Don’t miss this video of a very useful conversation about mutual aid work that prisoners have done and are doing to support each other surviving inside prisons.
Recommended Reading about COVID-19 Mutual Aid in China
Check out this recently translated article about the failures of government responses to COVID-19 in China, the reasons for those failures, and the responses coordinated by mutual aid groups. It raises very interesting questions about centralized responses to epidemics and other disasters.
New Video: Conversation with Dream Defenders, Ujimaa Medics, Mariame Kaba, Dylan Rodriguez, and Dean Spade about Mutual aid
“Mutual Aid” is a People’s Movement: Beyond Philanthropy, Charity, and Dependence on the (Police) State
An American Studies Association 2020 Freedom Course recorded on April 22, 2020
Framing questions: * What is “mutual aid,” and how is it different from charity, philanthropy, and state social services? * How is mutual aid part of current and historical freedom, liberation, and self-determination struggles of different peoples? * How are mutual aid efforts responding to the COVID-19 pandemic? * How can people participate in mutual aid projects RIGHT NOW?
participants: * Rachel Gilmer, Helen Peña, and Dr. Armen Henderson Dream Defenders (https://dreamdefenders.org/) * Amika Tendaji Ujimaa Medics (https://umedics.org/) * Mariame Kaba Project NIA (http://project-nia.org/) * Dean Spade Seattle University School of Law (http://bigdoorbrigade.com/) * facilitated by Dylan Rodríguez Univ of California, Riverside; President-Elect of the American Studies Association (2020-2021)
Mutual Aid Interview Series in Black Agenda Report
Roberto Sirvent and I are publishing a series of interviews with mutual aid groups in Black Agenda Report. This series of interviews with mutual aid project initiators and participants explores how mutual aid projects work, why they are so essential to social movements, and how they confront obstacles. These interviews will be published over the course of 2020.
The Interviews
Ejeris Dixon on Transformative Justice
Timmy Châu on People’s Response Team and other Chicago anti-police violence work