Why Mutual Aid and Collective Care Matter Right Now—and What You Can Do

You don’t have to join or start a formal mutual aid network to practice collective care—though if you’d like to, here’s a list of existing networks across the country and a primer on how to start your own. Each of us can work on orienting our lives toward an ethos of collective care in small, intentional ways. Here are a few ideas on doing just that from the Moms Clean Air Force team:

• Get to know your neighbors. Knowing people in your community—especially the people who live closest to you—can be critical in times of crisis. It’s your neighbors who’ll be there to help you when your power goes out, when there’s a boil water notice, or when you’re running out of diapers and the stores are closed during a storm. Consider hosting a block party, book club, walking group, or craft circle. Invite a neighbor over for coffee or dinner. Chat face-to-face with people as you’re getting your mail or walking your dog. Bonus reason to talk to your neighbors: making small talk is one of the key practices of fighting tyranny, according to historian Timothy Snyder.

Read the rest at Moms Clean Air Force