In the true spirit of Spring, a time of growth and renewal, our members and staff have been busy bees working with purpose and deep solidarity. Because we know: the only safe community is an organized community. This season, we’re building people power and fortifying our beloved community, here are 3 ways we’ve been showing up for community this season:
Celebrating Mothers and Caregivers
through our Sisters in Struggle Mutual Aid Program
Our Mother’s Day Mutual Aid Market brought together 70+ people for an afternoon of celebrating the mothers and caregivers in our community through art, photography, activities for the babies, massages for the mamas, and resource sharing.
Community Education and Safety
Engaging, collaborative education sessions on labor history and how we stay safe through extreme weather conditions
In May we collaborated with Miami DSA to lift up stories of the international labor movement. Members learned about the solidarity campaigns between the Black Panther Party and the United Farm Workers, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, and the Haitian Revolution.
We also collaborated with the CLEO Institute to put on a workshop about getting prepared for extreme weather conditions – hurricanes, flooding, and extreme heat. Working-class Black and immigrant women are on the frontlines of climate disaster, so getting informed, educated, and prepared is a top priority.
Research for Organizing and Leadership
Using Participatory Action-Research as a tool for building our base of tenants and workers, and developing members’ leadership and expertise.
10 members completed the Participatory Action-Research Fellowship, and together they collected over 1,000 surveys – data that will be integral to the report we will be releasing later this Fall. Not only are members contributing to the research project, they are helping shape it. Every step of our research is developed alongside member leaders who are transforming their personal experiences into expertise. Our research will continue into the next phase of conducting focus groups and 1:1 interviews with tenants, to uncover how families are being impacted by housing injustices.
