Love is the principle that guides us to do this work, that sustains us, and the value we wish to model in our community. We model love in our work in the way we build relationships, organize, and in the compassion we give to ourselves and others.

We honor the responsibility handed down to us from past generations by being disciplined in our practice, which means being intentional, consistent, prepared, strategic, organized, and perfecting in everything we build. We will encourage each other to always improve our skills, habits, and practices to become our best selves and community leaders.

We seek to collaborate in our work and build cooperative organizing structures whenever possible when there is alignment in values and vision because it reflects the world we are trying to build. We recognize that no one person has the right answer and that building the solutions we need will take a village.

Everything we do as a collective is for the end goal of self-determination for BIPOC communities. We understand self-determination as the power or ability of a person or group of people to determine and develop their own lives and destinies and to be free from outside control.

As a collective, we aim at all times within our capacity to make the places and projects we build or participate in as accessible as possible so that all people can fully participate as their authentic selves and have what they need to feel safe and seen. We understand that justice isn’t justice if it isn’t accessible to mothers, working people, those with English as a second language, people who aren’t able-bodied and neurotypical, and others outside of the mainstream.

In every step of the work, we will prioritize transparency even when it is uncomfortable or inconvenient. We will practice what we preach and understand that ends don’t always justify means. We will take our time in decision-making and ensure everyone has an equal say. Community need determines our work, not grants. We don’t glorify hustle culture. And we seek to decolonize and keep indigenous values alive in our work.