“Before we can build a new world, we must untether the system from our own heads,” Tony Eskridge wrote before coming to Kopkind this summer. At 24, he was deeply involved working on the Poor People’s Campaign as an organizer with the Kairos Center for Religions, Rights and Social Justice in Memphis, Tennessee. What is the conventional frame around the realities of this world and the range of possibilities on offer? What does that frame confine? What does it omit? How to broaden it, break the frame, see differently? A fresh sense of possibility. A new horizon. Untethering the system from our own heads. That is a big part of Kopkind’s work.
This Giving Tuesday, please remember Kopkind if you can. We feed the future — for solidarity, for liberation.
Tony joined nine other activists or journalists from around the country for a week of seminar discussions, informal talks, special guests, rejuvenating vistas and activities. Our theme was The War on Youth. But along with sharing experience and analysis, we stoke freedom dreams. Before he left, Tony wrote us a note:
“It’s hard to capture in words what a wonderful week this has been. My fellow campers, in such a short span of time, feel like comrades and real connections that we can always draw from. They are such brilliant, loving and committed people; they’ve brought out the best in me. It almost feels like a snapshot of the beloved community we are trying to build. Endless appreciation to everyone who worked so hard so I could spend time being present … We are in a Kairos moment, a time of grand crises but also a time of grand opportunity. I look forward to continuing to build this movement with you all. Forward Together, Not One Step Back!”
Endless appreciation to all friends, supporters, alumni, guests, collaborators, fellow workers and other interlocutors as Kopkind enters its 25th year.
The Donate button is above. You can also send a check to Kopkind, 158 Kopkind Road, Guilford VT 05301. Thank you!
Kopkind Colony 
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