2020-03-20 13:21:44

Solidarity Not Charity: Mutual Aid & How to Organize in the Age of Coronavirus

As lockdowns and layoffs sweep the U.S., mutual aid groups are forming to protect and provide for the vulnerable, including the elderly, incarcerated, undocumented and unhoused. Democracy Now! looks at the incredible community networks across the country that are coming together to protect their neighbors during the coronavirus pandemic — and how you can get involved.

From Washington state to the Bay Area, Arizona, Colorado, Minnesota and New York City, thousands of mutual aid efforts are aimed at building solidarity, not charity. DN! speaks with two longtime mutual aid organizers and activists in two hot spots of the pandemic.

In New York City, Mariame Kaba is a longtime organizer, abolitionist, education and the founder of the grassroots organization Project NIA, which works to end the incarceration of children and young adults. She has raised tens of thousands of dollars and redistributed it to groups across the country in response to the coronavirus pandemic, and she just did a public conference call with Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on mutual aid.

In Seattle, Washington, Dean Spade is an associate professor at Seattle University School of Law and founder of the Sylvia Rivera Law Project. He is the creator of mutual aid resource website Big Door Brigade.

Democracy Now! produces a daily, global, independent news hour hosted by award-winning journalists Amy Goodman and Juan González.

Our reporting includes breaking daily news headlines and in-depth interviews with people on the front lines of the world’s most pressing issues.

On DN!, you’ll hear a diversity of voices speaking for themselves, providing a unique and sometimes provocative perspective on global events.

Missed an episode?  Check out DN on FSTV VOD anytime or visit the show page for the latest clips.

#FreeSpeechTV is one of the last standing national, independent news networks committed to advancing progressive social change.

#FSTV is available on Dish, DirectTV, AppleTV, Roku, Sling and online at freespeech.org.

Alexandria Ocasio Cortez Arizona Big Door Brigade Charity Colorado Coronavirus COVID-19 Dean Spade Democracy Now! Mariame Kaba Minnesota Mutual Aid New York City San Francisco Solidarity Sylvia Rivera Law Project Washington

Health

The Rick Smith Show

The Rick Smith Show | Following a Tragedy, Rick Smith Talks About what he Learned

The Rick Smith Show | Following a Tragedy, Rick Smith Talks About what he Learned

Rising Up With Sonali

Rising Up With Sonali | Healing Through Community

Rising Up With Sonali | Healing Through Community

Democracy Now!

Family of Lashawn Thompson Demands Justice After He Was "Eaten Alive" by Insects in Atlanta Jail

Family of Lashawn Thompson Demands Justice After He Was "Eaten Alive" by Insects in Atlanta Jail

Mobilized

Freedom Farm Academy and Food Forest Abundance

Freedom Farm Academy and Food Forest Abundance

Related

Democracy Now!

Democracy Now! | Voices for Peace: Israelis and Palestinians Unite

Democracy Now! | Voices for Peace: Israelis and Palestinians Unite

Democracy Now!

Democracy Now! | U.S. Representative Ayanna Pressley on Project 2025

Democracy Now! | U.S. Representative Ayanna Pressley on Project 2025

Generation Girl Code | Honoring the Fierce Legacy of Ballroom Culture 🌈✨

Generation Girl Code | Honoring the Fierce Legacy of Ballroom Culture 🌈✨

Democracy Now!

Democracy Now! | Counter-Demonstrators Spark Over 100 Arrests Amid Protest

Democracy Now! | Counter-Demonstrators Spark Over 100 Arrests Amid Protest

Proud Partners