Potlucks and Revolution

How social gatherings and friendships matter to political organizing

Image description: a counter with food (soup and samosas) laid out on it. Photo by Antony Hyson Seltran on Unsplash.

Have you been following the media attention recently on social connection as a basic building block of democracy (and humanity)? In case some missed it, I thought I would offer some links to articles and podcasts that speak to both our hunger for connection and the political nature of building community with friends and neighbors. I have also written about the value of these types of connections among neighbors, building relationships with friends and comrades, and about the sad state of social connection in the US.

Here are a few links to explore:

· Garrett Bucks’ latest article, Seven reasons why hosting a silly little potluck (or game night, or porch hang, or book club, or group hike) is essential to defeating fascism, is getting a lot of attention. He has been writing about related topics for while via The White Pages, including the lovely Potluck Manifesto.

· I was very charmed by Amanda Littman’s reflection on hosting guests for Saturday night dinners every week in 2025, Our year of Saturday dinners. So was everyone. What is nice about this piece is that it specifically explains how and why she and her husband made a resolution and then stuck to it, and covers a lot of the logistics, addressing many of the reasons others might be daunted by a project like this and how they overcame challenges in order to “rebuild community and expand our social life.” It worked!

· I very much enjoyed the conversation Fight Facism with Friendship with Priya Parker, her husband Anand Giridharadas, and Anya Kamenetz. It was cross-posted on Anand’s The Ink Substack and Priya’s Group Life Substack (and perhaps Anya’s Golden Hour Substack as well)—I don’t know if it is accessible without a paid subscription. They speak frankly about some of the problems of modern social life—people’s fears about hosting, people not feeling obligated to reciprocate invitations, social media as a pale substitute for in-person interaction, and much more. And the conversation is solutions-oriented, giving tips for making friends, hosting in a way that works for you, and generally building social connection. Priya Parker can also be heard (or seen, if you are into this new trend of video podcasts) on overlapping topics on the Ezra Klein show: Is Your Social Life Missing Something? This Conversation Is For You.

If you feel inspired to join a movement for local connection and caring communities, check out this awesome manifesto for (re)building civic life that is fun, relevant, and relational: An Invitation to a New Civic Future. If you agree with their principles, you can join me in sign-on to express your agreement and commitment.

There are many more folks writing and talking about related topics right now. Please add a link to your favorite in the comments.

It’s a nice relief from the madness of our current moment to affirm that bringing people together is a political act. It can’t be the only one, but it is foundational to know each other in order to work together. Our neighborhood, like so many around the country, is mobilizing to resist ICE. It’s clear that leaders of our neighborhood group understand the value of relationship building to this effort. They talk a lot about vetting, but what they really mean is knowing who you can trust. If the going gets tougher, none of us will regret the time we spent building a circle of people we can count on. Fortunately, it’s also fun. Let’s do it!