“We are responsible for the evolution of the human species. It's a question of two-sided transformation, and not just the oppressed against the oppressor. We have to change ourselves to change the world.” Grace Lee Boggs
Using body language for a silent game of "pass the power" in an interactive workshop, Power to the Parents: Building Strong Caregiver Networks Through Popular Education that I facilitated at Commonbound, the gathering of New Economy Coalition in Buffalo, New York
Multigenerational Community Organizing
We are more powerful than we know. Caregivers, educators, and parents too often feel isolated, stressed and broke. We can’t survive without them - and yet their work is intentionally underfunded and ignored. As I wrote in Domestic Workers Save Lives, caregiver justice is racial justice. It's gender justice. It's disability justice.
I’ve organized events for caregivers to get free meals and childcare, talk about what’s wrong with our economy and learn about solidarity economies, mingle, find support, and have deep conversations with new people. I’ve facilitated multilingual gatherings, working at my daughter’s school to foster communication and mutual aid between immigrant and non-immigrant families after the 2016 election. I’ve partnered with the Caring Economy Campaign and Hand in Hand, a partner of NDWA, to facilitate webinars and help families develop fair and transparent contracts with domestic workers.
One day, care for disabled people, elders, and young people will be universally funded and overflowing with resources, just as the military and police are now. One day, every city and town will have cooperative housing and free community centers where caring people can work together to cook, care for, educate, and celebrate their loved ones. One day, it will be common for old people and babies, disabled and abled people to spend their days learning and playing together in spaces where their caregivers can collaborate and build collective power.
Until then, we’ll be building that world, bit by bit, through small events, collectives, relationships, and visionary art. We can create culture change around the most important work in the world by making opportunities to gather and remind ourselves how worthy we really are, sharing skills in communication, consensus decision-making and conflict resolution, playing together, making art together, and making noise together.
Caregivers are society's peacemakers, our antidotes to a culture of violence and extraction. Imagine a world where everyone - especially those who do the reproductive labor of caring for others - has...
Land trusts and affordable housing
Safe spaces to connect, build networks, and practice restorative, transformative, and healing justice
Resources to build social enterprises and worker-owned co-ops
Financial support to pay for or provide quality care for children, elders, and disabled loved ones
Tools for popular education, horizontal leadership, and collective decision-making Intergenerational, multilingual gathering spaces to foster community mutual aid, creativity, innovation, and joy
Let's work together to build that world.
TESTIMONIALS
“The class was amazing, I loved it and I learned a lot.” - Griselda
“Super helpful and thought-provoking.” - Terri
“This is exactly what I needed. You helped us to connect with each other, but you also asked us to search for answers inside ourselves. I was surprised by the answers that I found.” - Nicole
"The mingling and the pace kept me engaged, and there was so much to talk about, I feel like we were just getting started!” - Mark
"Kate's facilitation of popular education was full of energy and deep love. She excitedly nudged us along as we built community and worked our ways through understanding our power and presence as caregivers.” - Paige "I did not expect that this program would illicit so much emotion in me. I find myself in tears after demanding financial stability in the midst of all the caring I provide. I surprised myself. That surprise became an eruption of discontent that has been ignored for far too long and I'm using it to propel myself forward. Thank you for allowing me to feel validated in my own needs." - Donna