As the world seems to come apart at the seams, there is also a growing awareness that historically marginalized communities must lead our collective efforts to define problems and find solutions. We believe this is achieved through power building. Power building, in the context of grassroots and community organizers, is the collective process of developing and exercising the influence, resources, and capacity needed to drive systemic change. It involves building a strong membership base and ensuring that both leadership and membership are rooted in the communities being organized. Strategies and tactics are designed to actively engage members, emphasizing direct community participation. This approach empowers marginalized communities to shape decisions and policies that impact their lives, transforming their shared vision into concrete actions and lasting social justice.

This also calls for attention to the spiritual and emotional health of those leading multiple fights on the front lines. BIPOC grassroots organizers endure immense stress and burnout due to the challenging nature of their work. Investing in healing practices is essential to bolster their resilience, address trauma, and sustain their efforts for power building work in social movements.

"Finding Our Way Home," spearheaded by Elena Letona, Neha Rayamajhi, and Dan Gelbtuch, responds to this imperative. This initiative, supported by ECM’s Wisdom Council (a collective of BIPOC community leaders) explores diverse modalities for a pathway toward spiritual care and healing.

As part of the process of launching Finding Our Way Home ECM provided experimental funding to five Burgess Urban Fund grantees, backing projects that brought healing spaces and strategies to their communities. These initiatives, such as youth retreats and integrating healers into community organizing training, signify ECM's commitment to learning alongside grantees about the pivotal role healing and spirituality play in fortifying social change movements.

Together with grantees, ECM aims to garner increased support from philanthropic organizations, recognizing healing as a foundational element and pillar of movement infrastructure.

Pillars for Spiritual & Healing Support

Empowering Healing as a Central Foundation to Power Building Work

Embracing and elevating the spiritual well-being of BIPOC grassroots organizers as a strategic imperative is fundamental to liberation. By championing emotional and spiritual care individuals gain the resilience needed to navigate obstacles and drive impactful power building work.

Fostering Autonomy in Spiritual Care & Healing

BIPOC organizers bring their whole selves to their activism and need support in multiple dimensions. Ultimately they should have agency to choose the pathway(s) that best works for their spiritual needs. This may entail reclaiming ancestral customs, fostering communal rituals, or creating new practices of care. Such self-determination fosters healing justice and forges deeper connections, enhancing collective power and solidarity.

Investing in Healing within Movements

Strategic investment in healing initiatives offers a comprehensive approach to grassroots activism. Recognizing the systemic barriers faced by marginalized groups under the dominance of white supremacy underscores the need for diverse support structures beyond conventional methods. This investment also counters Christian hegemony, which perpetuates harm against marginalized communities by imposing its values as superior or proper.

Nurturing Resilient and Unified Movements

Addressing organizers' spiritual needs strengthens community bonds and amplifies collective efficacy, propelling transformative action on social fronts. By laying the groundwork for future BIPOC leaders and organizers, this approach ensures the endurance of movement work and the ongoing pursuit of liberation for all.