Creative and Limitless Responses

One of the ways that the creative and limitless responses of Families for Justice as Healing (FJAH) are present are through their hyperlocal approaches. James connects with various theories of change that inspire the expansiveness of her approaches. Anyone who spends time at the FJAH office can see that there is great spaciousness in the ways that folks meet and talk together. She is attentive to the ways in which language choices can limit one’s thinking; for that reason, she resists using words such as “inmate” or “crackhead” and discourages their use by others. In one conversation, James mentioned the literature on social movement ecologies (developed by Carlos Saavedra and Paul Engler) that has inspired much organizing. Ultimately, James’ creative and limitless responses represent an embodied liberatory practice, made possible by a particular social movement ecology. Environmental factors play a huge role in supporting expansive thinking. For that reason, James criticizes the lack of library materials and voting information inside prisons. The theories of change that motivate James reach far by staying close to the ground, being embodied by diverse people, making space for liberation.

QUOTE

The hyperlocal approach is the key, because it shows people that you have to get small to get big. And so here we are small. We’re a small team at FJAH. It’s three or four staff. We work on a volunteer basis. Then, we have our community shifters. We’re a really small team. It kind of puts it in the place of saying, “We can actually do this.” It brings us to reality to say, “You can change the world, but just bit by bit.” And that’s how we grow out nationally and we get bigger. And so we just started off real small, block by block, and the 22 blocks [of Humboldt Avenue] is, for us, way more than we could have ever handled. I mean, now that we’re five years in, we’re handling the 22 blocks [of Humboldt Avenue]. We don’t have a choice anymore.

— Sashi James

ART

Kai lumumba barrow uses art to “free her mind” and move others towards abolition. In this video, she discusses her “visual opera.”

READINGS

ACTIVITY

Identify a news story that refers to a situation where someone is harmed. In a small group, discuss possible remedies. The goal is to respond to the harm in a way that is creative and has no bounds. You do not need to consider the current laws, policies, or (social) norms. In this context, your small group can make anything happen. Describe in detail the way that your group decides to repair the harm. Be sure to explain how the response impacts (1) the person harmed, (2) the person who committed the harm, and (3) the community around them.

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