Politicizing Mutual Aid
Our chapter has just begun to engage in mutual aid/direct service, and we wholeheartedly endorse doing more. Boston DSA as a chapter has the capacity to provide services that the interests of capital and the state do not prioritize or give any resources for at all. At the same time, we as activists can center socialist politics in these efforts, bringing notice to the contradictions and failings of capitalism that necessitate this work even as we perform it.
For example, when our chapter started the winter clothing donation campaign, it was bottom-lined by Refoundation members. It was started in response to a dire community need voiced by a local activist and a simple explanation as to why “charity” could not or would not sufficiently meet that need. We are able to meet that need, and to boost the message as to why that need is going un- or under-addressed currently. That message was propagated both internally (via email and Slack communications that explained the direct service campaign organizationally and logistically as well as politically so that members can better engage with the radical rationale) and externally in social media communications that brought attention not just to the campaign but to the underlying political issues. We have attempted to ground this campaign in not just the immediate need for supplies for our neighbors, but in the understanding that “charity” reliant on the whims of those with enough resources to give leads towards uncertainty and precarity for the people who depend on those donations. We are acutely aware of the insufficiency of aid or charity. We intend, with this campaign, to bring to light both the horrific inequalities brought about by capitalism and the insufficiency of temporary aid. At the same time, we seek to serve our neighbors and give what we can until we have the revolutionary forces capable of overthrowing capitalism. Because we recognize how unreliable traditional charity is, this campaign was designed such that it could be continued as long as we are able to provide donations and people willing to collect and transport them, as it was organized around an issue that is persistent rather than a one-time issue or opportunity. As such we’ve coordinated one donation collection each month since starting this campaign: one at a Political Education Working Group meeting, and two at subsequent General Meetings.
This is a model that we believe it is important as a chapter replicate going forward, and can be used for a variety of potential “serve the people” programs. As our chapter becomes better connected with the communities within Boston, we and our coalition partners will be better-suited to identify what needs we can address with these problems. It is important that we develop programs that we are able to execute consistently, so that our organization is reliable and does not replicate the ebb and flow of traditional charity which leaves so many people behind.
Additionally, we are proposing a new project as part of our Direct Service Team around supporting visitors at the Nashua Street Jail. Seeking to replicate a successful program by NYC DSA, we are planning to set up near the Nashua Street Jail and serve coffee and tea to people visiting their loved ones. Nashua Street Jail is entirely pre-trial, so we will also be handing out materials around ending cash bail. We will be able to provide support and solidarity to anyone visiting a loved one at Nashua Street Jail, and we will also highlight the injustices of the carceral state at large, and cash bail specifically. We hope that we can use this project to test our larger organizational capacity and build a core of regular volunteers so that we may explore larger and more ambitious projects, such as prison visitation ride-sharing services.
Read the rest of Boston Refoundation’s 2018 platform here.
