To Shape a New World, To Die for the People

Braiding a Solidarity Narrative Across Society.

Jan 20, 2025

Reparationists —

Every year, on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I make it a point to revisit something he wrote or something written about him. Today, I picked up To Shape a New World: Essays on the Political Philosophy of Martin Luther King Jr. by Tommie Shelby and Brandon M. Terry. Beside it sat another work, To Die for the People: The Writings of Huey P. Newton, edited by Toni Morrison. These two pieces inspired today’s newsletter.

On this day, with the second inauguration of Donald Trump ahead of us, the titles of these books feel like an anthem. They embody the tension we live in—between shaping a world rooted in justice and bearing the heavy cost of fighting for it.

As Shelby and Terry note, throughout one of his speeches in The Trumpet of Conscience, King declared, “We may now be in only the initial period of an era of change as far-reaching in its consequences as the American Revolution. The developed industrial nations of the world cannot remain secure islands of prosperity in a seething sea of poverty. The storm is rising against the privileged minority of the earth, from which there is no shelter in isolation and armament. The storm will not abate until a just distribution of the fruits of the earth enables man everywhere to live in dignity and human decency.”

And in 1970, Huey Newton reminded us at Boston College: “Where there is courage, where there is self-respect and dignity, there is a possibility that we can change the conditions and win.”

The reelection of Donald Trump is a reaction—a violent flinch against the progress we’ve fought for, a symptom of a system trembling at the power of our collective will. Let us remember that systems of domination do not collapse willingly; they resist, clawing to sustain themselves. And yet, our collective resistance is itself a sign of possibility.

Let us remember that our work is part of a prolonged struggle. Like Crispus Attucks in King’s words, we are the vanguard of a movement to transform the earth for life, freedom, and justice, and with radical courage, even in the face of attacks, we will keep shaping a new world.

Let us remember that our charge in this moment is to come closer together—close enough that we don’t just hear each other’s heartbeats, but feel the beats of the souls that connect us. This radical form of closeness, born of trust, vulnerability, and shared purpose, holds the power to transform. In this closeness, we will find the strength to rise, to fight, and to build a liberated world.

With a deep love for all people, let us carry this charge forward together,
Trevor

News Recommendations

Cal Matters: ‘I would have been a great mom’: California finally pays reparations to woman it sterilized

Fox 5 Baltimore: Maryland lawmakers call for reparations commission to study 'financial restitution'

New York Times: More Than a Century After the Tulsa Race Massacre, One Question Endures: What Is Justice?

CBS News: California apologizes for role in perpetuating slavery amid push for reparations

CBS News: NYC Council passes bill to study reparations for slavery

NBC News: California touted reparations push, but advocates say new policies fall short

Inequality.org: The Paradox of Progress for Black Americans

Bloomberg: Why Is the US Racial Wealth Gap Widening?

The Crimson: Infighting and Pressure From Above: Inside Harvard’s Legacy of Slavery Initiative

Opinion: Braiding a Solidarity Narrative Across Society

Over the past year, I, alongside my co-founder Savannah Romero and new colleagues, have been building an organization called the BLIS Collective, which stands for Black Liberation-Indigenous Sovereignty. BLIS was born out of a conversation that Savannah and I had almost three years ago when we asked ourselves a simple yet profound question: "Why aren’t the Black-led movement for reparations and the Indigenous-led movement for Land Back more interconnected?"

Since then, we have navigated many iterations of our mission statement and refined our purpose. We have committed ourselves to sparking radical collaboration and narrative alignment between and within Black, Indigenous, and transformative social movements—to repair, decolonize, and reshape culture. In building BLIS, we studied various base-building, research, and advocacy organizations to determine how we wanted to define ourselves. After cycling through numerous possibilities (as shown in the graphic below), we ultimately call ourselves a Solidarity and Action Hub.

What Is a Solidarity and Action Hub?

A Solidarity and Action Hub is a space where movements converge to align strategies, narratives, and resources in ways that amplify their collective power. It serves as both a conceptual framework and a practical structure for fostering radical collaboration, deepening trust, and scaling the cultural and political changes needed for systemic transformation. It is a place where solidarity is not only spoken about but actively practiced.

In our Solidarity and Action Hub, we are focused on braiding a solidarity narrative across society that can help usher in transformative cultural change. This cultural shift, in turn, will lay the groundwork for long-lasting policy and systems change. By weaving together diverse movements and perspectives, we aim to build a collective force strong enough to challenge entrenched systems of oppression.

Components of the BLIS Solidarity and Action Hub

The work of BLIS is organized into five core components: Narrative Research, Coalition Building, Cultural Production, Capacity Building, and Membership. Each of these components plays a critical role in our mission to align movements and scale solidarity narratives.

