Shared Struggle. Shared Liberation.
“For resistance to succeed, two boundaries must be crossed. First, ideas about change must engage people of various backgrounds who do not agree about everything. Second, people must find themselves in places that are not their homes, and among groups who were not previously their friends.”
By Liz Jansen, Executive Director
I’ve been thinking a lot about Chicago’s storied history of coalition building and community organizing. Famously, the Black Panthers and Young Lords developed relationships with the city’s poor white community in the 1960s. Images from this time show members of the Black Panther party standing in front of Confederate flags, finding ways to build power despite challenging differences. This is certainly a flattening and oversimplification of history and the incredible efforts that went into these relationships, and I encourage everyone to do more research into this network that leaders like Fred Hampton built.
I look at these partnerships, these powerful coalitions that scared the ruling class so much they sent in the FBI, and I’m inspired, energized, hopeful. Community and relationship building are core parts of social justice movements and critical in the fight against fascism. When we create opportunities for folks to connect outside of their comfort zones, to learn and engage with issues and ideas in new ways, to meet folks from totally different backgrounds, we create opportunities to align in our shared humanity, our shared struggle, our shared liberation.
This year, WU! dove headfirst into collaborative events, executing one of our busiest seasons ever and we’re not even close to done. Our goal has been to create space for people to plug into the network of care and support that exists in Chicago’s amazing ecosystem of grassroots organizations and community leaders.
Looking ahead to 2026, we’ll be launching an even more ambitious plan, partnering with Chicago United Solidarity Project (CUSP) to co-host a year-long series of events meant to amplify the work of and raise resources for folks who are making our world a more just, more compassionate place.
As we head into the final quarter of 2025, I hope y’all find what you need to stay kind, to stay radical, and to stay generous.
