Who we are
The StarLion Collective is cultivating a thriving social justice ecosystem that is forming and growing a Free Radicals Network. This network formation allows us to deepen and sharpen critical analyses; exchange learning around solidarity economies and other equitable, sustainable forms of economic security; and to nimbly activate around emerging issues.
What’s a “Free Radical”?
“Free radicals” refer to advocates, activists, organizers and other enthusiasts committed to social justice but who do work outside of traditional organizations and institutions.
What’s a “Starlion”?
“StarLion” is a mash-up of starfish, dandelion, and starling, inspired by adrienne maree brown’s book Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds (2018). Here are some of our favorite excerpts:
Starfish:
“From Starfish I have learned that if we keep our core intact, we can regenerate. We can fall apart, lose limbs, and re-grow them as long as we don’t let anyone threaten that central disc’s integrity. We can grow so many different arms, depending on what kind of sea star we are. We have to nourish ourselves with the resources we are surrounded by, with our community assets if you will, and by doing so we help keep ecosystems delicately balanced.”—JoLillian T. Zwerdling
Dandelion:
My favorite life forms right now are dandelions and mushrooms—the resilience in these structures, which we think of as weeds and fungi, the incomprehensible scale, the clarity of identity, excites me… [D]andelions spread not only themselves but their community structure, manifesting their essential qualities (which include healing and detoxifying the human body) to proliferate and thrive in a new environment. The resilience of these life forms is that they evolve while maintaining core practices that ensure their survival.
The dandelion flower head can change into a white, globular seed head overnight. Each seed has a tiny parachute that allows it to spread far and wide in the wind. The entire plant has medicinal properties. Dandelions are often mistakenly identified as weeds, aggressively removed, but are hard to uproot; the top is pulled but the long taproot remains. Resilience. Resistance. Regeneration. Decentralization.
Starlings:
The synchronized movement patterns of a starling flock is also known as a murmuration. Guided by simple rules, starling murmurations can react to their environment as a group without a central leader orchestrating their choices; in any instant, any part of the flock can transform the movement of the whole flock. Collective leadership/partnership. Adaptability.
“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”