Disaster capitalism, although still currently dominant, is no longer the only powerful force when disasters occur. There is a growing movement of movements engaged in decentralized, liberatory disaster relief, rooted in the values of mutual aid and solidarity. These efforts, grounded in radical social movement organizing, offer a direct action alternative: meeting the survival needs of the people and building power from below, while challenging the forces of Money and Power. This mutual aid disaster relief movement is a broad ecosystem, with diverse organizations, positions, and practices. As hurricanes, fires, pandemics, and other disasters increase in intensity and frequency, the insights, visions, and experiences the authors in this book share offer a valuable road map to meet the climate crisis head on, struggle for a just recovery when disasters do hit, reimagine our relationships to each other and the planet, and as the Zapatistas taught civil society, “Don’t seize power, exercise it.”
Contributors include:
scott crow, carla bergman, Malik Rahim, chris time steele, Cindy Milstein, Suncere Ali Shakur, Klee Benally, Eleanor Goldfield, David Lee Nishizaki, Dezeray Lyn, Donna Davis, Greg Cruz, Penny Travlou, William C. Anderson, Rural Organizing and Resilience, Scott Campbell, Siobhan Watters, Mutual Aid Disaster Relief, Northeast Action Collective, Brigadistas and Solidarity Adherents and Supporters of the Sixth, Climate Justice, The Radical Housing Journal Editorial Collective, West Street Recovery, Woodbine