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How to not be a starving leftist

Charge nothing, but also pay your rent, but also don't sell out, but also eat.

Notebooks

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11

min read

A hand marking up a printed manuscript with a red pen, a mug and a folded map beside it

We've built a logic that everything has to be free or as cheap as possible to be ethical, and it starves the very organizers our communities depend on. On survival choices, the weekly creator witch hunt, and why the real question is who is accountable with the money once they have it. Read the full essay on Substack: https://zuhdae.substack.com/p/how-to-not-be-a-starving-leftist

You were never supposed to starve for this.

Note 1

Having an option isn't the same as having a choice.

Note 2

Eat. Get paid. Keep building.

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Honored by and spoken at

  • Black Lives Matter Dreamers & Disruptors Award, 2026

  • Women's Foundation of Minnesota Rest Up Award, 2023

  • North American School for Organizers

  • Black Digital Renaissance

  • Black Lives Matter Dreamers & Disruptors Award, 2026

  • Women's Foundation of Minnesota Rest Up Award, 2023

  • North American School for Organizers

  • Black Digital Renaissance

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Zedé Harut

Strategist, writer and creator of the Community Welfare System. Building parallel systems of care in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

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© 2026 Zedé Harut. All rights reserved.

© 2026 Zedé Harut. All rights reserved.