A Salonnière's goal was to host a gathering for intellectual individuals, namely men, in France in the 1700s. Think of this index as a Salonnière's development of topics, with the intellectuals being community organizers and activists, whose identities vary in a multitude of ways, united by the guiding force to create radical change. The first edition of this index centers the ground work laid by Black and Indigenous communities of the past while highlighting the work these groups do in the present as they utilize their collective power and wisdom to continue the work towards solidarity and communal care. Let this index be proof of concept of what a gathering of ideas, organizations, reading materials and care could look like in one space.
The purpose of this index cannot be served without recognizing the trauma that has plagued a lot of our communities for centuries—and still effects us today. Since the unlawful settlement of these lands, the impacts of gentrification continue to displace members of our communities and deepen the effects of economic strife. In order to emphasize communal care and support for our neighbors, we must center the practices of communal care that were outlined by Indigenous communities of the past and present—while acknowledging the long-standing damage the impacts of colonization have had on the sovreign lands we currently inhabit.
Send in any groups, mutual aid projects, events or reading materials that will help us emphasize communal care and liberation. Our goal is to build a collective network of organizers through a collective network of salonnieres. If that sounds like you, drop us a line or a link!
