However, these public spaces and networks are not just for catharsis – they hold the key to our collective survival. In 2021, when The Intercept asked abolitionist and organizer Mariame Kaba what she thought about the power (or lack thereof) of mutual aid networks—the government’s colossal failure to address COVID-19 Resulting in hundreds of thousands of deaths and even more in poverty – Kabbah did not express despair. She expressed hope. “I am more committed to this project than ever,” she said. “Because I know that this is the reason so many people in our community survive. On the one hand, people provide aid, and then people learn to understand each other and build with their neighbors, and through these actions people wake up and realize why we are in the situation we are in. of broader systemic reasons. “I find that people are really open to a lot of more radical solutions. “
