“Are we here for change or are we here for transformation?” It’s an important question, says  Julie Quiroz — strategist, longtime collaborator of MSC, and founder of MSN partner New Moon Collaborations. “If we’re here for transformation, we need to find ways beyond just our head space to feel and experience what that means.” 

Julie is talking about her early days at MSC, and how she and the MSC team were establishing that one of the key tenets of their work, and of Transformative Movement Building, was somatic, physical practice — breathing, centering, stretching. These actions felt “beautifully centered in movement work,” an “understanding of our physical wisdom, and the physical and emotional trauma and insight that we bring to anything that we’re doing.” 

Quiroz found MSC through Taj James, a co-founder and current board member. The two were active in movement circles, and he and Kristen Zimmerman, another co-founder of MSC and MSN partner project Root. Rise. Pollinate!, invited her to work on an early MSC report that led to other projects with past partners including Climate Justice Alliance and Movement Generation. Quiroz formally joined MSC as a fellow in 2009.

Quiroz is quick to share the story — one of her “deepest learning experiences” — of her first day at MSC. She was expecting “a regular work day.” Instead, “my new coworkers and I met at a dance studio where Zen teacher and strategist Norma Wong taught us how to breathe.” “I remember thinking how odd it all felt;” says Quiroz. “I was pretty skeptical and resistant.” 

Wong, a mentor at MSC in its earliest days, elevated the connection of mind and body, past and future — a lens that “assesses present conditions, awakens ancestral wisdom, and generates radical hope and courageous love.” Recounting that session, Quiroz shares that “each time we did an exercise, Wong asked us to describe our experience. If we started to analyze, Wong gently stopped us, inviting us to try again with simple descriptions of what we felt and saw.” 

“Slowly, each of us began sharing observations that surprised us with their insight. We began to connect our observations to our stories: of coalitions unable to execute plans, of surprise attacks from opponents that we didn’t see coming, of frustration in trying to think up a new analysis that would finally work.”

She could feel her “skepticism was wearing down.”

Ultimately, “it took a year for me to truly embrace the learning that began that day, to accept Wong’s invitation to practice breath and awareness as core to our responsibility in bringing forth systems grounded in our deepest collective humanity.” 

Wong invited the MSC team “to tap into what deep down feels true,” and inspired her to “pursue purposeful action” by: being aware “of somatic and cultural factors that shape” what’s “possible and desirable;” “maintaining a daily embodied practice;” and “insisting on strategy development” informed by “narrative and story.” She was also told to prioritize “space to reflect,” observing over analyzing, community atmosphere, and ways to “immediately apply” learnings.

Practicing a ten-step form of applied tai ji shared by Wong was also imperative to her transformation. Quiroz found tai chi as she was processing “some very difficult moments in [her] life.” It helped her begin “to feel a source of power that [she] had never experienced before” and feel “transformation happening” within. Soon enough, she “became a great champion” of this work — “it changes everything.”   

At that time, MSC staffers were asked to have a personal physical practice as well as a team practice. The aim was “to bring physical practice into everything we’re doing.” But even as they collectively embraced these actions, it could feel awkward outside of safe spaces. Quiroz recalls a meeting with funders. The colleague going to the meeting was nervous — “wait, I’m gonna bring physical practice to this funder meeting in New York? People in suits and heels and stuff?” Collectively, the team felt it was important to practice what they believed, so they supported the colleague as she prepared to fly out.

The meeting went well and, years later, what was once felt “so weird” isn’t anymore. “It is not that unusual for movement meetings to start with breath.” Quiroz believes the Transitions Initiative was one part of a larger movement shift that changed how people came into space together.

Quiroz says “at this point in my life and work I focus on lovingly supporting, amplifying, and expanding on the vision of women of color leaders who are guided by spiritual practice and deeply trusted in their communities.” Her work draws from her three decades of turning creative vision into reality, including 11 years as a part of MSC’s leadership team, where she created and implemented the aforementioned Transitions Initiative, and played a key role in the design, facilitation, and narrative strategy of the affiliated Transitions Labs. 

As she tells it, “MSC, as an organization, had become a little less centralized” with a “network approach” of infrastructure, incubation, and intermediary support. As MSC evolved, her work was the first of several “to spin off in that model” as New Moon Collaborations in 2020. That cluster of people and projects ultimately formed the MSN — a collective of fiscally sponsored projects and grantees that continue to hold and share the Transformative Movement work MSC was founded on over 20 years ago. 

“I really appreciate that MSC [was still able to support my work as] I had moved to another part of the country and I was doing new work that was not necessarily on some linear work plan. And I really appreciate that MSC supported the emergence of that new work.”

That current work is focused on nurturing leaps in culture that transform systems and structures for future generations through collaboration and storytelling. To do this, Quiroz collaborates with communities to develop strategy grounded in embodied wisdom and story. 

It began with Quiroz relocating and wanting to bring the Transformative Movement Building concept to her new homebase in Michigan. She “saw the need for Transitions Lab type gatherings that weren’t common there.” Working with an organically organized team of women of color in Michigan, Quiroz wondered, “who’s ready and open and thirsty for transformation?”

Quiroz and others co-founded Untold Stories of Liberation & Love, a Michigan-based women of color poetry collective, and she edited the Love & Other Futures: Poetry of Untold Stories of Liberation & Love anthology. She says “poetry is the practice of seeing, naming, and valuing what oppression and violence has taught us to ignore — our tingles, intuition, dreams, magic, grief, and joy.”

They went on to pull together a statewide gathering of women of color leaders, to create space for more vision, creativity, and connection among them. Occurring just before COVID-19 lockdowns, Quiroz later learned from those who took part that the gathering was a source of energy and inspiration through those hard times.

Through these gatherings Quiroz also connected with Leseliey Welch, co-founder of both Birth Detroit and Birth Center Equity, where Quiroz is now a core team member. During COVID-19, as Welch and Birth Detroit were envisioning the possibility of owning a building, Quiroz connected Welch with James and his organizations Full Spectrum Capital Partners and Full Spectrum Labs, which helped guide in the creation of Birth Center Equity.

This journey reflects a sentiment Quiroz comes back to again and again. She believes that in “every moment” in her life she is “called to the right place with the right people at the right time.” “I’m just incredibly lucky.”

Quiroz now serves as Narrative Strategy Director for Birth Center Equity, while continuing to steward the work of New Moon Collaborations. In 2022, Quiroz relocated to Puerto Rico, where New Moon Collaborations now supports local Puerto Rican leadership as they reclaim the practices and power of ancestral agriculture to grow a vibrant culture and economy. They are the core partner for Regenerating Ancestral Puerto Rican Agriculture (RAPA) led by farmer, medicinal plant expert, and activist Susimar Gonzalez Martinez.

