Many people are looking at the totality of this monster of Capitalism, white supremacy, patriarchy, and other social systems of domination, and are overwhelmed, asking members of our organization, “What do I do?”

The answer is:

Start building dual power where you’re at...

What we mean when we say “start building dual power where you’re at” is that you need to get together with others in your workplaces or industries who share the same disgust for the system, and work with them to build democratic/cooperative alternatives to what it is that you do.

The idea is to then federate these efforts with similar efforts in your immediate community and neighboring communities, bonded by shared principles and a shared vision for the future largely rooted in the idea of expanding on workplace and community democracy for everyone.

If we are able to get things in order from an economic standpoint, we’ll be able to produce new values, new cultures, and even new political power that – in addition to being tied to new self-governance models – can actually contest the powers that be within government.

What is key in all of this is that surplus be consistently allocated to those most in need, namely those in poor and working-class Black communities, and for the same kind of economic development. And in addition to this, surplus must be allocated to new political infrastructure.

This is why the politics are so important.

Co-ops, credit unions, community land trusts, and more sprouting up willy-nilly are not going to get us out of Capitalism, white supremacy, or any other systems of domination.

We need to develop these kinds of institutions politically.

In fact, any of the institutions mentioned above that are developed without the Left politics, strategy, or vision will be co-opted, absorbed, or destroyed by Capitalism.

It has happened before in different global contexts throughout history, and it can 100% happen again.

And not only do we need to develop these kinds of institutions politically, but we also need the development of these institutions to be powered by real social movements in order to meet the challenges of this deepening crisis in a timely manner (we do not have a lot of time).

Right now, most people lack access to the information or resources necessary for this kind of economic and/or social “dual power” development, and that is precisely why we are prioritizing open-source development of the @DualPowerApp.

People not only need to be introduced to democratic models of organization, and provided with more streamlined voting mechanisms, but they also need a means of building with others safely, and avoiding isolation in efforts.

There is also the challenge of getting people offline.

We don’t get people offline and organizing in the real world by disengaging with the digital space; we have to wrestle with the digital space and use it to our advantage to help people get themselves organized, and in an efficient (but safe) way.

@DualPowerApp will address this.

There are at least seven pillars we need to work around in this moment in order to tie immediate actions to a long-term strategy:

• Mutual Aid

• Food Sovereignty

• Cooperative Economics

• Community Production

• Self-Defense

• People’s Assemblies

• The General Strike

As our org and partners work to deliver new digital tools and resources for more widespread development of “dual power” infrastructure, these are the areas that we need to begin to target and work around in order to ensure that we utilize this moment for something transformative.

More context. https://blacksocialists.us/our-strategy 

Our intro, gear-turning tool (with an accompanying write-up for the broader economic context of our struggle).

#DualPower https://blacksocialists.us/dual-power-map