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There have been moments in U.S history where it seems as if the people have ceded their power to politicians in aspirations that politicians would make the best decision for all of us. For every step towards stagnation there are examples of resistance led by ‘We the People’ with a hope and desire to make America the democratic nation we believe it can be. A nation for the people. People that have come to this country in hopes of the American Dream, for people born here with an expectation of civil liberties and those across the globe that could potentially see the U.S. as allies or leaders. Recent efforts to continue the filibuster, the debate amongst a bold brand for infrastructure and a continued growing climate crisis
Around the country, workers are rising up against billionaires and corporations and demanding better for the people. They are organizing, striking, quitting, withdrawing consent from a system that is designed to put profits over people. It is just the ruckous needed to disrupt cruel capitalism and awaken a sleeping giant. That sleeping giant is all of us.
In this weeks WELLREAD, we are leaning into what is happening around us and ringing the alarm. We are witnessing the people coming together even when politics are actively creating to divide us. We are revisiting the wisdom from those that have organized before us collectively and we’ve got tools to share on ways we can each engage our giant within. 
Kennae (she/her)
1. U.S. Labor Unions Are Having a Moment [[link removed]]. Essential workers are finally feeling essential and demanding the dignity, living wage and benefits they have deserved all along. [click to tweet] [[link removed]]
2. More workers are striking, quitting, and demanding more from billionaires and corporations. [[link removed]] And it’s about time. Here’s what you need to know about the the labor movement that is surging around the country. [click to tweet] [[link removed]]
3. Gerrymandering just got a lot worse. [[link removed]] How the Supreme Court unleashed a brutal wave of partisan redistricting that could tip the scales for many state and national elections to come (in a not-good way). [click to tweet] [[link removed]]
4. Follow the people who know the way. [[link removed]] Movements and organizations are still utilizing the wisdom from the Combahee River Collective that reminds us until Black women are free, none of us will be free. Check out this essential conversation. [click to tweet] [[link removed]]
5. A Sleeping Giant is Stirring [[link removed]]. When low-income people come together across lines of difference and challenge the narrative that pits groups against each other, it has the political power and potential to change the game. [click to tweet] [[link removed]]
Despite epic inequality and a rigged political system (most recently, North Carolina and Georgia), the people are reclaiming their power and getting organized. Here are three things you can do to demonstrate your power:
Support labor/union organizing. Support workers in their demands for a living wage, paid family leave, PPE protections, and healthcare. Follow these labor leaders and show up in solidarity: Fightfor15 [[link removed]], AFL-CIO, [[link removed]] Amazon Labor Union [[link removed]]
Hold your elected officials accountable. After passing a historic infrastructure bill, congress is still stalling on the Build Back Better Act that provides working families with essential support. Hold your representatives to their word. A great majority of Americans support the BBB and deserve for it to be passed. Call your elected officials and demand Build Back Better. [[link removed]]
Organize your people. We can’t wait around for someone else to save us. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. And we need to start where we are. Join us THURSDAY 11/18 for an exploration of how to get started organizing our people and building power that scales. Join us on November 18th to learn more about our upcoming 6-month learning cohort! [[link removed]]
If we didn’t have power, the system wouldn’t be working so hard to restrain us. All around the country are efforts to suppress our votes, control our bodies, rig our districts, restrict our civil rights and withhold basic needs. The only response is to reclaim our power. We do that by getting organized. When we unite our power in collective resistance and love, we can push back against systems of power, advance our vision for the world that we all deserve. Here are some strategies and tactics for building power from our friends from Beautiful Trouble:
Power Mapping: [[link removed]] To win a campaign, you need to correctly identify who has the power to fix the problem you want fixed. Then you need to pressure them to make the right decision. Power mapping is a tool to not only identify who holds that power, but, crucially, who holds influence over that person, and, therefore, who to target with your direct actions and campaign activities (see: PRINCIPLE: Choose your target wisely [[link removed]]). A power map, properly done, can reveal these relationships and power dynamics and help you design a winning strategy for your campaign.
Battle of the Story: [[link removed]] We live in a world shaped by stories that permeate our lives like threads, weaving the fabric of human cultures. A story can inform or deceive, enlighten or entertain. It wields the power to form our very reality. The Battle of the Story is based on the recognition that the currency of story is not truth, but meaning. That is, what makes a story powerful is not necessarily facts, but how the story creates meaning in the hearts and minds of the listeners.
Use the Power of Ritual: [[link removed]] At its best, a ritual is a cathartic, transformative experience. At a bat mitzvah, a child crosses over into adulthood. At a funeral, mourners grieve and find closure. A ritual harnessed to a political purpose should have an equally powerful effect, whether it is helping people recommit to a cause, find courage, voice dissent, or build trust.
Join us Thursday November 18th for a community meet up to explore building beloved community and collective power! [[link removed]] [[link removed]]
Wellbeing is wholeness. And collective wellbeing means all of us have a place here.
Art @zeaink
BIG NEWS! This month we are so excited to announce a new program in 2022 that explores how to bridge collective care and political change. It is a 6-month learning cohort with CTZNWELL and partners to build our collective muscle and capacity to show up for this political moment and the next. Join us on November 18th for information on how to apply. [[link removed]]
CTZNWELL is community powered and crowd-sourced. That’s how we keep it real. Please consider joining us on Patreon [[link removed]] for as little as $2/month so that we can keep doing the work of creating content that matters for CTZNs who care.

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