“Mutual Aid Mondays” is a new weekly gathering and popular education series hosted at Okra Abbey. Each week we will have a different theme, activity and/or short film to watch and discuss as a group. The goal of these gatherings is to help nurture mutual aid networks led by and for Pigeon Town neighbors, while also connecting with collaborators across the Greater New Orleans area who are interested in building together towards collective liberation.
What: This series is open to the public, however our primary participants are members of the “Community Seed Starters” program— a cohort of Pigeon Town community members with ideas for mutual aid projects and offerings to improve material conditions in the neighborhood while working together to transform our social relations.
Potluck Format: We invite participants to contribute a lunch dish potluck style if you are able to, though no one will be turned away for lack of funds or contribution. We hope to provide a light lunch for all participants.
When: Every Monday from 11am-1pm (for 6 weeks, starting on September 14th). While the Community Seed Starter cohort is only expected to participate in 6 workshops, we hope that through broader participation and interest we will be able to continue this offering as long as there is interest.
Where: Under the shade structure at Okra Abbey on the corner of Eagle and Hickory Street.
Who: Open to all interested participants, with a special emphasis on folks who live in P-Town, Hollygrove, Uptown, and New Orleans more broadly. We hope to connect with people who are already engaged in mutual aid organizing and those who are interested but just looking for a place to start.
Why: Okra Abbey is a third space for Pigeon Town where many community members come to connect, access resources and build community. We know that non-profits will never be the key to liberation, but we take our role in the community seriously and hope to resource our neighbors with space, time, funds and other forms of material support to help resource the broader “ecosystems of care” in the city. We see this space as a popular education/ co-learning space, where everyone has something to teach and everyone has something to learn. We hope to foster space to connect and deepen our relationships, co-create shared political analysis that empowers everyone to take action, and connect folks together to start building the world we all need and deserve.