hope that you will continue to give a damn, even when it’s hard, and that you will fight for each other. Perhaps I will even see you in the streets."

Kelly Hayes' Conclusion

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:30:47 UTC

"I believe in your creativity & in your potential to cast aside the limitations of individualism: the obsession with notoriety, the illusion that our fates are divided. I believe you can fight & continuously build worlds worth fighting for, even as the worlds we have known collapse...around us."

Kelly Hayes' Conclusion

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:31:11 UTC

"I found these words from Simpson especially grounding: Imperialism and ongoing colonialism have been ending worlds for as long as they have been in existence, and Indigenous and Black peoples have been building worlds and then rebuilding worlds for as long as we have been in existence."

Kelly Hayes' Conclusion

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:32:01 UTC

"The work before us is...of our ancestors and the work of those who will come after: to relentlessly build new worlds, even on the edge of oblivion, and live in them anyway—together. That work...begins with human connection, human relationships, and reciprocity in struggle. It begins with care."

Mariame Kaba's Conclusion

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:33:17 UTC

"If you’re feeling discouraged, alienated, or scared at this moment, I want you to know that you are not alone...We all need more grace...So my invitation...is that you try to look at the current moment from outside of it—...for a little distance from the daily slog."

Mariame Kaba's Conclusion

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:33:40 UTC

"Yes, there is bad news, but it’s not the only news...It’s so important to remember this message during difficult times, lest we become despairing. Despair is a thief. It saps your energy, depletes your time, and robs you of your ability to dream. And we need lots of dreamers and doers right now."

Mariame Kaba's Conclusion

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:34:01 UTC

"There are countless stories around the world that can and should buoy our spirits. Stories of kind people doing generous things for years without expecting anything in return. Stories of people who are practicing restorative and transformative justice, often without using those terms."

Mariame Kaba's Conclusion

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:34:43 UTC

"Stories of communities of people coming together across differences to help one person keep their business alive. Stories that remind us that, in the words of South African antiapartheid writer and organizer Dennis Brutus, “somehow tenderness survives.”"

Mariame Kaba's Conclusion

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:35:11 UTC

"An antidote to the relentless drumbeat of doom is strategic and persistent collective action. In the West, in particular, individualism is prized and often promoted over collectivity and, most importantly, interdependence. Yet, we will not accomplish anything transformational alone. We won’t."

Mariame Kaba's Conclusion

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:35:34 UTC

"Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a courageous and profoundly decent man, passed away in late 2021. Tutu helped to popularize the Zulu concept of Ubuntu as the understanding that “‘a person is a person through other people.’” He used to say that Ubuntu can best be understood as “me we.”"

Mariame Kaba's Conclusion

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:36:00 UTC

"I love that term—“me we.” He wrote that the “solitary, isolated human being is a contradiction in terms.” All humanity is interconnected and interdependent. Tutu wrote that “the only way we can ever be human is together. The only way we can be free is together.”"

Mariame Kaba's Conclusion

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:36:19 UTC

"For me, the truth of Tutu’s words is made all the clearer by the response to this global COVID pandemic that we have been trying to live through over the past...years. From the start, the question was whether we would embody a “me we” ethos or a “me me” one. I think that we’ve seen both at play."

Mariame Kaba's Conclusion

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:36:42 UTC

"The outpouring of mutual aid efforts in communities around the world encompasses the “me we,” while the hoarding of vaccines by the Global North, for example, epitomizes the “me me.” Ask yourself whether the global pandemic has increased or diminished your personal sense of Ubuntu."

Mariame Kaba's Conclusion

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:37:01 UTC

"Experiencing the...intentional abandonment by—our governments...during this pandemic has left many of us feeling despondent, increased our fears, and made us feel like passive consumers of news and information. All of these can fuel a sense of helplessness. All can erode our sense of Ubuntu."

Mariame Kaba's Conclusion

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:37:36 UTC

"If we pay attention,...we notice that there are people all around us working right now to lessen suffering by taking action in their communities, using the resources that they have gathered...Alongside stories of war, death-making, cruelty, and inhumanity, there are also ones about compassion."

Mariame Kaba's Conclusion

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:38:00 UTC

"Indeed, those stories help me to refuel and keep me pushing forward. Perhaps they do for you as well. If you feel alienated from the “me we,” a good remedy is to plug into local mutual aid efforts and other collectivist projects."

