book review: fumbling towards repair: a workbook for community accountability facilitators
05 Oct 2020
i’m including these paragraphs from the book’s website on ak press because the authors clearly believe people should read these words before purchasing the book:
Fumbling Towards Repair is a workbook by Mariame Kaba and Shira Hassan that includes reflection questions, skill assessments, facilitation tips, helpful definitions, activities, and hard-learned lessons intended to support people who have taken on the coordination and facilitation of formal community accountability (CA) processes to address interpersonal harm & violence. IMPORTANT NOTE: This workbook is NOT an introduction to community accountability.
You will NOT learn how to facilitate processes by reading this workbook. We STRONGLY suggest that only people who have or are currently facilitating CA processes addressing interpersonal harm purchase this workbook.If you have NO EXPERIENCE AT ALL with formal CA processes, we urge you to get some friends together for a study group using a FREE and terrific resource developed by Creative Interventions (CI). The CI toolkit offers a step by step guide for facilitating CA processes for interpersonal harms.Finally, this is a workbook for FACILITATORS. That means that it’s not intended to be mainly read but to be ENGAGED. This is not a reference book or a book of answers. It is a book to scribble in, to draw in, to jot down questions in, to think with, etc…With all of those caveats, we invite people who might find this resource useful to purchase it through AK Press. We hope that it’s useful for your ongoing work.
What are the main ideas?
- none of us know what we are doing, at least at first. and that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t start. not starting is part of the problem. also expecting perfection is part of the problem.
- it is possible to protect survivors while also supporting the transformation and healing of people who cause harm (pwch)
- the idea that there are pwch as distinct from people who are harmed or survivors is a problem
- community accountability (CA) processes might look different every time and vary across communities
If I implemented one idea from this book right now, which one would it be?
study the seven key frameworks that support mariame and shira’s work: ending sexual violence, trauma-informed practice, harm reduction, healing justice, PIC abolition, transformative justice, community accountability.
if i could do a second one it would be: remember that pwch do so because they have had harm caused to them. when seeking transformation of pwch find the place(s) in their lives where they have been harmed; start the transformation and healing there.
How would I describe the book to a friend?
an incredible workbook and resource that will support community accountability facilitators for years. it is full of brief explorations of topics containing true depth. and the worksheets and activities are just ::chef kiss:: never have a wanted access to a copier more in my life.
this book may also helpful to read through as a pwch. the worksheets, essays, and praxis explanations demonstrate that experienced CA facilitators have pwch interests at heart, too. understanding that may make it feel more possible for pwch to engage in a process.
reminder: book review structure