In an era where support systems of the government are being ripped apart, authoritarianism is on the rise, and many struggle in the market economy, we need new systems of taking care of each other.

While we do what little we can as individuals to protect the social safety nets that take care of people and to object to the hijacking of government to advance the interests of the rich and powerful over the poor, we can't trust anyone else is going to be taking care of us.

We need to form small but interconnected networks of mutual care for one another, deepening relationships with neighbors and small pods of people who commit to know and care for one another's well-being. This has been known as mutual aid in some instances, especially when combined with an effort to create awareness of the problematic surrounding conditions leading to the unmet needs.

Getting started on that project is daunting when most of us are very isolated from real, deep, caring friendships and isolated from our neighbors, even if we’re swimming in oceans of acquaintances.

I’m trying to figure out and step into some small practical steps myself and doing some brainstorming for myself and others I’ve talked with who are wondering where to get started. Here are some small ideas of those initial steps we can start to take to build networks of care for one another where we are. If you have more ideas, please share! These are meant to be simple starting points for an individual, not an end-point for a community.

Notice

• Consider who you realistically could have regular positive interactions with, especially in-person, but also virtually. Proximity greatly facilitates care.

• Make a list or map of the people with whom you already do or could practice mutual care, especially noting those who also do or could know each other.

• Take walks and notice the people, places, assets, and dynamics of your community.

• Be present in public places like parks and small local businesses.

• Participate in some form of "civil society" in order to meet people and understand the community - neighborhood associations, clubs and teams, religious groups, events at neighborhood institutions, volunteering, community gardens, attending community meetings like town halls and school boards.

Connect

• Introduce yourself to a neighbor when you see them.

• Invite a neighbor or another person from the lists above over (or out) for dinner or another type of interaction that is comfortable for you. Look at your daily activities and ask, “What here could someone join me in doing?”

• Ask, “Can we ask each other for help when we need something?”

• Ask for help when you need it.

• When helped, use the question, “How could I care for you too?"

Organize

• Find a means for group communication that works for neighbors or other networks taking shape, like a group chat or bulletin board.

• Make a shared list of who has sharable skills, or resources they are willing to share that are only occasionally needed and are more expensive, such as tools.

• Make a shared list of dietary restrictions and accessibility requirements.

Evaluate

• Go slow, prioritize sustainability.

• Notice what patterns, policies, and systems create obstacles to care and well-being for you and your neighbors.

• Consider with neighbors what commitments you could agree to make together that would help facilitate meeting one another’s needs.

• Try practices experimentally, evaluate them, and adapt.

Keep going, slowly increasing steps of care for one another, advocacy for one another’s interests, and interconnection with other groups in the same work. as

Taking Action: Palestine

Israel has recently cut off electricity to Palestinians, is blocking hundreds of thousands of units of temporary housing and other aid that were promised in the ceasefire agreement and are waiting at the border, is conducting an invasion of the West Bank, and is engaging in attacks on Lebanon and Syria.

The historic Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement has been a key international effort in putting pressure on Israel to change its apartheid policies. See their new website with news and action steps including current boycotts at bdsmovement.net. A few to especially avoid right now that are relevant to Israel: HP, Dell, Intel, Sodastream, Amazon, and Reebok.

Donate

Doctors without Borders has been a key relief entity for Gaza as well as other key areas of conflict around the world.

The below link leads to a rotating list of direct fundraisers for Gazans, curated by Let’s Talk Palestine:

Free Mahmoud Khalil

ICE has imprisoned Columbia University student, US Permanent Resident, and pro-Palestine activist Mahmoud Khalil for his political speech in a blatant violation of freedom of speech and foreshadowing of further crackdown on speech and is expected to seek to deport him.

Take action here through these two easy letters to your representatives and to Homeland Security demanding his release.

Historical Heroes: Fannie Lou Hamer

I'll regularly highlight historical heroes, often in the week of their birth or death. This Friday is the anniversary of the death of the the great Fannie Lou Hamer. Here's a bit of her story:

Fannie Lou Hamer of Mississippi (6 October 1917-14 March 1977) was an activist for civil rights. She was the last of 20 children in a black family in Mississippi, facing the impacts of systemic racism. The family worked as sharecroppers, and she picked cotton and went to a one-room school in-between picking seasons for a few years. She was involved with Bible study with her church, which was a significant part of her early life. Like many other poor black women in the south, she was forced into a sterilization without her consent during another operation and was therefore unable to have children. She later adopted two daughters. In 1962 she tried to vote but was denied because of a literacy test. She and others involved became activists on this and faced violent backlash. She became involved with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee throughout the rest of her life, advocating for civil rights. She also called out the ways the church was complicit with systemic injustice at the time. She endured arrests and torture while advocating for voting and economic rights. She advocated for black representation of Mississippi in the Democratic National Convention and brought national attention to the issues at hand in Mississippi. She traveled widely giving speeches and also ran for Congress. She also organized cooperative farming and educational programs. She exemplified whole-life politics that advocated for the dignity and well-being of human beings from the unborn to the elderly, seeking to apply biblical concepts of justice to society.