Key to the program is “a deep well of knowledge” within the community; something “young farmers are hungry for.” In addition, the program hopes to quell “the exploitative practices of seizing [government-owned] land by external investors;” connect young farmers to the land; and, crucially, do it “at a scale and a pace that succeeds in preserving” land and culture. Ultimately, the program hopes to “create more possibilities for young people who love their culture” to stay in Puerto Rico, slowing a “huge outflux” who are pushed out due to economic hardship.

Quiroz is deeply inspired by Puerto Rico and is deeply grateful for the centrality of dance in the culture. She recalls growing up in Ecuador, where people would wrap up dinner and “just dance.” “It wasn’t something that you knew how to do … It was just part of who you were as a human being.” It was so different from her American experience — where “U.S. capitalist culture separates creativity from daily life.”

Quiroz pays close attention to the phases of the moon, a practice she began years ago, and discovered is also central to ancestral agricultural practices in Puerto Rico. “Every new moon reminds me that whole worlds exist before we can see them.” She explains, “before each new moon I take a moment to write down an intention.” She believes that as opposed to goals, “intentions are more like commitments — ways we seek to be.” She always seeks out “a glimpse of the moon,” and, as it “waxes, I look for ways to infuse my intention into my thoughts and actions.” 

“In ten years of practice, remembering my intention has never failed to guide me to renewed energy and possibility.” The act of “returning to my intention always grounds me in purpose.”

Quiroz’s blog shines with personal stories of work, culture, history, food, and family. And, each new moon she adds an often intimate post. One, from February, 2021, speaks to her background as an “assimilationist baby” — a product of cultural assimilation. Her father was born in rural Ecuador and eventually came to the United States on scholarship; her mother was a child of the Great Depression in Kansas. Likewise, a scholarship brought her out of poverty.

Quiroz writes: “I have never experienced poverty. But assimilation has its price … We become disconnected from the wisdom and lessons of our true past, freezing ourselves into a rootless present and an irreverent future.”

She has had to rediscover her lineage, which isn’t without complications. She acknowledges: “I am only a few generations away from my Indigenous Andean ancestors … And I am that same genealogical distance from the displaced European immigrants whose survival led them to the North American prairie and the violent displacement of Native nations there.”

“Learning to welcome [her] ancestors into [her] daily life” now informs her work. But, she says “it was a big leap for me to begin understanding my life in relation to all that came before me and all that lies ahead.” She recalls hearing Wong say “we are the descendants of our ancestors and the ancestors of descendants yet to come,” and getting “goosebumps.”

She says she’s “not sure you ever really know” when everything is right — but those goosebumps are an indication of something clicking. Quiroz also “listens through patterns of story and poetry,” something she used to think was a sign of being “weird or not very smart.” 

Quiroz says she came to poetry “a 1,000 years ago” at Windcall Institute where residencies are “not a retreat, there’s no programming.” She remembers apologizing for sleeping through the first day. Her hosts responded, “sleep the whole time if you want, we’re just glad you’re here.” The experience was of radical love and trust, and it was a “touchstone moment” that carried into the ethos of the Transitions Initiative — “space for unconditional love, for people to find themselves.” 

It was there, “where nothing was expected of” her, that she started. “One night I woke up and grabbed an envelope from the side of my bed and I wrote.” She “never set out to be a poet” but says “it was the first time I had space to process things that had been traumatic in my life;” that she “was trying to find ways to metabolize [her] experience.”

Then and now, it all comes down to “how we bring our deepest power to the transformation that the world needs” — and how her practices unlock that power. During her earliest days at MSC, Quiroz admired Zimmerman for her steadfast devotion to her practice — no matter who showed up. In Michigan, she found that “the genesis of [her] friendship and connection to others was their commitment to some form of practice.” “Wherever we go, whether we’re the only person in the room, I know my core people are gonna bring in practice in some way.”

As Women’s History Month draws to a close and we approach the anniversary of the pivotal end of the sanitation workers’ strike on April 16, we seek to honor new chapters written in the legacy of this historical event by MSC’s board member Anasa Troutman and her work at Historic Clayborn Temple.

Nestled in the heart of Memphis, a city where the echoes of the past meet the momentum of the future, Historic Clayborn Temple stands as a beacon of resilience and hope, deeply rooted in the Civil Rights Movement’s legacy. Together with the dedicated women of the Big We and BIG We Foundation, Troutman is helping transform the temple and seed profound change in the city, championing a future where history’s lessons pave the way for a brighter, more inclusive tomorrow.

Troutman, the founder of BIG We Foundation, a Movement Strategy Network (MSN) partner, has been instrumental in the $25 million renovation of Historic Clayborn Temple, a site deeply entrenched in social justice history. With her multifaceted expertise as a music producer, cultural strategist, writer, and director, Troutman is not merely renovating a building; she’s reimagining a beacon for civil rights advocacy, artistic exploration, and meaningful community engagement in celebration of the temple’s legacy as a cultural and spiritual sanctuary.

Last year, Carla Dartis, MSC’s executive director, visited Memphis. In a chat on the Big We Podcast’s fifth season, Dartis described the site “as a living archive, a tangible reminder of the struggles and sacrifices that have shaped our collective journey toward justice.” Her words remind us of the temple’s deep significance as a symbol of resilience and community spirit, and a beacon in the ongoing quest for civil rights.

Located in downtown Memphis, the temple played a starring role in the sanitation workers’ strike of 1968 — a significant chapter in the struggle for civil rights. The strike began after a tragic incident in February of that year, when two African American sanitation workers lost their lives due to a malfunctioning garbage truck. As a result, city workers demanded better pay, safer working conditions, and the right to unionize. The strike would draw national attention and the involvement of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Clayborn Temple served as the epicenter of the strike, offering not just a meeting place but a symbol of communal strength and unity. It was here that strategies were devised, spirits were lifted, and the community came together to support the cause. The temple’s significance was further underscored by its close proximity to notable events and locations tied to the civil rights struggle in Memphis, including Mason Temple Church of God and Christ, where Dr. King delivered his prophetic “Mountaintop” speech the night before his tragic assassination at the Lorraine Motel.

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On March 28, 1968, thousands congregated at the steps of Clayborn Temple A.M.E. Church in Memphis.

One march, led from the temple to city hall, was violently interrupted by police. When protesters retreated to the temple, police fired tear gas into the sanctuary — a sacred space turned into a scene of panic where attendees had to break stained glass windows to escape.

