We have some exciting news: We are back! Over the last four months, we took a break from social media and email to join our parent organization, Movement Alliance Project (MAP), in a deep strategic planning process called the MAPOut.
During the MAPOut, we threw ourselves into study, reflection, and planning. This included studying past social movements in the United States and internationally. We learned about the Zapatista’s movement for Indigenous sovereignty and justice in southern Mexico, and how our work has roots in their call for an Independent Media Network – a plan to harness the power of the internet to communicate across regional lines about resistance movements. We spoke with leaders from cities across the nation and gained inspiration from their strategies for change-making. Then, we did the hard work of looking back at our past four years, reflecting on moments when we’ve been able to support the Philly ecosystem in pushing forward big wins for our communities, and the times when we’ve struggled with capacity or felt pulled in numerous directions. Finally, we began to think through potential changes and a vision for future years.
While this period helped us gain clarity on so many things, it also left us with many more questions. Though we are out of the MAPOut, we are still very much in the planning stage. We have more to figure out and some big decisions ahead of us. We are excited to share more with all of you in the coming months as we solidify our next steps.
For now, we are easing back into day-to-day work! We are looking forward to getting back into the flow of things, reconnecting with all of you, and continuing our mission to support and grow organizing in Philadelphia.
If you or an organization you’re involved with has any upcoming events that we should know about, please submit them to our event form and we will spread the word! Click here to access the event submission form.
Lastly, we want to extend a huge thank you to all of you for the space you allowed us in order to take this journey. We are so hopeful for the future. Together, with intention, clarity, and determination, we will win real power and justice for communities across Philadelphia.
In solidarity and light always,
All of us at Philly We Rise and MAP: Mariam, Bryan, Clarise, Helyx, Hannah, Shari, Jake, Jenessa, Sophie, Zoraida, and Devren