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In true Jes Kelley fashion, she came, collaborated, transformed, and quietly walked into the sunset after leading RG’s amazing political education and transformative conference for SEVEN FRICKIN years! We, the staff, got to give an awkward heartfelt “see you laters” at our first full in-person retreat in March, but since she officially transitioned in May, we had to send her one last newsletter appreciation for the record.
For folks who got to work with Jes during their conference experience, you’ve probably been party to her sharp educator brain, dry humor, and ability to keep us on time and on task. For others who have worked with her on the slower, interpersonal side of redistribution work, you hopefully got to experience her creativity and agility along the way. From her support of the land reparations & rematriation crew to her gentle and firm resource mobilization accountability and building tools to honor nuance along the way.
Since we will likely ask this at a future RG trivia sesh, here are some rad facts about our former Program Director Jes:
She created the class privilege patterns that were also later adapted by Iris Brilliant
She has had such a deep impact on many of the life-changing policies that our organization has internally. Can we name them all? No, because there are just so many.
If you’ve been on our website, you’ve read her words on so many pages. Again, can’t list them all because even if she didn’t write every page, she had a hand in the content or editing of every single one of the pages.
You can find some of her old blogs here!
From Beginning to End: Resisting Capitalism [[link removed]]
Mass Awakening v.s. Mass Shooting, a Call to White Men [[link removed]]
Giving Big is Trusting Big — Supporting Sex Workers Now and Always [[link removed]] On Abolishing Inheritance and the Untapped Potential of Poor People [[link removed]]
Unquantifiable Data [[link removed]]
No Guarantees [[link removed]]
She is an uncertified facilitator of dance marshall exercises
She’s been deeply organized since a very, very young age. In a time when most folks were reading dystopian YA novels, she was planning for the demise of empires (fun fact: her first-ever email address back in the early aughts was about empires crumbling). See? Badass is too small of a word for Jes Kelley.
Her name is listed as the 56th synonym for North Carolina
She also has a strong aversion to people celebrating her, so this is probably the most uncomfortable email she’ll ever read!
There’s so much more to say, but Jes would definitely tell us to wrap it up, so we shall. The only thing left to say is thank you, Jes Kelley. RG and the universe are forever changed for the better because of you. - CB