Clayborn Temple closed its doors in 1999. A significant revival effort began in 2015 under Clayborn Reborn (now Historic Clayborn Temple), as spearheaded by Frank Smith, and supported by Neighborhood Preservation, Inc. In 2018, the National Park Service contributed a significant grant to continue work. Now, under Troutman’s guidance, the new Clayborn Temple will honor its history and support future activism as a hub for community, education, and civil rights advocacy.

The national recognition and revitalization of landmarks like Clayborn Temple — which are already imbued with historical significance — play a crucial role in propelling social movements forward by fostering a sense of collective identity. That significance is detailed in a timeline across the tiles outside of the temple at I Am A Man Plaza — named for the strike’s “I AM A MAN” mantra, which underscored the humanity of these workers and the racial and economic disparities they faced. 

Being there amplifies the temple’s significance. Dartis admits she “did not fully realize the significance of [Clayborn Temple] to the Civil Rights Movement and the partnership that was forged between local movement leaders and Dr. King in championing employment protections for African Americans. The strategic interplay of that partnership and Dr. King’s untimely death played a pivotal role in bolstering the unionization of Black sanitation workers and securing federal support for the advancement of civil rights for African Americans.”

The blueprint for Clayborn Temple isn’t just about bricks and mortar; it’s a holistic approach that taps into restorative economics, aiming to weave joy, sustainability, and fair access to resources into the fabric of the neighborhood. The temple is nestled just behind the bustling FedEx Forum and a stone’s throw from the lively Beale Street, which, per Dartis, “is now a tourist trap filled with souvenir stores and entertainment spots not fully reflective of the cultural richness and movement heritage of Memphis.” 

The area — wedged between the Mississippi River and the arteries of major interstates and dominated by expansive parking lots for the FedEx Forum — faces the harsh realities of gentrification and poor land use. With the National Civil Rights Museum just a few blocks away, “the location and its proximity to Beale Street hammers in the need for [the temple] to anchor a civil rights district in Memphis.” All said, the neighborhood’s history and present development challenges highlight the fine line between progress and preservation. 

Troutman, in collaboration with the local Chamber of Commerce, rolled out a series of events and programming designed to invigorate the neighborhood’s economy. This collaboration, made in the spirit of true abundance, seeks to enhance the temple’s cultural and historical significance, spark economic vitality, and create an ecosystem where the community can come together and flourish. “With healing arts and culture programming, a museum that honors the history of the building, and community outreach initiatives that support economic justice,” Troutman told Archinect News that “we’re committed to reclaiming a sacred space for the community, and ensuring that the resilient spirit of this iconic landmark continues to inspire generations yet to come.”

In a conversation with Steve Dubb of Nonprofit Quarterly, Troutman said “true abundance is about recognizing and honoring everyone’s right to joy, fulfillment, and the opportunity to thrive.” This vision was shaped by transformative relationships that developed during her tenure at the Highlander Research and Education Center and while serving as a fellow at MSC. 

In the same piece, she added that inclusivity is core to the project’s governance model and its deliberate focus on valuing and magnifying the voices tied to its rich history. This thoughtful approach aims to ensure the temple’s revival resonates with authenticity, collective stewardship, and community involvement.

Clayborn Temple continues to stand as a beacon of empathy, understanding, and collective action. On October 4, 2023, Little Amal, a 12-foot-tall puppet symbolizing a young Syrian refugee, made a significant arrival at the temple. The parade, starting at the temple, was a vibrant fusion of local and international support and marked a key moment in Amal’s extensive 6,000-mile journey across over 35 U.S. cities.

Little Amal’s trek symbolizes global solidarity and aims to spark discussions on identity and heritage. To enrich the narrative, Memphis Girl — an eight-foot companion puppet crafted by the esteemed puppeteer Jeghetto — joined the Little Amal. Collaborating with a number of organizations, including Shelby County Schools and Memphis Youth Arts Initiative, Clayborn Temple facilitated workshops for kids to create additional puppets that were used in the parade. Troutman explains that the goal was to encourage “1,000 children from all over Memphis” making “puppets in their own image to be able to say things like, ‘I am beautiful, I am worthy, I am the future’.” 

The parade continued to the Orpheum Theatre, a site chosen for its storytelling significance, where students from the Refugee Empowerment Program warmly welcomed Little Amal with personal messages. Troutman emphasized, “instead of trying to go and recruit all these young people to our organization, it felt really juicy and exciting to go to places where children already were because we want to support organizations that are already supporting young people, and we want to become part of their community and have them become part of our community. So, the message of our local work has amounted to building a culture of love. This project has really brought us closer to the Memphis community and I love that.”

As we stand at the threshold of a new era for Historic Clayborn Temple, we are reminded of the profound interplay between honoring our history and sculpting our future. This sacred space is set to emerge as a vibrant crucible for storytelling, dialogue, and active community engagement. Guided by the collective vision of Troutman and the broader community, the revival of this piece of history symbolizes a commitment to a community-led renaissance, inspiring both present and future generations to forge spaces that celebrate our shared narrative. The temple’s role as a cornerstone for healing, intersectional dialogue, and the nurturing of collective agency, pays homage to the rich tapestry of legacies that have resonated within these walls.

“In this rebirth, we aspire to be more than a historical monument,” reflects Troutman. Dartis echoes this sentiment, emphasizing the importance of reimagining historical sites not merely as relics but as living testaments to our journey toward justice and equity. “I was truly inspired and awestruck. It truly is a grand facility and the care and attention that Anasa’s team is bringing to the restoration is absolutely stunning — it brings history into the present and future!” 

In late 2023, MSC launched the Movement Strategy Center Donor Advised Fund (DAF) program, allowing individuals, families, companies, private foundations, trusts, and other entities to invest their assets toward building community wealth and power for leaders on the frontlines of racial, gender, and environmental justice movements.

For those who don’t know, a DAF is a charitable investment giving vehicle that allows donors to fund their accounts by making charitable contributions, receive an immediate U.S. income tax deduction, and recommend grants over time. In 2022, DAF assets were valued at $228.89B, with contributions increasing by 9% over the previous year, and $52.16B disbursed in grants from DAFs. Traditionally, these are mostly commercial DAFs that compound wealth within corporate institutions where DAF advisers are incentivized to increase the value of assets rather than rapidly disbursing cash to communities in need. And therein lies the problem — these charitable funds “have been used as a vehicle for wealth hoarding and virtue signaling while retaining all control over decisions about where philanthropic dollars go.”

