Get Free
What can we do to surface the origins of our inequality?
What can we do to dismantle the narratives and the policies that keep us divided?
Is there a way for us to push for reparations so that we can actually heal our relationships and our democracy?
These are important questions. And many of us have been grappling and experimenting to find an answer. It is not hard to see that we are headed in the opposite direction. Democracy is shaking. Separation and supremacist thought are on the rise.
I recently reconnected with Nicole Carty. It was in the context of an effort to leverage arts and culture in ways that impact public policy. I was impressed by the rigor of Nicole's thought. She holds a commitment to a theory of change that is well articulated. Grounded in the lessons that have made for successful movements in our past.
Today she helps to lead an organization called Get Free. And what I find impressive is the project’s commitment to build mass movement. It seeks to engage and raise consciousness across an intersection of people. People who are directly impacted by our current conditions.
Many of us are interested in what a mass movement can look like. But it doesn't seem like we have been able to build something that can sustain itself over time. We are not impacting politics and power in ways that last. Reactionary forces seem to keep gaining ground.
We have been blessed to experience movements that raise consciousness. From Occupy Wall Street, to #MeToo to #BlackLivesMatter. But we are still coming up against the limits of sustaining our most important demands.
And so I get hopeful when I hear of projects, like the one that Nicole Carty is helping to lead. When we spoke about her approach, I felt more grounded in something that feels real. Something that has rigor to it. An effort held together by a deep analysis. Something that demands coming together. And a commitment to real engagement with the centers of power. An effort anchored by the understanding that mass movements are the key to lasting change.
I'm looking forward to hearing what you think of my conversation with Nicole. I am very excited to introduce her to those of you that don't know her yet.
Enjoy the podcast and let me know what you think.
links
https://www.getfreetogether.org/
Bio
Nicole Carty is a movement and strategist, digital organizer, campaigner, and trainer born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. Nicole has over a decade of experience studying and supporting movements to further racial, gender, and economic justice. As a movement practitioner in Occupy Wall Street and the Movement for Black Lives, and a strategist and core team member at Momentum, Nicole has spent her career developing her craft regarding what makes movements strategic, impactful, and successful.
She has provided hands-on digital, narrative, and mobilization support for Movement for Black Lives, IfNotNow, Sunrise Movement, By the People, and #NeverAgainAction and others and has worked with a coalition of over 60 movements and organizations to develop a cross movement narrative to shift the masses and articulate a positive vision for the future.