Mariame Kaba's Conclusion

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:38:20 UTC

"The key is to take action, however and wherever we can...I love the idea of “little invitations for resistance.” The question...is, What will we make of this moment in history?...We need to build our action muscles. We need to get outside of ourselves and act, both individually and collectively."

Mariame Kaba's Conclusion

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:38:39 UTC

"In order for change and transformation to occur, we must refuse the current order of the world...It means active refusal to become numb to the horror. The renowned poet, writer, and activist Dionne Brand warns, “If I am peaceful in this discomfort, is not peace, / is getting used to harm.”"

Mariame Kaba's Conclusion

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:39:03 UTC

"Turning away from the “news” intermittently is essential for one’s well-being. The people I most admire, like organizer Ella Baker, remind us that “the tribe increases…The struggle is eternal. Somebody else carries on.” These touchstones are also honest about their disappointments and doubts."

Mariame Kaba's Conclusion

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:39:22 UTC

"I don’t wake up every day feeling prepared to confront oppression...looking forward to struggle. Many days I’m annoyed as hell at my fellow human beings & express this to anyone within the sound of 1 of my rants...It isn’t...sustainable to never take a break from the relentlessness of injustice."

Mariame Kaba's Conclusion

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:39:51 UTC

"The struggle is eternal, but our energies are limited. Still, it’s important to stay interested in the stories of people who are suffering under the current regime. To turn away from that suffering is tacit complicity with current systems of violence. It is getting used to harm."

Mariame Kaba's Conclusion

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:40:10 UTC

"Once again, here we can learn from Desmond Tutu, who said, “When we look squarely at injustice & get involved, we actually feel less pain, not more, because we overcome the gnawing guilt & despair that festers under our numbness. We clean the wound—our own & others’—& it can finally heal.”"

Mariame Kaba's Conclusion

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:40:30 UTC

"So how can you—how will you—lessen suffering where you are? There are times when I feel overwhelmed about what to do, where to start. The problems seem so big & so intractable. In those times, I ask myself a set of questions that serve as guideposts & help to ground me."

Mariame Kaba's Conclusion

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:40:54 UTC

"1. What resources exist so I can better educate myself?

2. Who’s already doing work around this injustice?

3. Do I have the capacity to offer concrete support & help to them?

4. How can I be constructive?

...You are not needed everywhere, but we are all needed somewhere."

Mariame Kaba's Conclusion

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:41:30 UTC

"It’s important to find your somewhere & plant yourself there. There are other things you can do as you answer the question of how you will lessen suffering today. The 1st step is to refuse to accept that nothing can be done & that nothing will or can change. Don’t be cynical. Sincerity is a virtue"

Mariame Kaba's Conclusion

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:41:55 UTC

"I’m a fan of uncynical people who don’t justify their inaction by suggesting that nothing will change. If you are faltering at internalizing the fact that change is constant, find others to remind you. In fact, everything is changing all of the time."

Mariame Kaba's Conclusion

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:42:17 UTC

"We must remember the teachings of visionary world builder Octavia Butler, who wrote in Parable of the Sower:

All that you touch

You Change.

All that you Change

Changes you.

The only lasting truth

Is Change.

So, how do we make change happen? You, as an individual, are only a...pebble in a vast sea."

Mariame Kaba's Conclusion

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:42:34 UTC

"We can personally make ripples, but it takes collective action to make waves...The reality is that each of us bringing our pebbles to the lake, & throwing them in is what it takes to make change...An endless line of us throwing our pebbles into the lake is beautiful: a necessary act taken together"

Mariame Kaba's Conclusion

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:42:56 UTC

"Collective action is not the only ingredient to make transformative change. We also need sound strategy & resources...Radical imagination is...important to me because the horizon that I am working toward is a world I have never seen...without policing, imprisonment, or surveillance."

Mariame Kaba's Conclusion

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:43:15 UTC

"As my friend, writer, artist, & scholar Eve Ewing says, “In order to create pathways toward that which we have never seen, we have to lead with imagination.” All of the most important & impactful social transformations happened because people fought & struggled for things they had never seen."

