Arel Kincaid on "On Our Own Terms"

Leading up to its 10th birthday, Sista II Sista had to make the decision to return to grassroots funding. The incorporated not-for-profit structure not longer fit the needs of the collective and was actively contributing to its downfall. Andrea Smith’s perspective on the effects of foundation funding on political collectives drives home the idea that collectives’ and movements’ reliance on grant money often serves to undermine the core intentions of these entities. When a collective becomes an incorporated not-for-profit, it initially may find itself (finally) with adequate funding to meet the needs of the group and move forward with projects that represent its messages and advance its goals. However, in the event of changing political climates, that financial backing becomes harder to obtain and leaves organizers feeling burnt out and unable to produce programming that suits the needs of their organization rather than the demands of their grant providers.

This happened with Sista II Sista in the wake of 9/11. While most NGOs were moving in the direction of more conservative stances to reflect the national political climate, Sista II Sista wished to carry on work that was seen as more radical, including anti-war and anti-police brutality efforts. In adopting frameworks from women in the revolutions of the Global South, seeking to create alternatives to oppressive institutions, and teaching political organizing in their freedom school, SIIS was accused of "brainwashing little girls" in the wake of brewing conservative nationalism. This rendered Sista II Sista “unfundable” to many of their financial backers, leading to grant application rejections and in turn the near-cessation of the collective. In making the decision to return to a grassroots system of funding, the collective was able to re-establish its non-hierarchical structure and progressive programming without pressure to pander to capitalist interests. I believe this was in line with the core value of self-determination paramount to the initial creation of Sista II Sista.

A real-life instance in which I see the effects of grassroots funding on freedom of programing for an organization is the Chicago branch of the Party for Socialism and Liberation. The PSL is funded entirely by donations made by party members and other event attendees, accepting no outside contributions which could serve to undermine the goals of the party in favor of appeasing a financial backer. The party is free to decide which political demonstrations it will participate in and which types of workshops, classes, and speaker events it will hold. Recent events have included introductory socialist theory classes (primarily Marxist-Leninist thought), a collaborative event with the Chicago Green Party to discuss the origins and implications of “#RussiaGate”, and participation in the January 21st march on Trump Tower to protest war and bigotry on the first anniversary of the president’s inauguration.
    Divestment from capitalist entities is especially important for the PSL in light of the domino effects of the “#RussiaGate” fiasco. While Russia is no longer a communist country, that connection still exists in the public consciousness and is being taken advantage of by the US government not only in terms of having a new “big bad” to justify exorbitant military spending, but also to incite further distrust of current leftist (namely socialist) movements. In the same manner that 9/11 was used to discourage radical political ideals, #RussiaGate has allowed for Black Lives Matter’s classification as a “Black Identity Extremist” group by the FBI, as well as news outlets like Russia Today and Sputnik News being forced to register as foreign agents, casting further doubt on contributors to these news sources, among which are the World Workers’ Party and the Party for Socialism and Liberation.
    One question I would like to discuss in class is “What are some methods that could be used in grassroots fundraising efforts?” For example, the reading mentioned the sale of merchandise bearing the Sista II Sista name and logo to raise money for the collective.

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