Mission:
We believe that community power is the bedrock of change. Empowerment through Community supports marginalized community stakeholders create, sustain, and protect generational collective power through research, movement building, grassroots organizing, and creative programming.
Goals:
We meet community leaders where they are, whether their goal is to build a project from scratch or find additional support for a specific project. We are here to support a range of initiatives and opportunities that help improve the lives of disabled, racialized, and otherwise marginalized communities, and build and sustain community power for generations to come.
Services:
- Supporting individuals or organizations in their efforts to reduce or eliminate the reach of the carceral ecosystem, especially through liberatory movement building and grassroots organizing.
- Consulting, training, and supporting community leaders in carrying out participatory research projects and policy initiatives. We are able to assist with research projects through every stage of the process including study design, research methods and methodology, theory, data collection, and dissemination. See family policing for examples.
- Creating paid opportunities for artistic and creative expression.
- Offering volunteer mentorship and networking opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students.
Values:
Our values are rooted in liberatory and abolitionist anti-carceral, anti-racist, anti-facist praxis. We believe in:
Disability Justice
We follow the DJ principles defined by Sins Invalid and tether our knowledge of ableism to Talia A. Lewis’ working definition.
Abolition of the Carceral Ecosystem
We believe in dismantling the carceral ecosystem, a complex network of symbiotic carceral systems.
Community Accountability
Our approach to harm is influenced by Transformative Justice processes including Community Accountability as defined by INCITE!
Healing Justice
We are inspired by Healing Justice as conceptualized by Kindred Southern Healing Justice Collective.
ETC was established in 2023 formally by Victoria Copeland.