Mutual Aid Response Network

Mutual Aid Response Network

Mutual Aid Response Network

4032 3024 Imagine Water Works

Q: What is the Mutual Aid Response Network?
A: The Mutual Aid Response Network is a group of Louisiana residents, led by Imagine Water Works, that organizes year-round to practice reciprocal and collective care through mutual aid. Because we’re on the frontlines of climate change, the MARN is also trained to activate for disaster preparedness and response during floods, storms, and other natural and manmade disasters. We are part of a larger network of organizers across the Deep South who are autonomous but connected through Project South and the Southern Movement Assembly.

Q: What is mutual aid? Is it a new thing?!
A: Mutual aid is the act of helping a community member and expecting nothing in return — we know that everyone has something to offer, and everyone deserves care. It’s rooted in solidarity, in particular with those who are harmed most by systemic oppression. It’s not new! Mutual aid is deeply and historically rooted in Creole, Indigenous, and Black organizing strategies, it’s part of our culture in Louisiana, and it works toward larger systemic change. 

Q: What do you do?
A: We are intentional in how we show up for each other. We’re building a community and working toward the liberation of everyone — not just charitable acts that begin and end with charity alone. We value autonomy, human dignity, and community. Everyone has the chance to pitch in where they can, and to take a break when they need to. We share resources, skills, experience, emotional and spiritual support, knowledge, and ideas with each other so that we can build stronger, more autonomous individuals and communities.

Q: How can I join the “Mutual Aid Response Network” Facebook group?
A: Online membership is open to anyone who is committed to our Community Agreements, which are found when you join one of our Facebook groups. We believe that everyone should be safe before, during, and after times of disaster — and that people are deserving of dignity even when times are hard. As such, we are open to everyone but prioritize those who face historical and current systemic oppression. Racism, sexism, classism, homophobia, transphobia, or xenophobia will result in removal from the group. Offline membership is open to anyone who co-signs the Southern Movement Assembly’s Principles of Unity, found here. To join our monthly meetup (currently held via Zoom to be COVID safe), email klie@imaginewaterworks.org.

Q: What can the Facebook groups be used for?
A: To provide or access freely available direct aid, social support, resources, and direct actions for long term systemic change. To get feedback on, work through, and find support for mutual aid projects. While Imagine Water Works was founded in response to floods and hurricanes, we support each other through a variety of local disasters, both natural and manmade.

Q: What if I’m not in New Orleans?
A: We also have groups in Southwest Louisiana (Lake Charles area) and Houma. Additionally, you can still be part of the network remotely by donating or spreading the word! The Facebook groups are place-based and require folks to be in the area before joining. If you’d like to start a similar group in your community, send us an email at klie@imaginewaterworks.org.

Q: Why do we need this?
A: Traditional disaster management and response is prescriptive. It treats people like a number and does not allow for autonomy or dignity. As professionals and people with lived experience, we know it doesn’t have to be that way. The 6,115 individuals who currently make up our Mutual Aid Response Network have all chosen to show up for each other — and for our neighbors — on an individual basis during times of disaster. We listen to each other and offer support, without shame or judgment. We figure out what people need, and we get it to them.

Q: Will I be safe in the Facebook group?
A: We are doing our best to make this group as safe as possible for those who are currently and historically harmed by systemic oppression. We know that disasters disproportionately impact BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) and LGBTQ people; transgender, non-binary, and two-spirit people; migrants and undocumented people; poor and housing-insecure people; disabled people, seniors, and especially anyone at these intersections. As such, our group is led by trained facilitators and rooted in anti-oppressive organizing practices.

Q: Can I join the network in other ways?
A: Yes! While many of our partners are in the Facebook groups, some are not. In the past, our organizers have worked on the HURRICANE LAURA & DELTA RELIEF FUND and the HURRICANE LAURA EMERGENCY CASH PROGRAM along with the COMMUNITY POWER MAP and  CLIPPERS ACCESS for trans folks experiencing dysphoria and unsafe conditions without access to hair care during COVID-19, and more. Our Network also includes artists who support through art auctions/sales, small businesses who host donation boxes, and community organizers across the Deep South. We are always open to collaborating in the spirit of mutual aid, supporting others’ projects, and exploring ways to join our movements. If you’re interested in partnering or otherwise being part of the Network outside of Facebook, please send an email to klie@imaginewaterworks.org.

Q: Do you have a physical space?
A: No. Though in the past we’ve had mutual aid centers in the Lower 9th and on Camp Street, we currently do not have a space. , we do not currently have a physical mutual aid hub. Yes, our mutual aid hub is located in the Lower 9th Ward, in New Orleans. We are currently looking for space to engage in both short and long term organizing, envisioning, and healing related to water, community, and disasters of any kind. If you have leads or would like to talk more about this vision, contact klie@imaginewaterworks.org.