But MSC’s program upends everything you think you know about Donor Advised Funds. MSC has envisioned a radical new approach that unleashes the true potential of DAFs and honors intent and partnership between donors and the causes they support. MSC’s DAF model supports more equitable and inclusive giving to historically excluded communities, and moves short and intermediate term catalytic capital investments directly to the grassroots. Crucially, members of the MSC DAF community commit to a minimum distribution from their DAFs of 25% annually in recommended grants while being encouraged to use their full fund for giving and investing, thereby guaranteeing a high level of deployment and mobilization for impact.

MSC’s DAF program was launched amid feedback from supporters like Chad Dyer, an aspiring capital activist and longtime supporter and partner of MSC. Dyer likens an MSC DAF to an “easy button” that allows donors to leverage their money and advance change without having to figure out “some new thing that nobody ever thought of; it’s not about starting another foundation.”

He acknowledges “there are smart people who’ve been doing this much longer than me … [MSC] has experience, they’ve been doing this a long time, they’re also very welcoming and open and not using their expertise as a way to exclude people.” In other words — as an organization with a history that spans nearly a quarter century, MSC has the credibility, tools, and partnerships in place to help get this critical funding to communities and organizations that are working, every day, to support a more equitable society.

Having made a commitment to the Good Life Pledge together with his wife, Dyer underscores that MSC has “an opinionated view of what transformation looks like, and if this view of a just world resonates with you, then [they] can help you support it. This goes across birth justice and racial justice and economic justice and climate justice; MSC will help you accelerate a Just Transition.”

In contrast to traditional DAFs, MSC’s program presents a number of solutions to some of the challenges that philanthropists and impact investors encounter when looking for deeper impact and more meaningful engagement. Traditional commercial DAFs leave the responsibility of figuring out how best to fund transformative change to donors — which can be overwhelming. MSC, however, brings years of social transformation experience, perspective, insight, and community accountability to the equation and applies a justice lens to our DAF investment policy, disbursals, and operations that actively mitigate barriers to those who have historically limited access to philanthropy.

Additionally, donors can feel limited in their impact if their cash sits in a traditional DAF account. MSC encourages DAF donors to advise distributions in a way that rapidly moves funds out to organizations and movements that address and combat societal inequities. To facilitate such movement of funds, MSC applies a 25% minimum annual distribution requirement to all DAFs, and encourages donors to advise annual distributions beyond the applicable minimum. This 25% threshold is inline with grant payout rates among DAFs at other single-issue charities comparable to MSC — according to National Philanthropic Trust’s 2023 DAF Report, such average grant payout rates between 2018 and 2022 were 31.4%.

Meanwhile, the fees charged by typical DAFs can often feel misaligned, supporting financial institutions rather than a Just Transition. Not at MSC, where DAF fees amplify our transformative work as a trusted, BIPOC-led, community-accountable steward of the progressive movement ecosystem. All fees are fully aligned with the change donors are working to catalyze by supporting innovation and infrastructure for our activist partners.

Finally, and most significantly, donors can feel their experiences of traditional DAFs can be transactional and unfulfilling. At MSC, DAF donors will have relational access with movement leaders, ecosystem stewards, other capital stewards, community stewards, and communities. And, to better support donors in achieving their philanthropic goals, MSC and our capital partners will provide programming for DAF donors that will shed light on equitable grantmaking strategies and provide updates from MSC grantees. MSC will truly allow donors to be a part of the impact journey.

Whereas MSC is not a registered investment advisor, asset manager, or tax advisor, we are delivering cutting edge solutions by forging powerful capital partnerships with leading organizations that are committed to investing in justice and building community wealth. Partnerships with Full Spectrum Advisors and Adasina Social Capital help us steward both public and private market investments within our DAF ecosystem, enabling donors to advance a full spectrum capital approach — aligned with their passions and investment goals — to drive impact through grants, recoverable grants, loans, guarantees, and equity investments.

Simone Champagnie, a Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy (CAP®) who joined MSC in early 2024 as our first ever Director of Individual Giving, calls the MSC DAF an “opportunity for philanthropists who desire to move from bystander to activist.” She continues, “in making the decision to open an MSC DAF account, donors are choosing and trusting MSC, our ecosystem, and our partners to be part of their own social justice philanthropy journeys.” Agreeing with Dyer, Champagnie acknowledges “MSC’s commitment to a radical shift in philanthropy” will help donors “realize their vision, activate their resources, and together make impact.”

At the end of the day, the MSC DAF offers a new way of being for capital stewards and community stewards. It allows donors access to a vetted ecosystem of movers and movements, unique programming and educational opportunities, and a way to catalyze change that is bigger than writing a check — it’s a way for donors to be a part of their own impact investing story. As Dyer tells it, the MSC DAF program is “about getting into community with other capital stewards who are on similar paths and getting into relationships with communities in a way that is very reciprocal — shared liberation versus the hierarchical aspects of traditional philanthropy.” For him, being a part of MSC’s DAF “can solve this almost spiritual problem facing capital stewards.”

We’re thrilled to celebrate Movement Strategy Center (MSC) Board Member Jacqui Patterson being chosen as one of 12 2024 Time Women of the Year! Patterson’s Woman of the Year profile lifts up her interconnected approach to environmental justice, poverty, racial discrimination, and gender inequality and highlights her work in Sandbranch, TX through her organization, the Chisholm Legacy Project, where she is founder and executive director. In addition to being named a Woman of the Year, she also received the Earth Award during the 2024 Time Women of the Year gala in West Hollywood. This award, given yearly, honors leaders working to advance climate justice.

Here at MSC, we feel lucky to be able to work alongside Patterson on the Sandbranch Revitalization Fund. As noted in our blog, Growing Hope: Cultivating a Resilient Future in Sandbranch, Texas, the community of Sandbranch “has successfully completed the first phase of its revitalization efforts. They’ve brought clean, running water to 21 single family homes and mobile homes” with help from Patterson, and Tonette Byrd of Until Justice Corporation. However, this monumental effort is just the start; Patterson has begun work on phase two, calling for the establishment of a community garden that helps address food scarcity and promotes sustainable living within the community.

In addition to MSC’s collaboration with Patterson in Sandbranch, we’re also grateful to have her as a member of our Board of Directors. We spoke with her in May of 2022 for our MSC Storytelling Series to discuss her work, history with MSC, and her upbringing. Throughout the story, she explains how “there was alignment in work and in mission” between MSC and her goals to “address, redress, and correct the carnage and the aftermath of colonialism and where it has left our communities as a result of the systemic exploitation, extraction, and oppression.” Patterson’s community-driven approach to activism also led her to co-host an event with Jane Fonda as part of New York Climate week.

