Jonquilyn Hill

Whereas the groups that have formed in more recent years tend to be community or neighborhood based, and they have not necessarily known each other.

They don't have as long of a history, but I think the ideals are the same in having this

horizontal looking within the group and helping members of the group out for things that they need in order to keep going.

There's also this desire for political and social change for the group itself.

What do you think draws people to mutual aid in this particular moment that we're in now?

I think this sense of no one is going to save us but ourselves, and we have to be responsible for our communities, particularly when we don't see the government stepping in to fill these needs of the group.

So for instance, there was a reduction in FEMA assistance.

And so when hurricanes hit and we're waiting on the government to come and step in and provide aid, and the government doesn't come, what do you do?

And I think this just reliance on ourselves

has increased, particularly when we saw, for instance, during 2020, when the government didn't have a plan for people and how we were going to care for each other.

But we saw many of our neighbors passing, many of our neighbors in need.

And so this is when communities, I think, step in.

And I think that shows the goodness in human nature in that

people were not going to just let their neighbors and their community members suffer or perish because the government hadn't stepped in.

And so you step in for yourselves.

You know, if someone is listening to this and they're like, OK, I'm part of a community like I have neighbors.

I just I want to be a better neighbor.

I want to help out where I can.

I want to participate in this.

Where does someone even begin?