Q: Who are you currently in partnership with?
A: We follow principles outlined by Project South, the Highlander Center, and others who are deeply rooted in grassroots rural and Southern organizing. We are active members of the Southern Movement Assembly. In 2019 we joined Project South’s “Building A Movement: Disaster Preparedness and Response” inaugural cohort, where we coordinate our mutual aid efforts with other organizers across the South. We are members of the Baton Rouge Immigrants Rights Coalition and are Co-Founders of the Greater New Orleans Water Collaborative and Water Wise. We have partnered with the EPA, Waggonner & Ball, the New Orleans Public Library, the Nature Generation, the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, and more. Our Network served as the incubator for Southern Solidarity and other various mutual aid projects across the city following COVID-19; and for Hurricane Laura Relief, we have partnered with 211/ViaLink, Operation Restoration, PIN4, Islamic Relief USA, MoPho, Lionheart Prints, Dirty Coast, and the City of New Orleans. The “Imagine Mutual Aid (SWLA)” group is co-led by our local partners in the Lake Charles area, the Vessel Project.

Throughout 2020, we distributed supplies to the Lower 9th Level Up Campaign, Bvlbancha Collective, Grace at the Green Light, New Orleans Community Fridges, El Pueblo NOLA, Southern Solidarity, Operation Restoration, Familias Unidas, RISE St. James, ISeeChange, the City of New Orleans, HandsOn New Orleans, the Atakapa-Ishak Nation (Lafayette), Open Door Biker Church (Sulphur), and St. Andrew Presbyterian Church (Lake Charles).

Outside of Louisiana, we also distributed supplies to the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians (MS), Southwest Rainbow Youth (NM/CO), Tiger’s Eye Collective (KY), TransOhio (OH), The TransMasculineAdvocacy Network (PA), the Gender Alliance of the South Sound (WA), and SF Citadel (CA).

See the Network in action:

The “Imagine Mutual Aid (New Orleans)” Facebook group activated initially in response to COVID-19, and then again in response to Hurricane Laura and Zeta. It is now activated for Hurricane Ida. Join the group to (1) Offer support to your neighbors throughout hurricane season and COVID-19, (2) Receive support if you are currently in or around New Orleans, and (3) Stay up to date with verified information about Hurricane Ida Relief resources.

The “Imagine Mutual Aid (Houma)” Facebook group activated initially in response to COVID-19. It is now activated for Hurricane Ida. Join the group to (1) Offer support to your neighbors throughout hurricane season and COVID-19, (2) Receive support if you are currently in or around the Greater Houma Area / Lower Bayou Region, and (3) Stay up to date with verified information about Hurricane Ida Relief resources.

The “Imagine Mutual Aid (SWLA)” Facebook group has been activated in response to the combination of hurricanes, winter storms, and flooding. Join the group to offer or request support in and around Southwest Louisiana. This group is created and hosted in partnership with the Vessel Project.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ABOUT THE VESSEL PROJECT.

COVID-19 RESPONSE:
This list contains resources for people who are undocumented, LGBTQIA, POC, and other marginalized individuals:

Esta lista contiene recursos para personas indocumentadas, personas gay, trans, bi, (LGBTQIA), personas de color, y personas marginadxs:

For local resources, NOLA Ready has a large collection of resources available in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese: https://ready.nola.gov/home/
Events and Media:

INTERVIEW WITH THE FOUNDER OF IMAGINE MUTUAL AID NEW ORLEANS — Mutual aid are two words that go well together. To find out what they mean, Big Easy Magazine (BEM) spoke with Imagine Water Works’ Klie Kliebert (they/them), the C0-Founder and Executive Director for Imagine Water Works and the creator of Imagine Mutual Aid. This interview is abridged. (Big Easy Magazine | January 27, 2021)

HURRICANE RELIEF THROUGH MUTUAL AID — As climate change continues to produce more intense hurricane seasons, many communities have stopped relying on federal money, which is slow to arrive, and started looking to their neighbors for hurricane relief. Here are three groups using mutual aid as a tool for natural disaster response. (YES! Magazine, What the Rest of the World Knows: Solutions We Love | Winter 2020 Print Edition)

NOLA COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS DISTRIBUTE MEALS AS POWER OUTAGES FROM HURRICANE ZETA CONTINUE — Five days after Hurricane Zeta made landfall in New Orleans, parts of the city and surrounding parishes remain without power. To find community charging stations coordinated by local mutual aid network Imagine Water Works, see here. (Eater New Orleans | November 2, 2020)

ICE HOUSES CRUSHED AS 250,000 STILL WITHOUT POWER They’re the last of a dying breed, but right now, they’re a lifeline. Ice houses across southeast Louisiana have been filling hundreds of cars with 20 pound bags of ice since before Hurricane Zeta hit. Local nonprofit Imagine Water Works has built a map detailing free community power stations and businesses offering WiFi as a way to help out. (New Orleans Business Journal | October 31, 2020)

CHARGE YOUR DEVICES — Community power stations are open to the public still without power from Hurricane Zeta. Community power stations are places to charge your devices and/or access wi-fi while the power’s out. In the spirit of mutual aid, the stations are hosted on a volunteer basis by neighbors, organizations, and businesses across the greater New Orleans area. (NOLA Ready and the New Orleans Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness | October 31, 2020)