We couldn’t be more excited that Patterson’s impactful work is getting the recognition it deserves, and as she shared in her Earth Award acceptance speech, this work is simply not possible without the “less visible sisters who are true heroines” and inspire us every day “with their transformational work on the frontlines of environmental and climate justice as tenders, stewards, and defenders of the earth.” We couldn’t agree more, and what better way to leave off than a reminder that our vision of a Just Transition is only realized when frontline activists, like Patterson, demand it.

The communal spirit soared high at Humanist Hall on October 14, 2023, celebrating the decade-long journey of the Healing Clinic Collective (HCC). Dozens of folks came out to partake in the music, love, and laughter that — along with incense of copal and tobacco — infused the air at a space affectionately known as “the Fellowship of Humanity.” In the sky above, a rainbow: a perfect symbol of the event’s unity and warmth. 

The joyful event was an anniversary celebration and a truly multigenerational affair. The air buzzed with the energy of connection as attendees captured memories in a photo booth, their faces framed by paper mâché flowers. Laughter mingled with blessings as people hugged in the Oakland sunshine. A communal feast featured fresh strawberries and a colorful array of local heirloom tomatoes. A soundtrack of music, dancing feet, and the infectious laughter of children  was reminiscent of multi-generational households or family reunions — a living homage to HCC’s ten years of nurturing and healing.

In that time, HCC — a fiscally sponsored project of Movement Strategy Center (MSC) — has inspired the launch of 25 new healing projects across the country. While we have previously reflected on HCC’s history, we now want to recap the celebration and turn our gaze forward to the future ahead. 

The photographs throughout this blog are a compelling visual narrative by Dr. Blanca Gordo. Gordo, who has naturally assumed the role of HCC’s visual archivist, is a social science investigator, policy strategist, and visiting scholar at University of California, Berkeley. Alongside these visuals, we share insights from Carla Perez — HCC’s co-founder, core member, and lead coordinator — as she recaps the party and shares her vision for the next decade.

HCC’s path ahead is vibrant with potential: community care that transcends the notion of impersonal, sterile clinical environments by curating offerings — not merely services — that resonate deeply with ancestral values. Each offering, Gordo said “is color, it’s warm, it’s meditative flow.” 

Moving forward, HCC intends to foster the connections made among individuals who were once strangers. Emphasizing the importance of curiosity and engaging with the community, Gordo reflected on her decade-long relationship with HCC: “we’ve evolved from a vision to a possibility, to an experience that reconnects participants with their intrinsic healing nature.” She recalls one young man who had never gotten a massage. [He was experiencing] “a lot of stress because of what was happening … Constant shootings in Fruitvale, where he lives, and nobody had ever touched his body.” He said “it felt good.”

The vision shared by core members of HCC, including Perez and Gordo, is of a future where healing is not just imagined or individual but actively shaped and shared. There is a collective consensus that HCC’s role will evolve to unite healing justice organizations. Perez sees this as crucial — an opportunity to “reach out to our allies, people in our network” She continued, “now that we did what we intended to do … How can we be most supportive?” Perez believes “it’s about threading networks of healers, amplifying our collective pulse,” and emphasizing the enrichment of practitioner networks through exchanging knowledge and mutual support.

Gordo highlighted the importance of building a sustainable, learning-by-doing model using a garden as a symbol for the organization. She noted the evolving needs and experiments of HCC’s network of practitioners. “We’re all learning. And if we stay on that path, we will be taken care of. We will be sustainable because we will always be needed.” She continued, “it’s not a fashionable thing for us. It’s a commitment. And for me, a prayer is a commitment. I prayed over this.” 

Continuing with the garden metaphor, Gordo recalls insights from a peer in a documentary filmmaking class — a concept she affectionately referred to as “total bonsai.” He spoke of propagating new growth from bonsai clippings, and nurturing these cuttings into healthy new plants. “Humans bloom with love, which is what I feel, [healing clinic] spaces provide.” She believes these spaces communicate a “we love you” and “your love matters” kind of feeling.

Perez spoke of a focused future where HCC will identify key partnerships to deepen its healing model and mentor the next generation of healers. Along with other core members, Perez will  work toward a future where culturally rooted ceremonial leaders will be able to offer direct engagement and paid opportunities through “courses or classes with cultural elders.” She further underscored the significance of the healing clinic model, suggesting institutions like the University of New Mexico as potential collaborators in this healing arts renaissance.

Let’s champion the spirit of HCC, for their journey reflects the heart of community care and resurgence. Gordo reminds us, “the journey from vision to reality is not just ours — it’s a passage back to what has always belonged to us”  — a journey of healing expansion as we belong to one another and foster connections for decades to come.

Support Healing Clinic Collective’s ongoing mission by donating, and delve deeper into the world of Healing Clinic Collective here.

It was a beautiful Wednesday morning in the Bay Area as MSC staffers made their way to MSC’s new, sun-filled downtown Oakland office. Tired from their travels the day before, they hugged, shared breakfast, and enjoyed each other’s company face to face — a first for some. For this first all staff experience, folks traveled from other parts of California, Arizona, Florida, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Texas to join Bay Area locals to cultivate organizational culture, establish MSC’s strategic goals, and form strong relationships.

Among packed bookshelves, staff mingled, exchanged stories, and shared in their common vision of a Just Transition. They continued with productive conversations about building MSC’s culture: from icebreakers to setting group norms. After a long day spent culture-building, the team enjoyed an evening of bowling and snacks in Jack London Square.

Individual departments took the second day to reflect on the previous day’s discussion, prepare for activities to come, and have some fun. MSC’s Advancement team strategized over shared meals while the Operations team held space in the MSC office. Karmella Green, a Project Advisor on the Movement Infrastructure and Innovation Center (MIIC) team, visited EARTHseed Farm, a fiscally sponsored project of MSC, with the rest of the team. She noted “visiting EARTHseed and learning about the environmental practices of the farm as well as sampling the delicious pears, apples, and other fruits grown there really culminated in a unique experience for [us].”

As is common with all human interaction, staff encountered healthy conflict stemming from diverse perspectives and expectations. To address this conflict, the initial intentions of strategic planning for the third day were altered in favor of a continued focus on MSC’s culture with a conversation lead by Taj James, MSC’s co-founder. James spoke of MSC’s history, the staff’s shared vision of the future, and each person’s unique talents that aid in the journey to that vision. He reminded staff that not everyone you bring into a room will agree with each other; and that this isn’t a sign of the process not working but rather an anticipated experience to be overcome by open communication and honest facilitation. Staff left the conversation with a shared commitment to resolving the conflicts that had arisen and improving communication with one another.

