"The idea of mutual aid is built on this idea that all of us at some point in our lives will need help," explains Janice Gassam Asare, anauthorand organizational diversity, equity, and inclusion consultant. "It might not be monetarily; it might be emotional support, or a time where we are on the side of the road and our phone died."
By providing direct assistance without strings attached, mutual aid seeks to revolutionize the systems that keep us vulnerable. You send a Cash App transfer to someone for theirmedical bills, knowing that you could one day find yourself without health insurance and in need of similar support.
Traditional charity and philanthropy, while well-intentioned and valid, fundamentally rely on a hierarchy, where organizations and their supporters are above and the "less fortunate" are below. These organizations are asked to make judgments, based on societal standards and the desires of their benefactors, about who among the "less fortunate" is deserving of support, how much, and in what way. And those who receive assistance often must prove not just that they need it, but that they are "virtuous" enough to deserve it.
