Season 2 Ep. 5 - Movements Start from Within

By Aghilah Nadaraj, Asli Mwaafrika, Najari Smith, Marion Gee, and Keenan Rhodes - Climate Justice Alliance, January 25, 2023

After a season that journeys through the history of environmental and climate justice, how to identify good and bad solutions to climate change, the importance of storytelling and creativity in the movement, we conclude with a focus on the most foundational element of the work: each of us, our capacity for self-transformation and leadership, and our relationships in the ecosystems that are our families, neighborhoods, and communities.

The Jemez Principles of Democratic Organizing includes a “commitment to self-transformation,” recognizing that “We must be the values that we say we’re struggling for and we must be justice, be peace, be community.”

Organizations like the Kheprw Institute focus on just that – community empowerment through self-mastery.

In this episode, guests Aghilah Nadaraj and Asli Mwaafrika from Kheprw share what it means to build “community wealth” and how leadership is within each of us. You’ll also hear from Najari Smith, founder of Rich City Rides, on his journey from Brooklyn, New York, to Richmond, California, and how he channeled the voices of his community into the visionary bike cooperative and ecosystem that it is today.

Lastly, you’ll meet Climate Justice Alliance’s co-executive director Marion Gee, who talks about personal loss, grief, and her calling to leadership.

Disclaimer: The views expressed here are not the official position of the IWW (or even the IWW’s EUC) and do not necessarily represent the views of anyone but the author.