The word of the day is solidarity.

Solidarity is a concept that gets a lot of attention these days, from solidarity economy to solidarity housing it is used in various contexts to signify unity and support. As a political concept it has been juxtaposed against allyship, which is perceived to be less engaged and committed. Regardless of how we decide to define these terms more than a semantics discussion, what we want to focus on are the possibilities and obstacles to a practice of deep solidarity in our work. Even though all efforts to support others can be labeled as acts of solidarity, for many of us organizing in frontline communities, solidarity requires a deeper level of understanding, unity, and action in the struggle for liberation.

In our day to day to practice solidarity, we must challenge our levels of comfort and commitment, which unavoidably puts us in a place of having to make sacrifices and decisions for the betterment of the most oppressed and affected by the brutal conditions of the system and society we live in. For situations of uneven power relationships in our lives we must constantly negotiate what solidarity looks like and how in developing the practice, we need to be willing to shift power genuinely through concrete acts, which can strengthen our possibilities for radical transformational change. Shifting power is always tricky and the most affected by power relationships rarely get to decide what those actions are, but it is a critical step. If we are to break down oppressive relationships and systems in organizations, communities, and society as a whole. Solidarity is ultimately about love. Of evolutionary love as Ernesto Che Guevara proposed, one that guides our actions and commitment to end the exploitation of all our peoples and regain our humanity in this world. This has been the word of the day.