Mutual Aid, COVID-19, and Community

As we have reached the end of the 2020 General Election, it is quite easy to observe the disenfranchisement of voters and American citizens throughout our country. Many are frustrated with the both of the two main parties and running as a third party candidate or “Independent” is rarely a sufficient solution. Those that do interact with the Republican and Democratic parties are becoming more and more polarized. This manifests primarily on the right-wing, through President Donald Trump’s base increasingly moving to the alt-right. Establishment Democrats, while sometimes slightly disagreeing with Republicans on social issues, are also forming into a neo-liberal elite that consolidates power into the hands of the wealthy, much like those on the right. While I’m afraid it would be foolish to offer a sweeping solution to these constantly developing issues, mutual aid seems to be a beneficial concept to keep in mind in times where it can be hard to trust our government.

Mutual Aid & Charity

Mutual aid, proposed by Peter Kropotkin in his book of the same name, asserts that humans have developed to a point where the concept of “Social Darwinism” has become redundant. Instead of leaving those less fortunate to suffer, humans should cooperate to survive and thrive. Kropotkin also was a proponent of the anarchist school of thought and mutual aid in practice tends to mesh well with less power in the hands of the government. However, mutual aid can still be seen more so through community organizations campaigning around singular working class issues and less so through nonprofit organizations.

While nonprofits can be beneficial, it is important to distinguish a community’s mutual aid from a nonprofit’s charity. Mutual aid allows those being assisted to have stake in the service they are giving and receiving, be it through democratically delegated roles, or otherwise. This allows for communities to be self-sustaining, instead of only relying on the labor or financial assistance of others, as through nonprofits. The nonprofit structure can also encourage unequal distributions of power, be it through monetary gain of executive members or trustees, or those receiving assistance being viewed as less than those organizing the aid. Both mutual and direct aid should have place in a community, but only the former actively engages with the support base.

Mutual Aid and Laissez-faire Capitalism

Although mutual aid is not exactly a foreign concept, it can be difficult to organize under a capitalist mode of production where society relies on the exploitation of the working class. Frequently, businesses are prioritized above people and mutual aid seeks to alleviate that as much as possible. Mutual aid is a form of assistance that places the needs of people receiving it first and foremost.

Thus, mutual aid is worth considering and implementing even under our capitalist America. At its most implemented, it can be seen in the form of “intentional communities,” known more grotesquely as communes in slang, a term stigmatized by the acquisition of the term by cults. Intentional communities are typically close to or completely self-sustaining and provide goods that are sold outside of the community. Work is shared and every community member’s needs are completely met. Since most American citizens are deeply invested in the culture of capitalism, not everyone can drop everything and join an intentional community. Regardless, we can still keep the spirit of mutual aid in the back of our mind and let it inspire the work we do.

Local Mutual Aid Projects

Mutual aid could be found in the form of the many COVID-19 relief teams in place from the outset of the virus, including Grounded BloNo and the aptly named McLean County COVID-19 Mutual Aid group. These groups did great work near the beginning of the pandemic when much was uncertain about the newly forming reality of 2020 and Grounded BloNo has been continuing the work since. The ongoing organized effort of these groups is astonishing and deserves recognition. Personally, it is easy to envision a mutual aid effort within the Bloomington-Normal community that outreaches the confines of COVID-19, as well.

The Spirit of Aid

Mutual aid provides theoretical backing to the way many leftists organize, locally in Bloomington-Normal and beyond. While it is near impossible to not interact with capitalism in the present, at least without drastic changes to the way many of us live, mutual aid moves us to a more sustainable way of supporting one another. I would encourage everyone to read further into the possibilities of mutual aid, as there is only so much I could include here. The future is always bright for organized people and mutual aid brings us closer to a better life for all.

Further Reading

• Solidarity Not Charity: Mutual Aid for Mobilization and Survival by Dean Spade (2020)
• Mutual Aid: Building Solidarity in this Crisis (and the Next) by Dean Spade (2020)
• Solidarity Not Charity (Democracy Now!) (Video)
• Big Door Brigade (Mutual Aid Resources)
• Mutual Aid: A Factor in Evolution by Peter Kropotkin (1902)