Weaving Solidarity

Initially, I stayed quite emotionally distant from GEO 495 because of a doubt in the abilities of the classroom environment to really promote more thick interactions between classmates, instructors, and community partners. As time went on, I could feel myself softening, watching as classmates took on different forms of leadership in quiet ways. I realize that this is what I learned the most from Weaving solidarity, an affirmation again of how much an environment can radically shift the interactions that are possible between people. Rather than conversing with classmates, Celia and Marla, Juanita and Jennifer ideologically (or on the plane of ideas), the class structure gave me a chance to witness myself and other people in the ways that they stepped up to act. Facing fears often, going beyond what they thought possible for themselves, trying something completely new and going for this without knowing what the transformation may bring.

This is not to say that the breaks in connection weren’t jarring for me at times, although from doing organizing in other contexts I have become more familiar with them. That moment of leaving the classroom always hits me, when people pack up and are just barely able to talk to each other, efficient and organized in their own ways to cope and get things done. I often found myself lingering after class, just waiting to see what the room felt like empty, waiting to see how I felt after the semblance of a more community oriented space, a sense of collective yearning passed and moved on quickly as it manifested. I found myself being more forgiving of this transition moment, a neplanta, than I have before. In the past, I would have likely felt more distressed or depressed at the break between this very context-specific community building that occurred within the structure of a classroom but struggled to bleed outside of that. Thinking this, however, only would have barred me from seeing the myriad of ways that GEO 495 constantly blurred beyond the classroom, with the majority of learning and spaces I felt most connected to people being outside of class. Many people gave their time, energy, and a consistent sense of dedication in this class in ways that I have not seen in other social justice organizing contexts. Because the identity of Weaving Solidarity, and an understanding of what we were doing grew as the process developed, I noticed people giving what they could first… really concrete stuff like the willingness to listen, learn, bodies being present, helping out serving, cleaning up, just being there. I can’t even begin to stress the importance of this… the power of just showing up, through all of the challenges, self-inquiry, awkwardness, messyness, newness, amazingness that solidarity work can bring. Many of you all showed up in extremely meaningful ways that imparted many lessons to me and I am thankful to all of you for that.

The evolution of a praxis and methodology as something that organically happens in connection with action and figuring out things practically is something the class offered, which I appreciate so much. It made me think of research, and how paralyzing that process can be. Gathering information from so many sources, reading many other people’s points of view, and then trying to piece together some sort of creative self connection and generation to this whole web that you work with. This class was cathartic in that it trusted us, to be able to do good work without really knowing (I mean that in a formal sense) what we were doing. It trusted that we could find capabilities to deal with challenges and to honour systemic barriers and inequalities between each other. I think starting with this trust, this sense of possibility is essential. It doesn’t mean that the trust validates everything that happened between us, or that everything we did was good work, but I think initial trust gives people the space to operate (at least on some level) intuitively around what works and doesn’t work in a particular space and time. It also honours that we are somehow connected despite all of the divisions, categories, differences, and violence that separates our realities… the trust is like a quiet whispering that can give someone courage to stay even when it feels absurd or like they shouldn’t be there.

On the other hand though, there were very different exposures in the class to solidarity paradigms and practices, and I think it would have been beneficial to spend some more time on developing common ground between us… if anything, to build that trust more. I don’t think that necessarily comes from ideologically having a collective or common understanding (I think this builds), but from working in connection with each other, to foster thickness and an understanding of people being valuable in different ways. For a class that focuses on re-valuing alternative forms of knowledge, I think it would have been beneficial for us to be practicing some of this from the beginning. A lot of this learning started to get practiced through our organizing, but activities like cooking together, building something together, working with thread/colors/patterns together, trying something new together, going on a field trip, having different people teaching their skills, and giving each other workshops (connected to solidarity building and learning) are just some ideas. The class did this in many ways, but I’m really starting to see that it’s this shared sense of doing things collectively that builds people’s abilities to share, grow, change and also some of the hardest and most barrier breaking moments come from the challenge and humility of shared practice (where you don’t always get to do what you want or find the most interesting for the good of a whole project or goal).
I very much appreciated the class’ humility and understanding that we were a beginning stone in the path (as Marla expressed). All of the work that was brought about by us (which was of hugely good quality) can be and should be built upon by future manifestations of GEO 495. I am extremely grateful to have worked with all of you, and only wish we could have had more time together to keep growing the momentum that steadily built all term. I know it will carry with each of us in different ways and I wish you all strength, patience, and a hug for all of your run ins with different stages/forms of conocimiento. Hasta luego!!!

To end off, below are lyrics to two of my songs that I sung at Slams, Songs and Stitches.

Call Out
Teach me how to live in honour of brokenness
Kiss the breaking fight…. for your right
To be seen as something supported to change

Learning to accept the multiple deaths
Inherent in growing, in growing
In going where you never have gone before

Come on out pretty white girl
Look at your skin
See where it’s been, see where it’s been
Admit, the power carved dream casket spaces
Pale like you, pale like you
Watch domination continue
To secure the grip of your race
Know your place, know your place
Work, tirelessly to shift
To shift conditions for change
In silence unpaid

Teach me how to live in honour of brokenness
Kiss the breaking fight…. for your right
To be seen as something supported to change

Beyond You, Un-clotted
There’s something simple
Amidst all of this clatter
The right words make me feel safe
But it’s their meaning that matters

Live with integrity you say
Every moment you can of every day
It’s goodness, just goodness

Call me to the movement
Where children are our teachers
And single mothers are
Artists, scholars, organizing preachers
Body bear the burden of busting expectation
I dream of paths unfolding
Chosen by next generations

Suspended, by the hold of your eyes
They transmit pain that transcends time
Can’t forget this…won’t forget this

In that same stare
Lies a moment to choose
Responsibility comes in familiar blues
You can’t know this…. can’t know this

Call me to the movement
Where children are our teachers
And single mothers are
Artists, scholars, organizing preachers
Body bear the burden of busting expectation
I dream of paths unfolding
Chosen by next generations

I dream of paths unfolding
Chosen by next generations