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Jacobin, 14 June, 2021. “Mutual aid networks cropped up all over the United States at the start of the lockdown, helping communities organize themselves in the absence of adequate state support. Those projects have a deep history in the US, especially within early organized labor. This isn’t the first time mutual aid networks have proliferated…
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Ethical Unicorn, 2 June, 2021. Feeling helpless and frustrated about injustice? Want to push back against corrupt systems in society? Want to create a better future based on community care and local support? Then I’ve got just the thing for you. I think many of us would agree that, when the dominant systems of oppression…
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Free goods and services distributed by mutual aid groups helped vulnerable New Yorkers survive 2020. As the pandemic eases, those organizations are more needed than ever. New York is a crowded, loud, bustling city of 8.4 million people crammed into just over 300 square miles. In the past that has meant jam-packed subway cars, endless…
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One of the most effective ways to organize your community and eventually build power as people is to engage in what is known as mutual aid. Mutual aid can be defined as a network of people working together to meet the needs and improve the conditions of the community. While it may be confused with…
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Mutual aid has strengthened relationships and expanded our movement. Socialists should embrace mutual aid efforts as we fight for a society rooted in solidarity. Much of the discussion and debate about mutual aid occurring among socialists looks at mutual aid in a very narrow way. It is argued that the only way in which mutual…
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As mutual aid groups pick up the government’s slack during the pandemic, social justice organizations and funders are looking at how to continue this momentum. Ayear of the COVID-19 pandemic has left millions jobless, hundreds of thousands dead, and many turning to neighbors and mutual aid groups, instead of the government, to make ends meet….
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Covid-19 has significantly impacted all New Yorkers, but the worst impacts have been among communities that regularly face racism, sexism, homophobia, ableism, and classism. Low-income people are “essential workers” who must face exposure to the virus to keep society functioning, according to the NY State and NYC governments, who designate what is “essential” and what…
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Tens of thousands of mutual aid networks and projects emerged around the world in 2020. They have long been a tool for marginalized groups. 2020 was a year of crisis. A year of isolation. A year of protest. And, a year of mutual aid. From meal deliveries to sewing squads, childcare collectives to legal aid, neighbors and strangers opened their wallets, offered their skills,…
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As the pandemic plunged millions into economic insecurity, the burgeoning practice of mutual aid has been vital. But we must demand much more. Since arriving on our shores this year, the Covid-19 pandemic has eroded Americans’ confidence in the ability of the government to perform its most basic functions. This loss of faith in the…
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With Hanukkah now upon us, the internet is abuzz with articles offering guidance on how to celebrate the holiday in the age of COVID-19. While most of them focus on practical issues such as socially distanced Hanukkah parties and Zoom candle lightings, I’ve been thinking a great deal on what the story of Hanukkah might have to offer to all…
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