Last month, I was in a terrible car accident. My vehicle rolled multiple times. I thought I was going to die, and I spent 18 hours in the emergency room for tests and observation. It was beyond harrowing.

Here's what I didn't have to worry about: assembling a team of friends and family to support me through a difficult time as I recovered and needed extra help to meet my child's needs.

Why? Because I already had a communication channel with a dozen or so people who show up for me, as a DV survivor navigating a patriarchal family court system.

I called my sister from the side of the road once I could move my hands properly. (Apparently, going into shock can make your limbs go numb—the paramedic talked me through proper breathing!) My sister alerted family members and my local support system. Then she showed up at the hospital, and another sister brought us lunch. Over the last few weeks, my people organized rides and childcare, provided meals, and gave all kinds of extra support so that I could rest and heal.

We don't uninstall smoke alarms when fire season is over, or remove seatbelts from our cars when we're driving alone on open road. Emergency response systems are meant to be in place for ANY crisis, expected or not. So why have we dismantled most of the community networks that arose in solidarity through the initial waves of the COVID pandemic?

We went back to "normal" even though the data was clear that vaccines wouldn't stop the physical damage of this mass-disabling disease—and many people never vaccinated anyway, while even more stopped getting regular boosters. Our shared attention to collective needs waned while we were re-absorbed into mainstream capitalist systems, as they exerted their ever-growing pressure. The mindset of mutuality gave way to the individualist lens with which we were raised to view each other. And life went back to something like we used to know it.

We're on the verge of multiple crisis points that will upend our lives—and our entire world. And the imperative, this time, is that our emergent response systems are built to last; that we dedicate ourselves to sustaining our collectivist movements; and that in doing so, we create the resilience that will not only carry us through the next few years, but finally free us of the systems of oppression destroying everything we hold dear.

I'm sure you're already aware of some of these looming threats; I have a lot more to say about what's coming, and what specific actions we need to take in the near and long term. But for now, here's what I want you to remember:

The systems we build to survive the present are the systems we'll use to build our collective future.

So make sure those systems are built to last. Not dependent on one person, place, or spreadsheet on Google Docs. Resilient, sustainable systems are simple to run but have enough complexity to avoid failure. They require good relationships, good communication, and good planning. That's not to say you can't slapdash when you need to... but when there's time and space to give it legs, make sure you slow down and give it legs.

Because being ready for crisis is also the key to supplanting the entire kyriarchy. And that’s a goal we should never let out of our sight.

Much love,

Nat

PS. My bank account is in the red & I have a $140 legal bill overdue. You can support me via direct donation, venmo/cashapp @natsmith89, upgrade your subscription, or forward this message to friends. Thank you for being here!!