Love Squad for Black Georgia Organizers

I remember sitting in an electoral briefing a year ago for the national community organizing group I used to work for.  During the briefing, maps of the US flashed on the screen depicting possible scenarios for 2020 electoral outcomes.  Not one scenario plan predicted winning one, let alone two, Senate seats in Georgia.

What closed the gap between those predictions and where we stand as a country today, was the radical imagination and the tireless work of Black organizers all across Georgia for over a decade.

But we often forget that unimaginable victories like this come at a cost.  It was beautiful to see people the hashtag #ThankBlackWomen trending on January 6th as it became clear that a Democratic victory in Georgia was imminent.  It was beautiful to see folks across the country lifting up the names of the architects and organizers of these historic wins - folks like Stacy Abrams, LaTosha Brown, and Nse Ufot.  But what does it look like to truly show our love and appreciation for the Black organizers who helped manifest these wild dreams?  

• What does it look like to truly "thank" our comrades who worked harder than they ever had before, under hostile conditions, in the years, months, and weeks leading to November 3rd only to learn that they had to keep going?  
• What does it look like to truly "thank" our comrades who, exhausted, kept going through January 6th, eked out an unprecendented victory, only to have it overshadowed by a violent insurrection in our Nation's Capitol? 
• What does it look like to truly "thank" our comrades who had only a few days to rest and regroup before having to head into a tumultous state legislative session?

A small group of alumni and facilitators from Power 50, a leadership fellowship Erica Clemmons-Dean (Organizing Director for New Georgia Project) participated in years ago met on January 7th to ask her that question. Her short-term answer was very simple: "We need rest.  We need healing.  We need care for our bodies and our spirits."

So we listened to Erica and got to work.  

• We created a basic form for her and others to share with their networks of Black organizers in GA to make basic requests for their self-care - ie. help with groceries, house cleaning, spa treatment, etc.
• We created a separate form for anyone across the country who wants to show their love and appreciation for organizers in GA in a material way by volunteering to fulfil these requests.
• We weren't expecting the volume that we've experienced so far so we want to make the process of fulfilling the requests as easy as possible.  Instead of matching groups of gift givers directly to organizers, this ioby project will serve as a central place where gift-givers can make donations,  gift coordinators will work with the organizers to clarify and set up the gifts, and then coordinators can be reimbursed for the purchases from this pool. 

We're doing this because we have to go beyond just thanking Black people with our words for all the ways that we move this country toward its deeper purpose.  Our long term vision is for a society and culture that honors the brilliance and labor of Black people every day through recognition, rest, and reparations, but until that day, we have to create everyday opportunities to live into that vision. This project gives us a chance to practice what it looks like to truly show care and appreciation through a direct aid. Those who have benefitted from the labor and sacrifice of one group of people will show that by directly giving materially to those they have beneffitted from.