Mutual Aid: A Primer

What is Mutual Aid?

Mutual aid is a solidarity-based system of support where communities unite against common struggles, taking on the responsibility of caring for each other, rather than leaving individuals to fend for themselves. It is aid provided by and for members of the community, regardless of who they are or where they come from. It is a system based on the belief that everyone has something to contribute, and everyone has something they need. This creates a symbiotic relationship where everyone is constantly giving and receiving aid; this is the "mutual" in mutual aid.

It seeks to change the material and political conditions of communities immediately, without waiting for the support of their representatives in government. If something needs addressing now, then mutual aid networks work to address it. It is important to note, however, that mutual aid does not seek to entirely replace our social safety nets, such as

These projects are volunteer based, with everyone contributing what they can, when they can. They seek to be transparent in their dealings, and without any top-down authority. They tend to be decentralized, with many groups operating independently across an area.

Solidarity, Not Charity

Something important to note about mutual aid is this: mutual aid is not charity. Charities tends to have hierarchical structures in their organization, rather than the bottom-up decentralized methods of mutual aid. There is no central authority in mutual aid organizations, but rather the direction of the organization is dictated by the needs of the community.

A charity's work also tends to flow in one direction: rich people providing money to the charity organization, who then uses that money to provide support to the poor. These people may have no connection to the communities they are supporting, and the more cynical among us would say they care more about looking charitable than helping people. Furthermore, the rich dictate what they believe the poor need through this relationship, by deciding how their dollar gets spent. Mutual aid is based on the principle of everyone constantly giving and receiving aid in one way or another, removing the hierarchy between those who need help and those who provide help. It is people in the community providing help to others in their own community, with no separation between them.

Charity also tends to have strings attached on who they provide aid to. Many charitable organizations have strict drug use requirements, background checks, income requirements, and other things which seek to arbitrarily exclude people from receiving aid. Mutual aid disregards all of this, and seeks to provide aid to every member of the community who seeks to participate. It does not care whether you suffer from substance use disorder, or if you make just barely over an arbitrary income limit, or if you do not speak the primary language of your area; everyone deserves support.

Current & Historical Examples

Here are some examples of mutual aid organizations, both past & present:

• MAMAS: Mutual Aid Medford & Somerville

• Solidarity North Shore

• The Okra Project

• For the Gworls

• Food Not Bombs

• The Black Panther Party's Breakfast Program

• Common Ground Relief

• Auntie Sewing Squad

• Mutual Aid Disaster Relief

And many, many more.

Want to learn more?

Here are some resources to help you dive deeper into what mutual aid is:

• Big Door Brigade

• History of Mutual Aid Networks

• Mutual Aid Disaster Relief's Guiding Principles