#1: Honoring Emergence

"One of the most important things you can do to ensure a livable future is to recognize that relationships matter."

There’s no doubt that 2020 has brought mountains of pain and confusion, and on a scale not experienced so widely in a long time. During this period of extremes, it’s also evident that there is a deep hunger emerging to examine the dominant systems at play. Around the world, people are reviving patterns of resilience and visioning new pathways. The anthropologist David Graeber recently passed away, and one of my favorite quotes of his is “The ultimate, hidden truth of the world, is that it is something that we make, and could just as easily make differently.” 

There are a few things that have become even clearer in 2020. 1: Community is more important than ever. In the face of pandemics, authoritarian rule, and climate disasters - strong communities will help us survive. There’s been an enormous growth of mutual aid networks all over the world. Some rely on technology to coordinate and fuel connections, while others utilize traditional structures to ensure mutual protection. One of the most important things you can do to ensure a livable future is to recognize that relationships matter, because truly, we exist in relation to each other. So shout out to all those setting up community fridges, offering shelter to those running away from police brutality, sewing masks, and so much more. 

2: We need wide-scale systemic change. Millions around the world are proclaiming that we cannot go back to ‘business as usual.’ 2020 is not painful because of some bad luck, but it is the product of years of environmental, racial, societal abuse. Things will not improve anytime soon, unless we propel it to be so (and even then, there is the reality of how much atmospheric warming we’re already locked into). The COVID-19 pandemic is one of many wake up calls that existing power structures are not suitable for ensuring healthy communities or environments. We have seen sustained protests in the U.S. demanding racial justice, with resonance in several other countries, and many new voices joining calls to defund the police and abolish white supremacist structures. There have also been relentless uprisings in Belarus, Hong Kong and Thailand where people are taking a courageous stand against authoritarian rules. If we’re going to rebuild from this crisis, let’s Build Back Better in the UK, or deliver a Green New Deal for the U.S., or a Just Recovery for South Africa. Read Thea Riofrancos’ piece on why she’s “never been more optimistic about the left’s power to shape the terms of debate.”

Perhaps, the reality is that we’re actually on the verge of coming out of a dystopia, as we push against disastrous structures that have damaged us for too long. This can be difficult to say when we see images of the recent state of our world. On September 7, Senegal received more rain in a few hours than it usually does in all its rainy season. The U.S West Coast’s wildfires and disturbing orange skies are just more reminders of the horrifying new world we find ourselves in. We need to acknowledge the damage that’s been wrought. It’s necessary to honor grief and pain. And yet, as our team member Rebecca Solnit says, “We have more to do, and doing it is itself a way to assuage despair, misery, fear.”

People are craving new mythologies, more accurate histories. We are desperate to push beyond an era where racist history was elevated as the norm. Yes, 2020 has been a time of horror, and there will be ongoing struggles for survival ahead - there is no doubt about that. But it is also true that we can still thrive. What we need are new stories that show us that prospering is more about abundant gardens and strong relationships than a portfolio of stock options.

In Dialogue

This month, I sat down with Mere Nailatikau, a Fijian storyteller and change maker. We hear from her about what 2020 has meant to her, and what are the values she wants to carry into the future. 

“The art of laughter - that’s something that’s just an incredible source of comfort when things get difficult.” 

Our Basket

A curated list of stories to inspire. 

• Gardening: There’s been a resurgence of interest in gardens, especially community gardens, as a way to support food security and build solidarity.  On the Navajo Nation more people are looking to farming traditions, "As we see the shelves emptying of food and toilet paper we kind of reconnect to our roots". Even in heavily urban areas like Singapore people are turning to rooftop and vertical gardens. In the Southern U.S., a doctor and her plant biologist husband are combining their skills to take care of their community. I love the “Stories for a Better Normal” video series in the Philippines, and especially the episode on saving seeds and growing with nature. 

• Solidarity and Mutual Aid: So many new mutual aid networks have formed during the pandemic. Check out the book Pandemic Solidarity and read about 18 different mutual aid projects all over the world. “Solidarity is a must. We don’t have a choice,” says South African permaculturist Chuma Mgcoyi. What will all these mutual aid networks turn into? The Common Ground Collective in New Orleans shares some lessons on evolving and building lasting infrastructure. There’s been immense organizing for rent strikes in the U.S., which could lead to more collective movements and tenant rights in the future.

• Indigenous Leadership: Many of the solutions we need for carving a better world have already been adopted for generations by indigenous communities. Now is a crucial time to respect, listen and follow their leadership. Watch “Ka’a Zar Ukize Wá — The Owners of the Forest in Danger”. Indigenous Guajajara filmmakers, from the Brazilian Eastern Amazon, made this short film about their independent efforts to protect the forest, their territory and sociocultural traditions. Listen to this podcast with author Rebecca Roanhorse and journalist Julian Brave NoiseCat about what Indigenous Futurism can teach us. Enjoy this talk by renowned Anishinaabe author and activist Winona LaDuke about the importance of “earth-based economics.” This September 5th, International Day of Indigenous Women and Amazon Day, Indigenous women all over the world organized an online gathering to share their deep wisdom, “While we recover land stolen from us, we insist on celebrating our existence. We sow hope, because we, ourselves, are the very Earth healing itself.” 

• Racial Justice: The Black Lives Matter movement has sparked immense and ongoing protests in the U.S. (and has seen key wins). It has also ignited deeper conversations around racial justice all over the world. There is no doubt that there is much work needed to dismantle white supremacy and ensure justice for all those wrongfully killed. Read this article about The Future of Black Politics by Jessica Byrd: “For a new generation of Black activists, success lies in the process of making change — in politics, policies and social practices”

• Climate Solutions: The climate crisis has caused widespread damage recently, from wildfires to hurricanes, floods and more. We are starting to hit dangerous tipping points, and have very little time to get us on track. Christopher Loeak, from the Marshall Islands, lays out how crucial of a moment it is to ensure that pandemic recovery is in line with the Paris Agreement. Two books that can help paint the way are Future Earth by Eric Holthaus, and All We Can Save by Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson & Dr. Katharine K. Wilkinson (as well as the podcast How to Save a Planet). There is some good news. Companies that have been instigators of widespread destruction are now gasping their final breaths (check out Antonia Juhasz’s article The End of Oil is Near). Pipelines, coal mines and other fossil fuel infrastructure projects are hemorrhaging funding and are being faced with bold, relentless resistance. After years of grassroots campaigning, Portugal has just cancelled its last fossil fuel infrastructure project. In a massive shift, solar and wind made up the majority of the world’s new power generation last year. I also recommend checking out the new collection of essays Climate, Covid & Care: Feminist Journeys. If you’re looking for some great climate artwork to spread the word - there’s some amazing art kits at 350.org. 

• And a final applause for Finland. They launched a Universal Basic Income project two years ago, and now their Prime Minister is calling for a six-hour workday. 

  ---

Thelma Young-Lutunatabua is the Editor of Radical Reimagining

Global editorial support provided by: Rebecca Solnit, Brianna Fruean, Louise Hazan, Nathalia Clark, Zeph Repollo, Lerato Ngakane, Rukiya Khamis

---

If you have stories that you would like to share, please reach out to us on Instagram at @Radicalreimagining or email us rreimagining@gmail.com

If you got this message forwarded to you, you can sign up to get the next edition of the newsletter.