Meeting the moment: Collecting Courage in the current social and political climate
It’s hard to believe that 2025 marks five years since the release of Collecting Courage: Joy, Pain, Freedom, Love.
Published in 2020, a seismic year defined by the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated loss, isolation, turmoil, and uncertainty, a world gripped by an overwhelming sense of unease, fear, and anxiety that so often accompanies forays into the unknown. As 2019 drew to a close, whispers of a spreading and unknown virus became louder. With each passing week into the new year, the volume turned to warnings and growing concerns about the rate and geographic scope of the virus’s transmission.
In the midst of this, a group of ten Black Canadian fundraisers awaited the delayed release of the stories they had written months before as part of the Our Right to Heal project, an AFP Global project advocated and coordinated by Nneka Allen, one of the editors of Collecting Courage. On May 25, a police officer in Minneapolis ended the life of George Floyd. The following day, May 26, the Our Right to Heal stories were published. There was nothing to detract a stilled world from watching this Black man robbed of his life in such a callous, disinterested way. In the face of this brutal act, worldwide protests erupted, demanding justice. Messages, promises, and commitments to usher in change were fast, furious, loose, and prolific.
The release of our book in November 2020 was inextricably linked to the moment. After almost five years, can the contributors and book’s message offer lessons to meet the current moment we find ourselves? As co-editors, we - Nneka, Camila, and Nicole - think it does.
The pursuit of actual and not quasi-justice demands a few things from us, including the following:
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Document and bear witness to the events around us
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Speak out in the face of injustice; silence and acquiescence are dangerous, cause harm, destroy and end lives
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Raise our voices and share our stories; they are ours to tell
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Live, act, and behave as our values demand
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Muster the courage to push beyond our fears as if our life and those whom we most treasure depend on it; it does
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Believe and stand in the resilience of our bravery even as we tremble
We have been forced to a precipice and pushed to the limits before, and still, here we are.
We take our inspiration from the opening stanza of Maya Angelou’s poem:
Still I Rise
You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise.
At this moment, we will not shrink. We will collect our courage!
And yes, We will Rise!
Live Brave Community coming out of the cohort (what do we do) (Nneka) - subscriptions, vision boarding, goals and visioning (share our vision board)
Late last year, The Editors of Collecting Courage, Nicole, Camila, and I unveiled the Live Brave Community, a co-created space for A Path to Action alumni to gather, continue their learning, and deepen their community connections. We believe that without anchoring ourselves in liberated communities, our pursuits of justice are fragile and make little change.
Last year, Keecha Harris wrote an insightful article in Nonprofit Quarterly titled “Cocreating Conditions for Trust and Change: An Opportunity for Black Women Leaders.” In it, she wrote, “Expansive leadership is defined by brave relationship building while setting community agreements to cocreate the conditions that thread the needle of trust. It is about figuring out how to move together—frailties, flaws, and all—to courageously create change.”
A Path to Action’s cohort design is rooted in the belief that we must move together in our activism. Upon beginning their learning experience, we tell our participants, “If you don’t do anything else, learn how to go together.” Together is where our power resides. For multiracial, multi-gendered groups to come together to effect change, we must be proximate to each other and practice going together.
The Live Brave Community includes three live virtual gatherings facilitated by each of the Collecting Courage editors on different inspired topics, themed and guided monthly conversations in our virtual community, an annual Book Club Discussion and local Freedom Groove Meetups.
Since launching the Live Brave Community, our subscribers have created racial justice vision boards for the year to help them set intentions and goals for their activism. Nicole, Camila and I also co-designed a vision board; check it out below.
If you are an alumnus of A Path to Action and you are looking for a brave community to grow in, let us know. Reach out to us at info@collectingcourage.org.
Late last year, I meditated on brave living and shared some of my insights on my blog. You can read about what I’m learning here.
Other content
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Black History Month & International Women’s Day (Camila)
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Upcoming things to keep your eye on
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AADO
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Black/brown cohort
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section on books
