Subject: Study Circle Details & How to Join
📧 Hi everyone—
Thank you for your interest in "5 Pillars of Dual Power Cultural Organizing"—a community-based research and social practice art project exploring how cultural workers build alternative structures of power and governance alongside (and against) the institutions that are failing us.
Experiments and activations in arts, culture, and care—May we embody Rest, Joy, and Justice ❤️🔥
Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?
In response to massive defunding of the arts and culture sector, targeted attacks on Medicaid, and the planned obsolescence of the working class—as evidenced by the displacement of over 350,000 Black women since January 2025, over 220,000 ICE arrests, and 76,440 AI-related job losses recorded this year alone—we're organizing study groups to collectively investigate how cultural workers build power beyond what these systems allow.
The 5 Pillars of Dual Power Cultural Organizing is a schema I developed as an independent researcher-scholar for building cultures of consent and collective capability. This isn't a workshop where I teach you. This is community-based research where we learn together, surface what our communities need, and build the organizing infrastructure to meet those needs. Your participation helps refine how this framework lives in practice.
🗓️ Study Group Dates
Session 1: Radical Pedagogy — Monday, January 19, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM EST
(Part of M4BL's Reclaim MLK Day)
Session 2: Social and Solidarity Economics — Monday, February 9, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM EST
(Part of M4BL's Freedom February)
Session 3: Economic Resistance — Monday, March 23, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM EST
Session 4: Civic Power — Monday, April 20, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM EST
Session 5: Art-Workerism — Monday, May 11, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM EST
You are welcome to attend any or all sessions. Each builds on the previous one, but stands alone.
A quick note: Dates are subject to change based on community needs. I'll send updates if anything shifts.
🖥️ Joining Information
You do not need to register separately for each session—if you're on this list, you're in.
Sessions will be held via Jitsi, embedded on my website at studygroup.consultwithkristine.com
To join:
Visit the link above and click "Enter Session"
Your browser may ask to grant microphone and/or camera access—confirm to participate fully
Enter your name (this will be visible to other participants)
Adjust camera/microphone settings if needed using the dropdown menu
Click "Join meeting"
No downloads or accounts required—it runs directly in your browser.
Note: You must join with the name you provided when signing up. Sessions will NOT be recorded. If you're the first to arrive, you may need to wait briefly for the session to open. Sessions will start promptly at 6:00 PM EST.
🤔 Session Purpose & What to Expect
This project uses a/r/tography and embodied sociology as methodology—where social practice art, community-based research, and radical pedagogy are inseparable. The study groups ARE the artwork, the research site, and the pedagogical container simultaneously. By practicing consent culture while studying dual power organizing, participants embody the sociology of alternative relations rather than just analyzing them intellectually (i.e. prefigurative politics).
No advanced organizing experience required. We'll focus on building sustainable practices and understanding the "why" behind dual power.
Each 2-hour session includes:
Shared study through slow reading together (excerpts from Black feminist, abolitionist, and cooperative economy texts)
Open reflection/accountability & care forum (processing what came up during shared study)
Inquiry/action + resource archiving (translating our discussion into concrete next steps for organizing )
Reading materials will be selected from authors including bell hooks, adrienne maree brown, James Baldwin, Audre Lorde, Jessica Gordon Nembhard, Tricia Hersey, and others. We'll read and discuss together during the session—no preparation required.
This research directly informs Disability Mentoring Day (October 2026), where ASE ACADEMY interns will execute programming based on the emergent agenda we determine together. The agenda itself is what's under construction—what our communities need, what we should build, how we organize collectively. We're not just studying—we're building infrastructure based on what emerges from our collective inquiry.
🤝 Our Space Together
This space is rooted in the 10 Principles of Disability Justice:
Intersectionality
Leadership of Those Most Impacted
Anti-Capitalist Politic
Cross-Movement Solidarity
Recognizing Wholeness
Sustainability
Commitment to Cross-Disability Solidarity
Interdependence
Collective Access
Collective Liberation
🫶🏾 Who We Are
We collaborate with fellow artists, organizers, and allies ready to co-create a more just and sustainable present and future. Our community centers Disabled, Chronically Ill, Mad, and Neurodivergent (DCIMND) arts, culture, and care workers alongside Queer, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (2SLGBTQIAPK+BIPOC) practitioners.
If you have any questions before we meet on January 19 or are interested in facilitating this study group framework with your organization, collective, or community, reach out anytime: info@consultwithkristine.com to discuss collaboration
