“Not to suppress mourning (suffering) (the stupid notion that time will do away with such a thing) but to change it, transform it, to shift it from a static stage (stasis, obstruction, recurrences  of the same thing) to a fluid stage.” —Roland Barthes, Mourning Diary

As a Black, queer person, I’m intimately aware of how few systems we have that protect us. Marginalized communities have had no option but to build safety networks for themselves. 

The Black Panther Party, mutual aid networks, and dedicated spaces for queer folks are care systems we built. It is my right to continue the traditions of past leaders and dream of new ways to protect my community. 

Notes from the Edge of Society is one of those new dreams. It focuses on building community spaces within nuclear disarmament for marginalized communities. Nuclear weapons are evidence that society is not organized to protect life and the planet. People like me remain excluded from the conversations of nuclear abolition. This project is a two-part workshop working towards abolition while centering those excluded. 

We are pushing for a shift in nuclear spaces. A committee of decentralized people leads Notes From the Edge of Society. We are all too familiar with how this field makes it difficult for more people like us to participate. Our project offers a collaborative community space where we can center ourselves. We are centering humans. Not as victims needing our saving but as complex beings who are intricate, powerful, and deserving of equity and mutuality—fully capable of collective action for their betterment. 

We are tapping into what makes us human. We can harness our emotions and lived experiences as powerful tools for the future. 

Our anger, fear, and grief are building blocks for a future where we are all safe and cared for. Despite the onslaught of racism, xenophobia, transphobia, and climate destruction, I am hopeful. I am hopeful that we will survive. That we will persevere. And we will create something beautiful. Marginalized communities have always had to create beautiful things to survive. Join me in building community. Webinar registration for the workshops below.