Mapping Our Way to Liberation
Building the Networks We Need Now
Every Black August, we remember the ones who fought, who built, who dreamed beyond the bars and boundaries set for us.
And as June Jordan reminded us in her Poem for South African Women:
“We are the ones we have been waiting for.”
Those words are not just poetry; they are instruction.
We are the architects of the systems our people need.
We are the safety net.
We are the infrastructure.
We are the joy.
If there’s one thing Black August has always taught us, it’s this: liberation is not an individual act, it’s a community commitment. It’s the way we gather our skills, our wisdom, our resources and put them to work for our collective survival and joy.
From Survival to Parallel Systems
That truth matters now more than ever. As we’ve been unpacking these past two weeks, the business of America was built on our bodies, our brilliance, and our labor.
What we look forward to now is the building of parallel systems, the ways marginalized communities have always created our own schools, businesses, safety networks, and care systems when the state and dominant culture refused to serve us.
We’ve done it before.
We are doing it now.
And we will keep doing it until liberation isn’t an aspiration, but the air we breathe.
Why We’re Mapping Our Community
Too often, we don’t realize how much talent, knowledge, and skill already exists right here among us. We talk about liberation, but we don’t always have a living, breathing map of who is here and what we can do together.
Imagine if, in a moment of crisis, you already knew who could:
Fix the roof.
Grow the food.
Teach the kids.
Hold the healing circle.
Stand watch.
BBQ the food
Advocate for needs and so much more!
That’s what this is, the Black August Community Resource Map, a living directory of our community’s gifts and readiness to act. Think of it as a parallel systems blueprint in real time.
Whether you cook, build, grow, heal, organize, teach, or create, there’s a place for your contribution here.
📍 Add yourself to the map here: Community Resource Map
A Tool for Parents & Families
Teaching our kids about Black August is part of building parallel systems, because we’re raising the next generation of builders, healers, and defenders.
That’s why I created the Black August Liberation Guide for Families — a 22-page resource filled with:
Age-appropriate discussion tips (including for neurodiverse kids)
4 interactive worksheets & activities
Reading lists for all ages
Liberation music & spoken word playlist
Historical timelines & key figures
Action planning tools for your family or community
You can get the guide for $27 or access it as part of our paid parenting collective.
For Parents Doing the Deep Work
If you’re ready to go deeper, I co-host a paid parenting group with Yolanda Williams of Parenting Decolonized — The Conscious Parenting for Social Justice Collective.
It’s where we gather parents committed to raising socially conscious, liberated kids. Together we cover:
Decolonizing discipline
Talking to kids about race and resistance
Building community safety nets
Supporting kids’ mental and emotional health in oppressive systems
Members get access to resources like the Black August Liberation Guide included in their membership.
Learn more & join us here: Conscious Parenting for Social Justice Collective
Why This Matters
Building parallel systems isn’t something we do “later.”
It’s something we do now, in every conversation, every connection, every skill we share.
Liberation lives in the relationships we nurture.
In the maps we draw.
In the guides we pass down.
We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.
Reflection Questions
What skills, resources, or connections could you offer your community today?
What gaps do you see around you that a parallel system could fill?
Who can you reach out to this week to start building something together?
Practice Your Praxis
Step 1: Add your name & skills to the Black August Community Resource Map
Step 2: Grab the Black August Liberation Guide for Families ($27 or included in the parenting collective)
Step 3: Join the Conscious Parenting for Social Justice Collective
A Quick Reminder
I’m still on a break and will return live on August 18th.
When I come back live, we’ll hit the ground running with community updates and real-time building.
Let’s build it. Together.
In solidarity and liberation,
Desireé B Stephens