Middle class people are often not in the room except on their own issues. A sense of community is not a priority, just whatever their goal is. That’s a different perspective than my experience with low-income people who think the community is the main thing, that you’re always there for each other.
People always told us that if you spend all this time telling stories and doing class caucuses, you won’t have time to get anything done. But skipping that part is a big mistake. Always make time for telling stories. Piedmont Peace Project was successful because we built relationships and trust as we did political work.
— Linda Stout
Whether in Puerto Rico or the U.S., the more educated someone is, the more they tend to be educated in white culture, logical and linear, and the more they move away from indigenous and African ways of thinking. So the models of struggle tend to be “What’s the strategy, get down to the tasks,” with less attention to relationships and less tolerance for circular thinking.
— Raúl Quiñones Rosado
It’s all about relationship building. Until you start reaching out to people very different from you, until we reach outside comfort zones, nothing’s going to change. We can’t afford to assume anyone is our enemy. People can grow and change.
— Natalie Reteneller