In the final hours of the retreat, friends from within the MSC Ecosystem were invited to the office for an open house. MSC staff, board members, directors of fiscally sponsored projects, and Movement Strategy Network members mingled while sharing stories, drinks, and snacks. MSC staff left with stronger relationships, a better understanding of MSC’s culture, and an encouraging roadmap for further culture-building and strategic planning yet to be done.

All photos by Hewitt Photography.

Navigating the path back into society after incarceration is a daunting task, made more challenging when coupled with the hardships of homelessness. Both reentry and homelessness, although different experiences, can lead to feelings of being undervalued or overlooked. This shared struggle has inspired the #WitnessOurHumanity hashtag for After Incarceration (AI), a fiscally sponsored project of Movement Strategy Center. 

AI embodies a spectrum of voices — from individuals who’ve experienced incarceration firsthand to scholars and activists who challenge dehumanizing societal labels and anyone helping people find their way back into the community. Jose Pineda is the co-founder and co-director of AI, and, having been incarcerated himself, he can attest that, “from tremendous pain comes the power to create tremendous transformation.”

To truly reach and support the community, AI adopted a popup strategy, utilizing a town square space where Albany’s unhoused often congregate. On August 23, 2023, AI transformed this familiar gathering spot into a haven for those unhoused and formerly incarcerated city residents. Guests were pampered with haircuts, and treated to a hearty lunch and uplifting music — an all around atmosphere of camaraderie, support, and celebration. This approach allowed them to engage directly, without the distractions, bureaucracy, or risks that can affect larger, more traditional homeless “outreach events.” 

The criminalization of homelessness, evident through laws against loitering, vagrancy, and other basic survival activities, has become a pervasive issue, especially given its disproportionate enforcement against Black people. Central to AI’s mission is the belief in the inherent worth of every individual, and the effort to mitigate the adverse effects of over policing and mass incarceration. Pineda describes events like these as a way “to remind ourselves to never lose sight of the work that always needs to be done at our doorstep as we start building systems to address those very same things.” His emphasis on aiding the unhouseled is deeply personal, each act signifying the urgency of larger, systemic change. 

Jon Romano, is a friend of Pineda’s — they met when they were both incarcerated. Despite being a convicted assailant in a 2004 school shooting at 16 years old, he now wants to “dedicate his life to serving the people who are the most vulnerable,” particularly people experiencing homelessness, according to Pineda. This despite facing assault at a homeless shelter where he worked. Romano expressed hope for rehabilitation rather than mere punishment for his attacker, stating, “the goal here is not to just lock him away … But so that he once again has a chance at life.”

From a broader perspective, AI emphasizes not just reintegration, but also the transformation of societal norms. Familiar with the ongoing cycle of violence, Romano believes that with better education and resources, “less tragedies will happen.” We must redirect efforts toward creating a world where every individual is acknowledged, nurtured, and supported. Sometimes, making a difference can be as simple as offering a haircut and a meal. Grassroots initiatives like AI’s are not just acts of charity but powerful catalysts for genuine change and community solidarity. 

Check out the gallery for more snapshots from the event.

You can support After Incarceration with a donation to enable more events like this one. Be a part of that change and support community building. Donate here.

Since its inception in 2018 in the San Gabriel Valley and Los Angeles, CA, where access to green spaces is not a given, When Black + Brown Go Green (WBBGG) has emerged as an intergenerational beacon for climate action and regenerative living. Visionary artist and activist, Felecia “Fe Love” Lenee Williams, spearheaded WBBGG, visualizing green spaces as community rejuvenators. Championing the self-determination of Black and brown youths, the organization is now making significant progress in environmental stewardship, health, education, and mobility, with tree planting serving as a catalyst for brighter futures for students of color.

These ambitious goals are faced with limited financial backing. The pressing question has become: how can this organization secure adequate funding?

This challenge took center stage at their inaugural strategic retreat. As the Los Angeles sun shone brightly in late July, the WBBGG advisory board convened, bound by their shared mission and the indomitable spirit of their founder — who passed away in 2021. The retreat was a melding of holistic wellbeing and environmental justice discussion, plus strategizing for the future.

On the first day of the retreat, the team, including Chris Lyric, WBBGG project director, who has recently taken on the mantle of Love’s work, commenced their journey with restorative embodiment activities, setting the stage for reflection and clarity. The team, along with their project advisor, Karmella Green, gathered at the Umoja Center in Leimert Park Village — recognizable from Issa Rae’s HBO comedy “Insecure.” The center, home to the Crenshaw Subway Coalition and the Liberty Community Land Trust, was a fitting backdrop for a collaborative brainstorming session. But amidst all the strategy and visioning, a primary concern persisted: the need to raise $50,000 to initiate their programming.

Followed by a meditation session that established a tone of thoughtful intentions and unity, a listening circle delved into topics of environmental justice and holistic wellbeing. Later, an interactive music sharing session sought to identify elements of songs that resonated with folks of shared values and inspired dancing. The day concluded with a guided exploration of Leimert Park led by Joana Tavares, oceanographer and director at the California Center for Climate Change Education at West Los Angeles College. The park visit included a Black makers market, another great opportunity for building tangible connection to the community in Leimert Park. The day’s activities wound down with a rejuvenating yoga session facilitated by Gayatri Sehgal, climate justice advocate, artist, and community organizer.

The second day took place at the CA Center for Climate Action Education and was laser focused on establishing foundational strategies. The group began with grounding exercises to solidify their collective intent. Collaborative sessions sketched out a cohesive vision, mapped out priorities and funding strategies, formulated engagement guidelines, and began discussions of potential programs. Finally, a communal meal symbolized unity and shared purpose.

During the retreat, insights from Baba Akili of Black Lives Matter Los Angeles further enriched the group’s perspective. Green, WBBGG’s project advisor, reflected on the weekend: “I feel a deep gratitude for the passion and efforts of the youth advisory council and individuals who joined us in LA for the weekend. It’s clear that there is a need for more Black and brown youth to be present within the environmental justice space.” She continued, “during the retreat I learned the importance of being a collaborator, a disruptor, and activist while standing in solidarity with others in the climate justice movement.”