Mariame Kaba's Conclusion

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:43:33 UTC

"My comrade and fellow organizer B Loewe posted...There is always a next right thing to do, that I am never alone in my despair, and that when we come together, we can create new worlds that are kinder and more of what we all deserve...I’m remembering Organizing is always an option, and it works."

Mariame Kaba's Conclusion

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:43:53 UTC

"We all have a role to play in building those new worlds. Determine what the next right step is for you. There is always something that is worth doing. Find your lane & push ahead. Make connections with others. Refuse to acquiesce to despair. Imagine your way forward."

Mariame Kaba's Conclusion

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:44:09 UTC

"There are many ways that things can be different in the world, & we don’t know how things will turn out, so we might as well fight like hell for the world we want to inhabit. History teaches us that...small groups of people have been responsible for some of the most consequential societal changes."

Mariame Kaba's Conclusion

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:44:27 UTC

"It’s usually the minority of the minority that engages in struggle in any historical moment. This is reassuring because it means that we don’t have to convince everyone...to attain critical goals. It leaves room for surprise. If you are reading this..., then you’ve been chosen to be a helper."

Mariame Kaba's Conclusion

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:44:59 UTC

"You’ve been enlisted to take constructive action...Though we can’t stop all suffering, we can each work to lessen suffering...My attention is focused on looking for & trying to nurture the things that will lessen suffering. Every day I commit to bringing my imperfect & small actions to the pile."

Mariame Kaba's Conclusion

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:45:18 UTC

"What are those concrete actions for you?...I wake up every single day and decide to practice hope. I do so because this is something that is singularly within my control to do...For me, hope is not a metaphor; it’s a lived practice. It isn’t a thing I possess. Rather, I have to remake it daily."

Mariame Kaba's Conclusion

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:45:37 UTC

"I don’t have hope, I do hope. It’s an active process that I...regularly commit to—hope not as an emotion but as a discipline. Hope for me is grounded in the reality that wondrous things happen alongside...the terrible. Every single day...Hope isn’t a substitute for action; it is a basis for it."

Mariame Kaba's Conclusion

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:45:58 UTC

"In Islam, one of the Hadiths says, “The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, ‘If the Resurrection were established upon one of you while he has in his hand a sapling, then let him plant it.’” This, for me, is the embodiment of a hope practice."

Mariame Kaba's Conclusion

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:46:47 UTC

"Even if the end times are upon us, we should still plant trees. This is disciplined hope. This is hope in the doing, hope as action. How will you practice and cultivate hope today?"

Harsha Walia's Afterword

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:47:39 UTC

"Reading Let This Radicalize You on a snowy winter day amid organizing support for migrants affected by the violence of an end-of-year deportation frenzy by Canada Border Services Agency was the balm my heart needed."

Harsha Walia's Afterword

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:47:59 UTC

"“Let this radicalize you rather than lead you to despair.” So I tell myself,...every moment of despair creates the terrain for continued struggle & the possibility of future victories—a habitable world without borders & cages—if we do not allow immobilization to seep in."

Harsha Walia's Afterword

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:48:23 UTC

"Kelly and Mariame’s book is a gem...Kelly and Mariame have been movement touchstones for many of us, generously modeling what it means to behave magnificently in service to transforming this world. They have been at the center of a dizzying number of crucial projects!"

Harsha Walia's Afterword

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:48:40 UTC

"Leveraging social networks & fundraising resources, freeing people from the clutches of police & prisons, imparting movement lessons, doing political education & practicing mutual aid to grow our imaginations about other ways of living, & nurturing the conditions for organizers to learn & act."

Harsha Walia's Afterword

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:49:24 UTC

"Their careful & caring labor enacting the vocabulary of abolition, as well as this book—itself a constellation of wisdom gleaned through...coconspirators—are reminders that...movements are made. & in the spirit of Ella Baker,...movements are made through our many hearts & hands."

Harsha Walia's Afterword

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:49:48 UTC

"This compelling, humbling, essential, & brilliant book distills 3 key points for me:

1. Organizing Is the Antidote to Despair

2. Collective Liberation Necessitates Collective Care

3. We Need Each Other

...A compass for a life in rehearsal. The rest is up to us, together."

