[link removed]


** “…there’s no single answer that will solve all of our future problems. There’s no magic bullet. Instead, there are thousands of answers–at least. You can be one of them if you choose to be.” — Octavia Butler
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AMP is moving to a seasonal rhythm in alignment with our compass of moving like the understory, unfolding at the speed of capacity and collective pacing. The understory is the infinitely complex array of living beings that make up the ecosystem of the forest floor, making it possible for trees, critters, and other beings to flourish. Like a forest understory, we nourish, protect, connect, strive to balance, and cultivate our movement ecosystem. From now on, our newsletter will follow the shifts of the natural world—Emerge, Flourish, Harvest, and Brumate.

In this Spring newsletter, we will focus on what is emerging in our network of liberatory media and in the ecosystem at large. Movement from underneath the soil comes to the surface when temperatures begin to rise and the days get longer. Seeds break open to allow the life in them to seek and grow upward toward the light. In this moment of emergence we get to ask ourselves: How can we strengthen connections as we continue to move toward justice? What nourishment do our networks need to ensure we are not leaving anyone behind, including ourselves?

Dear Beloved Community,

It’s winter and all is grim in the world. I am trying to notice small delights that I can– rabbit footprints in the snow, the first juicy bite of a Sumo Orange, and snail mail to and from faraway friends and comrades. As culture workers who make meaning on the axis of abolition, ​​we often stand at the threshold of urgency because we are in a society designed for people, organizations, and artists who operate outside capitalism to fail. The threshold of urgency can propel us into distraction from our work, our labor in the fields of justice. So how can we build strategic portals of change? I think it’s right here, continuing the day-to-day almost mundane tasks, deepening relationships with your community and joining local mutual aid and organizing groups because it’s much harder to stop a whole community rooted in liberation than an individual positioned within their own self-care.

An invitation that has helped me continue on is from the great matriarch of modern literature, Toni Morrison. She so aptly said, “The function, the very serious function of racism is distraction. It keeps you from doing your work. It keeps you explaining, over and over again, your reason for being.” The truth is we don’t need to explain our reasons for being, our breathing is a direct disruption of white supremacy. Each of us are constellations of courage glittering with enough hope and passion to start the world over.

-Katelyn Rivas, Network Liaison

FILM
* Comfrey Films: Black Trans Short Film Festival ([link removed]) , April 24-26 in Durham ([link removed]) , NC
* Xi'im Ek Balam ([link removed]) signed an intertribal peace agreement with three tribes in the Ecuadorian Amazon (Waorani, Kichwa and Shuar) and they are also premiering a film about their project at the Stellenbosch Triennial at the Bioscope Event. Check out a video about their work here. ([link removed])

WRITING
* adrienne maree brown project: Ancestors ([link removed]) will be out June 10. The conclusion to the Grievers trilogy
* Black Indigenous Trans of Color Histories Lab (“The Lab”): Trans of Color History Zine ([link removed])

VISUAL ART
* Experience: Black Bottom Archives: Black Bottom exhibit at the Detroit Historical Museum ([link removed])

EVENTS
* Sapelo Square: Celebrating 10 years of Sapelo Square ([link removed]) , and also Ramadan. Ramadan Mubarak!
* Visionary Organizing Lab Upcoming events
+ Work Differently: Visionary Organizing for Professional & Organizational Development. Monday, March 24 - April 1st | 12-2 PM ET (Register here ([link removed]) ). We’re bringing back this powerful 4-session workshop designed to help you navigate challenges, find balance, and align your personal calling with your professional path.
* LOVE Building Detroit - Friday April 4th, A Disability Culture Crip Drift Day! ([link removed])


** TAKE ACTION
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** LA Fires Mutual Aid Hub ([link removed])
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* LGBTQI+ Resources
+ GLAD Legal Protection and Information on Law changes ([link removed])
+ Lambda Legal guide ([link removed]) for Trans and Nonbinary folks to support them in navigating the restrictions placed on passports and other identity documents.
* Resist attacks on Section 504 ([link removed]) which attempts to roll back protections for Disabled people in education, healthcare, and other basic services.
* Deportation resources and media from our network:
+ Truthout.org Solidarity Against ICE and Border Patrol Resources ([link removed]) .
+ ACLU Michigan: Know Your Rights: Before, During and After Immigration Raids ([link removed])
+ Community Fight Back Toolkit from Center for Popular Democracy ([link removed])
* Toolkit from Muslims for Just Futures on The Criminalization of Solidarity: A Practical Guide for Movements and Communities ([link removed])

♿️📣 URGENT: Detroit's budget season is HERE and disabled Detroiters need YOUR help! That’s why we’re partnering with Detroit Disability Power to make sure residents are weighing in on where their tax dollars are going! ([link removed])

Our goal: 200 letters to city officials demanding the FY26 budget funds:

✓ Accessible housing

✓ Reliable transit

✓ Public spaces and services designed for us

With federal disability funding at risk, our LOCAL action matters more than ever. Since 2021, this campaign has secured crucial wins—and we need to keep the momentum going.

Takes just 2 minutes to add your voice! ([link removed])

ENGAGE

Listen: Earthly Reads: Tricia Hersey on We Will Rest! ([link removed])

Read: Native Nations mobilizing against ICE ([link removed])

Learn: Media Justice training on the lineage of Resistance Storytelling ([link removed])

Practice: Care guide with resources put together by AMC Healing Justice practice space organizer Tanuja Jagernauth ([link removed])

Attend: Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights is hosting a screening of the documentary film “Commuted” which tells the story of Danielle Metz. The screening and a Q&A with Danielle will be followed by a catered reception! RSVP here ([link removed])

AMP is a fiscal sponsor to over 120 projects embodying media for liberation and functions as a network of brilliant organizers, artists, healers, and caretakers. Their work remains as critical today as it ever was. Check out our website ([link removed]) to see the projects’ profiles and donate to their work directly.
Donate to Support AMP’s Work of Cultivating Media for Liberation ([link removed])

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