Collective Brilliance: The Heart Behind the Solidarity Library

I can’t write this without first acknowledging the absolute privilege and gratitude I have in being part of this amazingly thoughtful, genuine, and hardworking team behind the project – because it is dopeness at its core.

The Solidarity Library (which we call “Sol Lib”) is an inter-agency project led by Seneca staff at the baseline level. It was purposefully created to uplift the work of BIPOC folx and underserved communities, and works towards three major objectives:

1. Create a shared space where staffs’ initiatives, community events, resources, and knowledge can live;
2. Highlight the incredible work, actions, and resilience from these communities; and
3. Provide holistic care and resources to the people we serve.

Through this project, our behind-the-scenes team has done its best embody what community means to us. Over the course of two years, we’ve come to understand how the essence of community appears in our team:

• When we take care of each other as people-first, the work will naturally follow: 
  As much of our primary work is driven by caseloads, mental health notes, administrative duties, deadlines, and/or program meetings, our Sol Lib team finds so much rejuvenation and gratitude in being seen first as humans with needs.
  
  We hold it down when someone is going through something personal, share in affirmations and accountability, and continue to make space for genuine connection to thrive. Here, the work is second. As a result, the work we do produce is rooted in honest care, coming from somewhere sustainable within.
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• Removing the standard structure of top-to-bottom leadership has allowed us to create shared values, knowledge, and accountability:
  When I and the stunning Sheralynn (fellow co-lead for Sol Lib) first started, we knew we needed this space to be grassroots-oriented. That meant our roles were merely to guide the project forward, but that our decisions, mission, and actions would be rooted in collaboration. This creates space for all our teams’ strengths to shine - from envisioning to planning to acting to healing. This also creates safety and trust in sharing feedback, accountability, and progress for us in all directions of this team.
  
  
• We grow through what we go through by shifting into a mindset of abundance:
  To keep it real, the last two years have been especially trying. Between this pandemic, social movements, weighty conversations of anti-racism and intersectionality, people being without basic needs and support… we’ve all needed community care.
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  Sol Lib’s spirit operates from a place of abundance. When so much feels lacking, we hold onto knowing we are working towards something better, something more wholesome. We do this by purposely protecting our joy, advocating our worth, and staying connected to this mission.

See these snapshots of our teams' recent (safe) get togethers!

And finally, from the words directly written from our collective brilliance in Sol Lib’s Purpose & Mission page:

[Our team] is an alchemic space of liberation, empowerment, accountability, and conscious action. Sol Lib is a home of social justice and community involvement. This is not from us to you. This is from the community, by the community, for the community.

We hope Seneca's staff continue to find space, community, and empowerment through this collaborative resource. If you'd like to learn more about how you can tap into Sol Lib, feel free to email me (Cecily Duran) directly to get connected!

Blog Post Written By: Cecily Duran, Senior Administrative Assistant