WBBGG seeks to launch their ambitious Green Force Fellowship, which aims to swiftly plant 400 trees while cultivating youth leadership and stewardship. This work underscores the imperative role of seasoned professionals to steer the initiative and help with funding. Thus, the young organization stands at a crossroads where their vision and their challenges intersect. Now, they’re considering diverse revenue streams, such as community-driven webinars and park clean-ups. With the support of their community and MSC, WBBGG is forging ahead, seeking sustainable and innovative avenues to fund their mission including balancing the pursuit of grants and sizable donations with a commitment to robust community outreach.

Amidst these challenges, WBBGG’s vision remains unaltered: a mission to sculpt a community-driven, greener future.

Discover how you can support When Black and Brown Go Green by contributing here. Delve deeper into their journey here. 

Celebrating a decade of unwavering commitment to community health and healing, the Healing Clinic Collective (HCC) marks its tenth anniversary with a sense of accomplishment and purpose. Since its inception, HCC has been a beacon of hope and support for communities, offering accessible healing services that embody a deep respect for cultural traditions and holistic practices. 

As HCC commemorates this significant milestone, we not only celebrate their ten years of service and solidarity but also reflect on a journey characterized by learning, transition, and the relentless pursuit of health equity. Their upcoming anniversary event will not only be a celebration but a testament to HCC’s enduring mission of fostering healing, power building, and the wellbeing of all individuals, regardless of their socioeconomic status. 

On Saturday, October 14, 2023, the Humanist Hall in Oakland, CA will open its doors for an evening that mirrors the spirit and dynamism of the HCC community, offering a blend of the sacred and the political, epitomizing the organization’s values and journey. Situated at 411 28th Street, the Hall will welcome a vibrant congregation of HCC network volunteers, practitioners, and other invaluable members of the broader HCC community, along with collaborators and those dedicated to the cause of healing justice.

Emceeing the event is the dynamic Susana Cáceres, founder of CipotaVoz Strategies. With a 30-year legacy in nonprofits, Cáceres champions financial liberation for queer and trans BIPOC organizations in the U.S. and Latin America. From El Salvador, she’s not just a resource mobilizer but also a bruja singer and advocate of self love and abundance.

The evening will commence with an opening circle and libations to set the mood. Attendees will engage in herb bundle crafting, enjoy family friendly zones, and relax by an open fire. Energizing music will lead up to the highlight — a mesmerizing performance of Mexica danzantes, embodying collective gratitude and aspirations.

Entry is free, but generous donations to support HCC’s cause are welcome. The venue ensures accessibility and caters to diverse dietary needs. In these times, the health of attendees is paramount, hence, HCC has laid out clear COVID-19 guidelines for guests to follow.

The Healing Clinic Collective (HCC) has been a beacon of holistic wellbeing and community engagement since its inception. Holding the distinction of being one of the first healing clinics, HCC proudly paved the way but rejoices in not being the last. Over the years, they’ve closely watched and celebrated the birth of 25 similar projects inspired by their blueprint.

One such project is SanArte Healing & Cultura Clinic. Vanessa Quezada, Pharm.D., shares her congratulations to HCC: “thank you for providing the guidance, support, and care needed for us to create community clinics in Yanaguana (San Antonio, TX) that later became SanArte Healing & Cultura Clinic. The handbook you all created saved us countless hours of paperwork. We felt solid support for us to contextualize the work within our community. Your work ripples deep and wide, and we are so grateful for your corazones!”

This exemplifies a spirit of collaboration rather than competition. Carla María Pérez, a co-founder, core member, and lead coordinator at HCC, emphasizes, “competitiveness between projects is not healing at all.” Recognizing the diverse needs of individuals on their healing paths, Pérez noted, “HCC might not be the best starting point for some. They might feel more at home in an integrated clinic with both nurses and healers.”

HCC has always embodied respect and engagement with ancestral healing modalities — a collective vision where healers are deeply rooted in ancestral healing and anti-oppression principles, championing causes spanning from social justice to queer rights and disability justice. In Pérez’s words, it’s about fostering “awareness, reverence, and respect.”

Within its core, HCC is more than a mere healing initiative, it’s a vibrant drive to reignite a sacred, holistic relationship with oneself, fostering a space where over 130 dedicated healers and wellness practitioners thrive and contribute significantly. Anchored in commitments to ancestral healing, cultural love, interconnectedness, and diligent stewardship of the earth, HCC crafts a tapestry of healing that goes beyond the individual, weaving a resilient, loving community that honors the past while nurturing the future.

The spiritual backbone of HCC is prayer. Traditional prayer ceremonies are not mere rituals but essential foundations that guide and support every action taken by the collective. These prayers, imbued with depth and intention, span a range of emotions, aspirations, and hopes, often extending beyond set durations to envelop the organization’s endeavors in a protective, nurturing cocoon of spirituality. Pérez is “so grateful that our prayers were heard for what we intended this project to do and the impact we wanted to have. We planted a seed” and fostered healing. Through these solemn prayers, the collective connects, heals, and grows, ensuring that every step forward is rooted in sacred intention.

This is especially vital for traumatized communities in the Bay Area, where the effects of modern life can sometimes overshadow the grounding, healing practices of our ancestors. Through their consultations and offerings, HCC helps communities reconnect with practices that nourish the spirit and restore balance.

Looking back on a decade of dedication, the HCC journey is painted with lessons learned and countless achievements — including developing blueprints for healing circles and healing-centered political education and hosting and maintaining a network of ancestral and natural healers for herbal rapid crisis response including during the height of COVID-19 pandemic. It’s been a journey of community building, spiritual growth, and unyielding commitment to the sacred tenets of holistic wellbeing. As we reflect on the past, we also cast hopeful eyes towards the future, envisioning a world where HCC’s principles touch more lives, heal deeper wounds, and create stronger communal bonds.

We invite our Beloved Community to reflect with us: share your transformative tales and moments linked to HCC in the comments below. 

Support Healing Clinic Collective’s ongoing mission by donating, and delve deeper into the world of Healing Clinic Collective here. 

Climate Week NYC — the largest annual climate event of its kind — offers in-person, hybrid, and online events and activities for activists, businesses, and politicians from all over the world. Hosted by Climate Group, an international nonprofit that supports climate action, the focus of these gatherings is to drive the transition and champion the change that is already happening. Adding gravitas to the slate, it’s all in partnership with the United Nations General Assembly, taking place in Manhattan at the same time.

This year’s festivities, which wrapped on September 24, featured a “record number of 585 official affiliated events” — “breath work to build resilience within the climate movement, workshops on ecologically friendlier wine, an ice cream giveaway to highlight “climate risks to the flavors we love,” and at least five sessions aimed at stemming the environmental ravages caused by the clothing industry.” 

