L.S.D.

snippets on community organizing experiences, intersectionality & climate justice related rants, artsy representations of the above. music. poetry. dreamer's reality. #weareallsturdust

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Community organizing journal - on continual motivation: In moments of great (core group) frustration and outrage based on seemingly insufficient results of your organizing - on local and national level alike - and lack of belief that any significant change will be made in your lifetime, self-reminder to some of Lucy Parsons words come to the rescue: “...long period of education must precede any great fundamental change in society…” So, even if you have to do it through clenched teeth, repeat after me: “this work matters. It is time-consuming, agonizing and draining - but it matters.”

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Community organizing journal: on allies & practicing solidarity within spaces of resistance.

When in intensive resistance organizing that echoes around the country and beyond, allies approach you even from unexpected places. Sometimes, it turns out that some of them are only there to further their own agenda through your struggle, but others are genuinely identifying with the vision of the world you stand for and are there to (hopefully) make it easier and more effective both for you and themselves to work towards it through concerted efforts.  Some come in not necessarily when you need them the most and in the capacity that you need them, but when it is a good moment for them. And that is OK as long as they are prepared TO LISTEN to your community’s needs, fears, and limits, and are prepared TO DISCUSS practicing solidarity in a way that is aligned with the affected community’s struggle, vision, and ways of how victories should unfold. Any efforts in ‘practicing solidarity’ without checking in with the affected community first, might not only be unproductive, but also inappropriate and very very harmful.

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Community organizing journal - on prioritizing and support: (Self) Reminder to all the organizers out there - not everyone in the core mobilizing group will prioritize the group capacity building, the resistance organizing, or the creating of community alternatives as much as someone else in the group does. As outraging as that can be for the ones that give their whole, it is legitimate that not everyone wants or has the capacity to invest till they drain physically, intellectually, morally; and more often than not, that’s what happens to the first ones. We need to remember to be honest with ourselves and the group about our capacity and expectations, check in with each other often to communicate any changes in this, and finally, support each other no matter what. When it comes to resisting the old and building the new world, y’all are in for the long run & you need each other.

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Community organizing journal: on visibility of the efforts.

Not always do community organizing efforts result in immediately visible outcomes. Community organizing is a process; it takes time, willingness, committed involvement, and conscious investment of great physical and emotional labor from many.

The fruit of it is oftentimes borne later on and not necessarily on the exact same issue that the community started organizing itself around.

And that’s perfectly fine, since that is one of the long-term goals of community organizing: a woken community united around ideas of what’s best for itself, able to stand its ground whenever those ideas are threatened by external parties (read: TNCs, dirty energy projects, exploitative national legislations, etc.), yet able to provide for itself platform and safe space to discuss the ever changing societal complexities that come along.

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Alicia Garza on movement building: “If we are interested in building mass movements to destroy mass oppression, our movements must include people not like us, people with whom we will never fully agree & people with whom we have conflict. That’s a much higher calling than railing at people from a distance & labeling them as wrong. Ultimately, building a movement is about restoring humanity to all of us, even to those of us who have been inhumane. Movements are where people are called to be transformed in service of liberation of themselves & others. I want to spend less time antagonizing & more time crafting alternative futures where we don’t have to fight each other for resources & care.”

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Kwame Ture on the difference between organizing & mobilizing: ‘If we are not careful we allow mobilization to become events. The struggle is not an event, it is a process, continual, eternal process. It’s our job to use mobilization to drive us to organizing. Power comes only from the organized masses.‘

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Community organizing journal: on the incredible significance of the process. In community organizing, it is never only about achieving the final aim. It is always also about the process: the common learning; the coordination of your joint work; the caring for oneself, for each other and for the issue(s) you organize around; the bringing of jointly decided upon alternatives; the balancing between different groups' dynamics, & million other (seemingly insignificant) things in between. It is a never ending process, even after you've reached your specific goal. What you gain during the process stays with you, your comrades, and your community, and it becomes part of your future endeavors, as well as part of the written and spoken history of your community. And that's absolutely amazing.

