← All essays

Not everyone is an organizer, but your community still needs you

"I'm not an organizer" is not a get-out-of-community-free card.

Notebooks

·

·

8

min read

A spider at the center of its web, lit by sun against green leaves

When I was 17 we slept outside the Governor's residence for three weeks. What kept us going back were the people who fed us, gave us rides and checked on us kids. Nobody called them organizers, but the protest would have fallen apart without them. The connector, the keeper, the host, the steward, the runner: here are the roles a community actually runs on, and how to find yours. Read the full essay on Substack: https://zuhdae.substack.com/p/not-everyone-is-an-organizer-but

Knowing the right person is a role.

Note 1

Every role at SWS has a written SOP so someone else can cover.

Note 2

Free CWS Brainstorm Worksheet at communitywelfaresystem.org

Enjoyed this?

Get the next essay in your inbox, every other Sunday.

Free. No adverts. One click to leave.

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

The newsletter

Essays on building care that lasts.

Mutual aid, movement accountability and the Community Welfare System, sent to 4,300+ readers on Substack. Free to read, with paid essays for those who can support the work.

Zedé Harut

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

Zedé

Zedé

© 2026 Zedé Harut. All rights reserved.

© 2026 Zedé Harut. All rights reserved.