One of the most frustrating things about the past three years and what we half-jokingly refer to as our “current political climate” is that no amount of phone calls to our representatives, donations to the ACLU or arguments with extended relatives on Facebook seem to make any difference. Morality is crumbling around us and people are suffering, and it can feel like the only thing to do is complain that nobody is doing anything.
(Not that you shouldn’t still call your congresspeople. You should. Definitely call. It’s just the calls and the social media rants never really feel like enough.)
Enter: mutual aid.
What is mutual aid
Mutual aid is the giving of material support to a person or group of people that aren’t having their needs met. It is sharing resources with those who need it most, including people who are oppressed, those who experience a natural disaster or those who are affected by unfair or damaging government policies.
It refers to building social relationships and literally helping to meet needs, as opposed to symbolically helping (Tweeting in support) or putting pressure on representatives in government to enact new policies. It’s about making change instead of statements, and it’s more personal and direct than simply donating funds.
This video by Dean Spade and Ciro Carrillo does a great job of explaining what mutual aid is and what it is not.
In a nutshell, they say:
The messages of this work are, the government is fucked, we can’t rely on it. You are not alone. The system is the problem, not the person being targeted by it. And we’re going to take matters into our own hands and help each other survive right now, rather than expecting help from the same systems that have a clear history of causing harm.
Some examples of mutual aid
People who participate in mutual aid projects are offering rides, clothing and other assistance to people recently released from jail. They’re putting food, water and supplies in the desert where people often die trying to cross the border. Mutual aid is anything from food projects and temporary housing programs to child care collectives and community bail funds for people who can’t afford their bail.
A few well-known mutual aid organizations include Food Not Bombs, which was created in the 1980s to recover discarded food and distribute it as a way of protesting war and poverty; Mutual Aid Disaster Relief, which supports disaster survivors in providing resources to each other; and No More Deaths, which aims to end the deaths of migrants along the U.S./Mexico border.
How to get started
The Big Door Brigade has a slew of resources for people who want to begin a mutual aid project but are new to mobilizing. Their “Mutual Aid Toolbox” contains a variety of resources, including webinars, training opportunities, articles, and links to organizations doing similar work. Topics include:
You are now armed; go forth and give aid.
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