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Community organizing journal: on believing When you care way too much about someone or something, you wear your heart on your sleeve. The expectations you have from yourself and the ones who surround you might be detrimental, for lack of communication and full engagement easily lead to great disappointment & heart cracks. What's important is to keep believing in yourself and your people, go beyond the mistakes you all make & turn them into a lesson, & BELIEVE that you all are doing the best you can to make the most positive impact possible. So. In tough times - pull those strings even harder & mend your heart quicker, so that you can keep believing. 'Cuz that's when you all need each other the most.

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Community organizing journal: on open communication - Key element of community organizing.

There is no such thing as an optimal way or a universal platform for communicating ideas and plans among the whole community. This makes communicating across different groups and individuals in the community rather difficult, but it is by no means a reason to exclude oneself from the group. You ought to find a method and a channel through which you (as a group) engage everybody. Let it be the platform preferred by the different groups in question. It takes time and effort, but it is oh-so-important and very, very necessary. 

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Community organizing journal - on petty attempts to stifle the resistance: Dear corrupt officials, you selfish slaves of capitalism: your time has come to an end. Your fear is palpable, your frustration can be smelled, your misery in on sight. Didn't you know we were seeds? We grow, we bloom we provide food for life, we bring hope. Your humanity is lost, but our togetherness and empathy has grown, and they increase by the hour. And this makes us invincible. All the way until we win and beyond! 🍃🌱🌿🍀🌍

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Community organizing journal: on collective self-care

Don’t assume that that small grudge will simply go away by itself. Talk it over, communicate all the worries openly. Be honest with yourself how much you can realistically contribute and be honest with the whole group. The group relies on you, they need you, and you need them - we all need each other. If you need to take your time for something, say it. And if you see that someone else needs to take time off, do say it too. Talk to them and do your best to provide the support they need - & communicate when you need it too. Miscommunication fuels stress, and when stress levels are already up the roof during community organizing, properly done collective self-care is what will make all the difference.

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Community organizing journal: on creativity Creativity explodes from every single individual & every single corner; be it because of a newfound platform for continued response to the systemic silencing, an active & direct support to the resistance/the cause or a mere mental pause from the rest of the sometimes-agitating-but-very-necessary 'to do'-s... it's there, and it's fascinating.

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Community organizing journal: on making a difference

You are on an emotional rollercoaster. You put your heart and your soul in the struggle, and you try to make use of your emotional intelligence... but when in the resistance - when you are SO close to the problem that you wake up and go to bed with the thoughts of how things can be made better... that is overwhelming. It's fucking exhausting. but it's all worth it.

So turn to your comrades, and keep each other sane. Learn when to step back. Give yourself some time. And remember that no matter what happens, you are making a difference. Your community IS making a difference. Your struggle is valid.

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Community organizing journal: on badass women

In the resistance, you have the honor to meet & organize together with the most badass women ever. 😍 👑 💪

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Community organizing journal: on resilience

You realize that you are much more resilient than you ever thought you were.

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Community organizing journal: on making history

You are both physically & emotionally exhausted at all times, but it doesn't matter because you know you are in the right place, at the right time, doing the right thing with the right people.

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Community organizing journal: the struggle is very personal

When fighting the good fight in a small community and the outcome of that organized resistance is for the benefit of all, EVERYTHING is personal.

-The seemingly smallest barriers that the 'appointed' decision makers in the community lay in front of the group and/or the individuals in the organized resistance ??

>>>>> THEY ARE PERSONAL.

-The support/solidarity the group/the individuals in the group DO(ES) NOT get from the ones they need it the most ??

>>>>> IT IS PERSONAL.

-The 'offense taken' by the decision makers (because they are people who witnessed you growing up) when the group calls them out on their lies & corrupted ways of functioning ??

>>>>> IT IS PERSONAL.

-The closed eyes of your oldest friends in front of the struggle the group puts their time, energy, sweat & tears, hearts & souls into ??

>>>>> THEY ARE *VERY* PERSONAL.