Back our friend Moe in Sabbatical & Transition

[Braeden Lentz]

Hey BMC Fam --

Below is a message from our friend, co-conspirator and BMC board member Maurice Mitchell. He is transitioning from a transformative movement leadership role with Blackbird... to another and much more external facing new movement leadership role as the new national director of the Working Families Party... n case you missed it: Passing the Torch.

I forget how it fits into the sequence, but Moe was the person who originally pointed me to BMC. We met over lunch at a Thai restaurant on Long Island when I was at Veatch and he was at the New York State Civic Engagement Table. We did some statewide electoral organizing together -- me a child of Syracuse / Upstate and him from Long Beach / Long Island. Later when the Ferguson uprising happened... we worked together on coordinating cash flow to local organizing there and to what would evolve into various components of the Movement for Black Lives. Moe contributes so much of himself -- heart and mind in total -- to movements that matter and win. All low ego, high impact. I have benefited much from this leadership and his friendship.

Now Moe has a once in a lifetime chance to take some rest as he steps into this new role. I am so excited for his new leadership role, and also excited to see this rest happen first. What a special and important time!

I wanted to make sure you each had a chance to give to his Maurice's Sabbatical & Transition. I gave $100 -- please join me in showing Moe some love as you are able.

Braeden

Maurice's Sabbatical & Transition

Beloved Community!

Thank you for your spiritual, political, and material support of my political work over the years.  Together we've made some amazing interventions - interrupting the agenda of racial capitalism, expanding the platforms of everyday Black people, and building share platforms for "power with" instead of "power over."

As many of you know, at the end of May I will be officially ending my tenure at Blackbird, an institution I founded and led with my comrades Mervyn Marcano and Thenjiwe McHarris to focus on Black liberation and movement building.  I leave Blackbird to embark on a new challenge at leadership  of the Working Families Party.  I will be joining the party August 1st as its national director where I plan to lead the party through a transformative process - making it more available  as a vehicle for movements and individuals committed to contending for power through governing.  

In the two months between those milestones I plan to take a much needed sabbatical to enjoy the day-to-day joys and follies of fatherhood uninterrupted by the real crisis we tackle in movement.  Additionally, I will take a foreign trip to reflect, meditate, study, and reenter the work with a renewed fire.

I also plan on identifying a coach that will support me as I take on a truly exciting but no doubt challenging role.

I'm reaching out to you for support to help me reach my goal.  These funds will go towards 1) my living expenses for two - three months, include basics like childcare 2) resources to identify and retain an executive coach 3) expenses for a three week foreign trip where i will read, write, meditate, and reflect on past practice, future possibilities, and current realities.

Much love and Solidarity,

Moe