2 B. Liberatory Practices – Building

2 B. Liberatory Practices – Building

The two “unlearning” case studies demonstrate Audre Lorde’s maxim: “The master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house.” The RE practitioners over the years have built new tools for racial justice, forged out of the struggles of those activists that came before them as well as from their imagination and creativity in meeting new political moments. The blend of progressive traditional wisdom and daring innovations is necessary for a reality that is constantly emerging. After all, when our oppositions are entrenched and better resourced, their strategies will evolve in response to our resistance, especially when we are gaining ground. In this section, RE practitioners and their nonprofit partners share several “building” liberatory practices, tools that are new or reimagined to sustain, nourish, and connect the people on the frontlines fighting against social injustices. These practices include political education; holistic healing, repair, and rehumanizing; inclusive governance; and field building and networked ecologies.