REMEMBERING KATRINA, CELEBRATING HOME (EVENT) —  Black New Orleanian artists will discuss how the lasting impact of Katrina and growing up in the city has influenced their work, how art can preserve history, and how it can shape the future. Artists will include Brandan bmike Odums, Phillip Youmans, DAWN, Maha Chielo and a musical performance by Mykia Jovan. Monique Thomas of Imagine Water Works will speak on their relief efforts. Stephanie McKee-Anderson of Junebug Productions will give closing remarks and show a short film “Come Home”. This is a fundraiser for Hurricane Laura survivors, with donations going directly to Imagine Water Works Hurricane Laura Relief Fund. Our partners for the event are Black Film Festival of New Orleans, WIFT Louisiana, NOVAC, New Orleans Film Society, Dream Defenders, Black Public Media, Junebug Productions, Sisters With Invoices, and The Create Daily.  (Twitch/Virtual Event | September 10, 2020)

FOR HURRICANE LAURA EVACUEES, FOOD IS OFTEN SERVED COLD. THIS MUTUAL AID GROUP DELIVERS APPLIANCES TO HELP. —  The space is meant to ensure people “have a voice to ask for whatever they want without shame or judgment” in times of disaster, co-director Klie Kliebert told Eater. Lead by a multi-generational group of native New Orleanians, Imagine Water Works has been part of the greater mutual aid response during COVID-19 in hard-hit Louisiana and is now doing the same in the wake of Hurricane Laura. “We want to care for folks in ways that don’t often happen in times of disaster,” Kliebert said of the group. “It can be done differently, where people actually have autonomy, and their needs are met beyond what has been prescribed to them.” (EATER Magazine | September 9, 2020)

HAIRSTYLIST FORCED FROM HOME BY LAURA OFFERS FREE CUTS TO EVACUEES IN NEW ORLEANS HOTEL Durio evacuated without any hair supplies, so she posted in the “Imagine Mutual Aid: COVID + Hurricane Season (New Orleans)” Facebook group. Salons and locals overwhelmed her with donations. “Brushes, combs, everything you need in the beauty business,” she said. It makes these tough days just a little easier for evacuees like Julie Folsom. “It just makes you feel normal, makes you forget about everything going on back at home for a little while,” Folsom said. (WWL-TV Channel 4 Eyewitness News | September 9, 2020)

THIS IS WHAT HURRICANE RESPONSE LOOKS LIKE DURING A PANDEMIC — Local mutual aid groups, which mobilized during the pandemic, are pivoting to address evacuees’ needs. In New Orleans, volunteers for Imagine Water Works, which is focused on climate justice, water management, and disaster response, visited hotels to hand out flyers and help people sign up so they can request resources. Executive co-director Klie Kliebert said the goal is to provide a platform for people to voice their needs, which are so often prescribed during disasters. “You’ll see somebody getting 500 tubes of toothpaste, but, you know, they might actually just need shoes, or they might have kids and need crayons,” they said. (Southerly Mag | September 4, 2020)

“IT GIVES ME HOPE” | NEW ORLEANIANS HELP HURRICANE LAURA EVACUEES IN THE CRESCENT CITYJanya Jenson didn’t know Jessica Williams until she volunteered to do her laundry. “I mean, I just can’t explain,” said Williams. “It makes me feel secure. It gives me hope for my kids.” Williams and her family are just getting by, like thousands of Hurricane Laura evacuees who found shelter in New Orleans. Looking for help, Williams discovered the “Imagine Mutual Aid: COVID + Hurricane Season (New Orleans)” Facebook group, which is being used to connect Hurricane Laura evacuees and local New Orleanians who can help them with urgent needs. (WWL-TV Channel 4 Eyewitness News | September 3, 2020)

WE’RE JUST FIGURING OUT THE TOLL OF HURRICANE LAURA | AS AUDUBON LOUISIANA ASSESSES DAMAGE TO ITS COASTAL SITES, PEOPLE IN LOUISIANA NEED HELP TO RECOVER FROM THE STORM — Hurricane recovery looks very different this year due to COVID-19. Social distancing requirements mean that evacuees are sheltered in individual hotel rooms, creating an additional challenge for them to connect to the state and federal services they need to receive donations, apply for financial assistance, and access medical care. Local organization Imagine Water Works has set up a Mutual Aid Response Network and Hurricane Laura Relief Fund to directly address the needs of individual evacuees and ensure that hurricane recovery is just and equitable. They are committed to distributing those funds directly and transparently and prioritizing the funding, leadership, and safety of Black, Indigenous, and people of color who are most impacted by Hurricane Laura. (Audubon | September 2020)

THE IMPACT OF HURRICANE LAURA | EDF’S RESPONSE AND HOW YOU CAN HELP THOSE AFFECTED — In particular, we encourage you to support Black and people of color (POC)–led organizations that are helping recovery efforts and contributing to the fight for a more equitable future: The Mutual Aid Response Network is a group of Louisiana residents, led by Imagine Water Works, that activates during floods, storms, and other natural and manmade disasters. (Environmental Defense Fund | September 1, 2020)

HERE’S HOW TO HELP HURRICANE LAURA VICTIMS: 15 PLACES TO DONATE TO DISASTER RELIEF — (Money.com | August 27, 2020)

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