Harsha Walia's Afterword

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:50:15 UTC

"Community organizing requires us to move beyond our own circles to bring in & work alongside those who may not share our life experience or analysis. This is not a simple call for unity; rather, it is working despite & through difference...“make connections, not comparisons.”"

Harsha Walia's Afterword

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:50:48 UTC

"Organizing is...transformative: it...transforms dominant systems of power, it transforms our imaginations in prefiguring a future beyond our present...apocalyptic deathscape, it transforms...collective processes by nurturing relationality, & it transforms us...as we realize...capacities."

Harsha Walia's Afterword

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:51:14 UTC

"Organizing thus not only changes the material and social conditions around us; it also changes us in the process. Collective work also encourages abundant leadership. Abundant leadership is about sharing space and power, as opposed to capitalist competition over space and power."

Harsha Walia's Afterword

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:51:38 UTC

"Instead of assuming that only some people are capable of being leaders, or adhering to the notion that no one should be a leader, valuing abundance shifts us toward a different framework: we are all leaders in different ways, and we can all become even more skilled leaders."

Harsha Walia's Afterword

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:51:58 UTC

"This necessitates proactive steps to share skills & knowledge. Leadership comes from sustained practices...: facilitating meetings, producing education materials,...preparing meals, public speaking, organizing childcare—all vital skills that might be our strengths."

Harsha Walia's Afterword

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:52:20 UTC

"Sharing tasks and skills decentralizes knowledge, ensures a more sustainable division of labor, encourages learning, & strengthens interpersonal bonds as we work on projects together. We are all needed in the ecosystem of struggle."

Harsha Walia's Afterword

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:52:41 UTC

"While many...have..self-care rituals, few have conflict-resolution skills. Frankly, it is often easier to be dangerous to the state systems that we confront than it is to be tender with each other. Working collectively to nurture care & healing within liberation work is not easy."

Harsha Walia's Afterword

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:53:04 UTC

"It challenges us to bring voice to...unnamed hurts & complicated edges that stem from our deepest cracks & interpersonal dynamics that traverse often-contradictory layers of power & marginalization. “To resist the erosion of empathy”,...[we must] build movements where we are emancipated."

Harsha Walia's Afterword

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:53:28 UTC

"Fostering the spiritual, physical, & mental well-being needed to create community requires intentional space to discuss & practice—a deliberate learning of how to manifest & align ourselves with our abolitionist, decolonial, & anticapitalist visions (plural) for the world."

Harsha Walia's Afterword

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:53:53 UTC

"Interdependence & reciprocity are not optional. 1 of the contradictions of capitalism is that while we are dependent on...production processes for... basic needs, we are increasingly...isolated...In the face of...disposability, it is a radical act to admit that we are made & undone by each other."

Harsha Walia's Afterword

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:54:16 UTC

"Connection is the antithesis of commodification. Those of us who experience an avalanche of violences & cannot rely on the state...for relief know how much we need & depend on 1 another to survive...Life-affirming communities can rarely be sustained...on shared political analysis [alone]"

Harsha Walia's Afterword

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:54:48 UTC

"We need genuine, empathetic, and mutual social relations. Communing and kinship make movements and make life.

“We write the meaning of life as we live it,” Kelly writes."

Harsha Walia's Afterword

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 21:55:19 UTC

"Ruth Wilson Gilmore similarly tells us, “Abolition is presence, which means abolition is life in rehearsal, not a recitation of rules, much less a relentless lament.” The world-building teachings weaved throughout this book are a compass for a life in rehearsal. The rest is up to us, together."

Chapter 10

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 22:00:37 UTC

"The Ayni Institute, which offers political education grounded in Indigenous principles of reciprocity, reminds us that movements...all experience seasons. As...Carlos Saavedra told Kelly on Movement Memos, "...What is missing from this leadership conversation is that leadership has...ebbs & flows."

Chapter 10

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 22:07:08 UTC

"The metaphorical spring is a time of growth: the capacity to educate and organize new people is ramped up, relationships are expanded, and new coalitions are built. Summer, in this metaphor, is a time of consistent action, when energy is high and victories are potentially claimed."

Chapter 10

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 22:07:39 UTC

"Fall is a time of harvest, when movements have achieved victories or endured losses. In fall, projects and coalitions may break down or sunset as the pace of work slows, allowing organizers time to reflect, share stories, and uplift the labor of the previous season."