1. Narrative Research

Narratives shape how people understand the world and their place within it. Through rigorous research, we analyze existing narratives around reparations, Land Back, guaranteed income, and baby bonds to identify gaps, opportunities, and points of alignment. This work informs the stories we amplify and the strategies we employ to shift public consciousness.

2. Coalition Building & Policy Advocacy

Solidarity cannot exist without deep relationships. Our coalition-building efforts focus on fostering connections between the movements for reparations, Land Back, guaranteed income, and baby bonds. By aligning strategies and objectives, we create a unified front capable of confronting systemic injustices. Central to this work is advancing policy at both the local and national levels. We recognize that long-lasting policy change relies on the strength and resilience of coalitions built on trust, shared vision, and sustained collaboration.

3. Cultural Production

Culture is a powerful driver of change. Through films, music, storytelling, and other forms of cultural production, we seek to bring the values of liberation, justice, and solidarity into the mainstream. These cultural artifacts help normalize and humanize the demands of our movements, making them more accessible and resonant.

4. Capacity Building

Transformative movements require strong infrastructure and skilled organizers. We provide training, resources, and tools to equip artists, movement leaders, and those who fund them with the capacity to sustain and grow their work. This includes helping organizations develop narrative and cultural strategies that align with their goals.

5. Membership

Membership lies at the heart of BLIS. Within this component, the Solidarity Sphere serves as a dedicated space for practicing solidarity. It is a laboratory where our eventual members will come together to build trust, share experiences, and experiment with collaborative strategies. These places of practice are essential because solidarity is not an abstract concept; it is an active, ongoing process that requires care, courage, and commitment.

Another key feature of Membership is the Radical Collaboration Fund. This movement-stewarded fund supports cross-collective projects and initiatives that scale solidarity narratives across society. By directing resources toward collaborative efforts, the fund ensures that movements have the support they need to thrive.

Why We Need to Scale a Solidarity Narrative

In the wake of a second Trump election, we face an era of heightened division, fear, and attacks on marginalized communities. These purposeful divisive tactics are designed to fracture solidarity and pit oppressed groups against one another. If we are to overcome these challenges, we must actively resist these narratives and replace them with a solidarity narrative that unites us.

Scaling a solidarity narrative means showing people how interconnected our struggles are. The reparations movement, for example, is not an isolated effort; it is part of a broader set of solutions aimed at building a more equitable world. When people see the connections between reparations, Land Back, guaranteed income, baby bonds, and other transformative policies, they begin to understand that these movements are not just about addressing historical injustices but about creating a future where everyone can thrive.

The success of the reparations movement depends on how much solidarity we can build across movements, communities, and issues. Our struggle is part of a larger struggle shared by all oppressed people

Over the next four years, I hope that BLIS and our partners can develop a framework for solidarity building in these times that includes:

Deep Listening: Creating spaces where movements can listen to and learn from one another’s experiences.
Narrative Alignment: Developing shared stories and messages that resonate across diverse audiences.
Joint Action: Coordinating efforts to amplify impact and demonstrate collective power.
Mutual Aid: Providing tangible support to movements and communities in need.
Healing and Trust-Building: Prioritizing the emotional and relational work required to sustain long-term solidarity.

To Shape a New World, To Die For the People

Shaping a new world relies on reshaping our systems and our collective memory of how we came to be. It demands that we tell the truth of this land—of thriving Indigenous civilizations, of Black resilience amidst centuries of oppression—and redefine the story we tell about who we are as a people. It means rejecting the myth of individualism and wealth hoarding that has been sold as the "American Dream" and instead lifting a vision of collective well-being and shared prosperity.

Braiding a solidarity narrative across society is our task at this moment, and it calls for new forms of courage, imagination, and sacrifice.

Because on the other side of this solidarity narrative, liberation awaits us.

National News

Reminder: Any news included in the newsletter is not an endorsement. Many of the arguments made in opinion pieces and the frames uplifted in reported pieces are against BLIS’ beliefs and values.

Daily Beast: Steve Bannon Escalates MAGA Civil War With Call for ‘Reparations’ Over H-1B Visas

Pacific Legal: Reparations Roundup: November 2024 (The Pacific Legal Foundation, a conservative “watchdog” group, started a “Reparations Roundup” of reparations efforts happening across the country.

New York Amsterdam News: Black, Indigenous communities can work together to strengthen reparative justice, report states

Harvard Gazette: Are reparations the answer?

Wall Street Journal: Will We Ever Hear the End of Slavery Reparations?

Washington Post: Reparations advocates prepare for backlash during next Trump term

The Hill: Harris’s next role should be raising funds for a Black reparations bank

Washington Post: Advocates hope Harris will boost momentum on reparations to Black Americans