Some of the themes, which center on carbon capture or credits, or slightly more sustainable ways to extract and sell, fly in the face of a Just Transition. Nonetheless, many events — and much of the buzz among attendees over cheese boards — were a bit more progressive and a ton more inspiring.

One, A Gender Just Transition, was held on the evening of Wednesday, September 20, at St. Bartholomew’s Episocal Church — a stunning, century old monument on Park Avenue. Hosted by the Chisholm Legacy Project, SHINE, the Wallace Global Fund, and Women’s Environment and Development Organization (WEDO), the event featured celebrity activism legend Jane Fonda alongside MSC board member Jacqueline Patterson of the Chisholm Legacy Project, plus Mela Chiponda of SHINE, Bridget Burns of WEDO, and Ellen Dorsey of the Wallace Global Fund.     

Dorsey opened the series of remarks by asking who in the room had attended the March to End Fossil Fuels — a 75,000-strong rally in Manhattan that took place the previous Sunday. For such an intimate gathering, the response was loud — a room full of real deal activists who weren’t just in town to sip wine (note: there was wine). She then introduced the theme of the evening’s event — centering this crucial climate work around gender justice and real community solutions. She called on attendees “to redouble and triple our efforts as activists” towards solutions that aren’t just “a little cleaner” but “fundamentally change” the game. She also noted — and this was the theme of the evening — that “women are at the center of this process” and are “always at the center of these fights.” She continued: “If we invest in women … We will unlock transformative change that will get us through these compounding intersectional crises and create new economic opportunities.” Wrapping up, Dorsey reminded the crowd to spread “joy in activism” — an excellent segue into introducing Fonda.

For those that don’t know, Fonda isn’t just an A-list, Oscar winning actress, a Netflix star, and one of the early icons of the 1980s exercise revolution. She is a loud and proud, frequently arrested, radical-progressive activist. She was a vocal protester of the Vietnam War — which nearly killed her acting career; she is an outspoken feminist and co-founded the Women’s Media Center; she has stood up for racial and gender equity, LGBTQIA+ rights, and the environment; and she has steadfastly rejected subsequent acts of aggression including the Iraq War. Now in her 80s, she helms the Jane Fonda Climate PAC, an organization that is laser focused on electing climate champions up and down the ballot and across the country. Supporting smaller elections at the local level is straight out of the conservative political playbook, and it’s the reason so many hyperlocal governments have become more and more rightwing. Her organization is aiming to change that. 

Fonda, who had been making the rounds at various Climate Week events, opened with two observations she called “mind-blowing.” Having attended the UN Climate Change Conference (COP21) in Paris, France, in 2015, she noted that no-one was actually talking about fossil fuels and how they are the “basic cause” of climate change. She was thrilled that, in 2023, everyone is calling out fossil fuels. Name-dropping the effect of her Fire Drill Fridays, which launched in 2019, she calls this sea change a result of “people power.” 

Her other observation: all the women in decision making positions. She brought up her involvement at the UN Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1992. “Dig this — not one woman was there making decisions. They were down at the beach making solutions.” She called this shift a “complete joy,” and echoed Dorsey’s statement that “women are at forefront and bear the brunt and come up with solutions” for “families and communities.” She noted that women are 14 times more likely to die in a climate event; that a lack of energy — clean or otherwise — affects women more than men; and that “women know very well” that communities need smaller, faster, cleaner, decentralized, and local projects. The “top down isn’t working,” and as activists, funders, and voters, we need to support local leaders to move us forward. Closing up, she called the 2020s “the most important decade in human history.” “We are the first generation to feel the effects, and the last generation that can do something about it.”    

Patterson echoed the need to focus on the grassroots — “the people closest to the problems are closest to solutions.” Focusing on environmental injustices, Patterson called out how corporate polluters consistently set up shop alongside marginalized communities, how their industrial particulate matter and the resulting urban heat islands are affecting fertility and maternal health; and how their contested fossil fuel pipelines often become hotspots for missing and murdered Indigenous women. These issues, she noted, relate to our current “corporatocracy,” wherein big business — namely the fossil fuel industry — have an outsized influence over government policies. Then she directed attendees to the Fossil Fueled Foolery report she had a hand in. The goal of this primer is to help communities understand and avoid the common tactics used by the fossil fuel industry to promote policies and actions that promote their agendas while being detrimental to neighboring communities and the planet at large.   

To add a little levity, Patterson then asked the crowd if they remembered “Mo Money Mo Problems,” the 1997 megahit by the Notorious B.I.G. After a slew of affirmatives from the audience, she continued: “I wrote a parody a couple of weeks ago called ‘Mo Money Mo Problems (the Extractive Economy Remix)’” After a shared laugh, she explained it being about buyable politicians, “and to stay tuned!”

This led Patterson to share more about her organization, the Chisholm Legacy Project — named for Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman to be elected to the United States Congress. Chisholm served New York’s 12th congressional district for seven terms, and she ran for president. But she never sold out — one of her campaign slogans was “unbought and unbossed,” which is also the name of her autobiography. This ethos informs the projects Patterson and her organization support and uplift — “we lift up [that ethos] as we lift up the women who are standing against the manipulations of the fossil fuel industry.” 

She shared the story of Adora Nweze, who disinvested the Florida NAACP from fossil fuels and who worked to get other organizational chapters to follow suit. She spoke about Shamayim Harris, better known as Mama Shu, who brought solar-powered street lights to her Michigan community after existing lights were repossessed in 2011. And she talked about women and communities lifting themselves and their children up through energy autonomy and by “rebuking the fossil fuel economy.” Before wrapping up, Patterson — who noted that SHINE is doing similar work in Africa — declared that “there are possibilities and that we can live a fossil free existence going forward.”

Burns and Chiponda wrapped up the evening with Burns focusing on funding this crucial work, and Chiponda sharing stories of the communities SHINE works with in Africa — an area the organization refers to as a nexus of the climate crisis, gender injustice, and a glaring lack of clean energy in homes and communities. Burns, who said “activism can mean a lot of things, but it does not mean business as usual,” drew applause for citing a well known piece by street artist Banksy. It’s a hand drawn rabbit holding a sign that says “the earth isn’t dying, it’s being killed, and those who are killing it have names and addresses.” A profound acknowledgement of who is responsible for this mess, and who must be held accountable — but it’s also a call to action: we all have work to do. 

Whether Burns and the rest of attendees know it or not, that quote is actually attributed to Bruce Duncan “Utah” Phillips, a folk singer, labor activist, and poet who died in 2008. Phillips was anti-war, traded in the stories of folks who had been “spit out” of capitalist society, a pacifist, and an anarchist. He might’ve fit right in.