“The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.” -Albert Camus in Emergent Strategy
Community
A community is a group of people with a common characteristic or interest who share values, beliefs or geography. Every individual belongs to multiple communities, e.g. cultural communities, school communities, faith communities, etc. The communities we are a part of are made up of many smaller communities, e.g. geographic communities are made up of neighborhood communities, apartment building communities, etc.
In this tool, when we state that “You are Community” we are inviting you to notice the communities to which you belong. All of us are community members and the communities to which we belong vary.
Us vs. Them & Power Dynamics and Antidotes
The image below depicts some of the common us vs. them and power dynamics that can emerge at the intersections between Community and You. The table under the image provides antidotes to these dynamics – actions and mindsets that can support you to move in new and more productive ways.
| Principle | Antidotes |
| We build power when we act in solidarity with other members of our community and/or bring communities together. | Share power with others in your community and across different communities; Name and welcome intersectionality; Invest the time to build trusting relationships and move at the speed of trust; Center the wisdom of those most impacted; Resist urgency and slow down. |
| Awareness of our positionality is important; We are complex beings with perspectives based in all parts of our lived experience, when we show up as our whole selves we can engage all of our wisdom. | When we are in professional spaces:Acknowledge how we are impacted by what is happening in community; Name and claim the communities we belong to. |
| Acknowledge the complexity of communities and move away from referring to “the community” as though it’s a monolith. | Reflect on our positionality*, our cultural norms and the power dynamics that are present; Notice when we’re doing work with folks in communities we are not a part of; When we are in professional spacesAcknowledge how we are impacted by what is happening in community; Name and claim the communities we belong to. |
| No one is free when others are oppressed. We choose to think of ourselves as separate in order to protect ourselves from the pain, and in doing so we protect the current distribution of power. | Risk vulnerability: acknowledge the ways in which we have been marginalized/victimized; Don’t act on a savior mentality; Trust the thinking of those most impacted; Build your understanding of systems of oppression that have resulted in people being marginalized or needy; Practice asset-based thinking. |
| Communities exist to cultivate belonging; communities are fluid and evolving. | Cultivate an expansive sense of community that centers shared values in place of rigid concepts of identity; Acknowledge when harm has been done in community and when possible utilize restorative practices. |
*For support in reflecting, check out the Reflection Tool-Kit