Tending to Tomorrow: Leadership in Times of Uncertainty and Hope

A Reflection on Collective Care and an Invitation to Gather this MLK Day

"We are now faced with the fact that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now."

These words from Dr. King echo powerfully as we navigate our current moment in history.

As a member of the Culture Tending Collective, I've been deeply reflecting on how our work intersects with Dr. King's vision of the Beloved Community. Our collective publishes the Culture Tending Commons, where we explore practices that help organizations and changemakers navigate complex social change. Today, I want to share how these practices can guide us through times when the very values we champion face mounting challenges.

Through our work in the Culture Tending Collective, we've identified that leadership requires both vision and vulnerability. This understanding emerges from our collective wisdom, shaped by diverse experiences and perspectives of our founding members - Crystal Mason, Vanessa Rodriguez, Jason Wyman (also known as Queerly Complex), and myself.

Dr. King's wisdom that "Power without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental and anemic" deeply resonates with our approach. This balance is particularly significant for women of color in leadership positions, who navigate unique pressures to project unwavering strength while creating nurturing environments for their teams.

When a team member tears up during a meeting about potential funding cuts, when a community member shares their exhaustion, when a partner expresses anxiety about the future - these moments call us to what we in the Culture Tending Collective define as "Co-Creating Space & Time to Pause, Dream, & Be." These aren't moments of weakness; they're opportunities to demonstrate what true leadership looks like in an era that desperately needs new models of power.

Crystal Mason, a founding member of our collective, offers this wisdom: "A lot is put into our mouths, and we get to choose what we swallow and what we spit out." This discernment becomes essential as we guide our organizations through uncertainty while keeping our eyes on the horizon of possibility.

Dr. King spoke of the long arc of the moral universe bending toward justice. But that bend doesn't happen on its own - it requires intentional tending, collective dreaming, and the courage to create change while being changed by it. In the Culture Tending Collective, we call this moving at "the speed of collectivity," knowing when to pause for deeper understanding and when to move with decisive purpose.

Today, on this MLK Day, we're putting these principles into practice. The Culture Tending Collective is creating an intentional space called "Beloved Community Rising" where we can come together to explore these themes through meaningful connection and collective care. Because like Dr. King, we understand that we cannot walk alone. As he reminded us, "We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny."

Let us tend to this garment together, weaving strength with tenderness, power with love, and urgency with intentionality. For in doing so, we don't just honor Dr. King's legacy - we actively participate in bringing his dream closer to reality.

Beloved Community Rising: An Evening of Connection and Renewal

• Date: TODAY! MLK Day (January 20th)

• Time: 4-6pm PST// 6-8pm CST // 7-9pm PST

• Location: Zoom

• Limited spots available.