Chapter 10

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 22:08:16 UTC

"The metaphorical winter is the most difficult season for many..., because we have been conditioned to view less energetic periods...as...failure...It’s...difficult...to be in a rhythm of seasons...because of the nature of the global system...that is highly...productivist, which is capitalism."

Chapter 10

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 22:08:39 UTC

"Capitalism “creates this expectation of...the eternal summer and this expectation that everyone should be in the eternal summer all the time.” Saavedra...pointed out that we have been conditioned to zero in on...productivity as a point of interest by asking what they do or what they...work...on."

Chapter 10

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 22:08:58 UTC

“There is even a stigma to burning out...,” he added, noting that “this is exacerbated by not taking a long-view perspective that recognizes how social movements operate in cycles of 5-15 years.” Some activists are averse to slowing down and embracing periods of introspection and renewal."

Chapter 10

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 22:09:20 UTC

"Saavedra refers to this...fear of taking winters as...[being] scared of going within, or maybe to deal with the pain of previous seasons to be able to then regenerate. And so people sometimes are stuck. They know that the eternal summer is bad, but they are afraid of going into a time within.”

Chapter 10

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 22:09:35 UTC

"Rather than operating at a breakneck pace until we crash & burn, respecting our seasons allows us to... build meaningful connections & projects throughout each cycle...To...do...the right thing at the right time, we must recognize which season we are in, honor it, & most importantly, protect it."

Chapter 10

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 22:09:56 UTC

Chapter 10

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 22:10:28 UTC

"While experiencing winter, on a personal level, some organizers may step back from movement work entirely. This can be the result of a major life change, such as an illness, the arrival of a new child, moving to a different city, caring for a loved one, or some other development."

Chapter 10

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 22:10:49 UTC

"It can...be the result of burnout, exhaustion, or...being fed up with the challenges of social justice work. For whatever reason, many...step back for long stretches but ultimately return to...organizing. So if it has been a long time, but you are feeling called to return, perhaps spring has come."

Chapter 10

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 22:11:26 UTC

"Sometimes when we feel burned out or confused about how to move forward with our group, it may be because our project, container, or organization has simply run its course. It’s important to understand that deciding it’s time to end something we have created is not a mark of failure."

Chapter 10

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 22:11:53 UTC

"The...projects that we have...intentionally concluded were meaningful and generative. Due to evolving conditions, those projects were no longer the best...group for the work participants wanted to do. Sometimes this happens because people’s aims...simply outgrow the container they have created."

Chapter 10

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 22:12:17 UTC

"Sometimes we must release a current project...to pursue new visions...After doing generative work together, people often grow in a variety of directions. We should appreciate the beauty of that growth...It launched art projects & research efforts, built relationships & made new formations possible"

Chapter 10

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 22:12:44 UTC

As...Tanuja Jagernauth told Kelly..., it can be helpful to think of the groups & containers we create as having life cycles...She noted..this idea of a life cycle can be important, not only in terms of the care with which we bring our projects into the world but also in terms of how we let them go."

Chapter 10

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 22:13:05 UTC

“If we...hold on to the idea that our projects...are alive, we can...hold space for the idea that all things that are alive...die, & the most beautiful thing you can do when something is dying is to allow it to pass on with as much dignity & grace as possible, honoring it in all of its complexity."

Chapter 10

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 22:13:24 UTC

"We have learned that letting go can be a beautiful thing. Honoring what a group...has accomplished and what it has meant to us while preserving its history and,...carrying its lessons forward, can be an emotional process, but not everything in organizing is about fighting tooth and nail."

Chapter 10

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-16 22:13:41 UTC

"Some moments are about recognizing where we have been, what we have learned, how we have grown, & what...the future demands of us. The end of 1 project can mean the beginning of new dreams...We have said many goodbyes..., yet the work goes on, & so do we, building...in concert with other humans."

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-04-17 06:34:30 UTC

"When a radical...movement forces...into the mainstream, the first reaction...is to eject it. But if that...cannot be ejected, structural maintenance workers—such as public officials...who benefit from the status quo—will attempt to defang & reconfigure it so that...[i]t is no longer disruptive"

Chapter 6

EquitableForAll — 2026-08-03 01:10:08 UTC