Hello, my name is Chris Crass and my work is dedicated to building powerful working class-based, feminist, multiracial movements for collective liberation. Throughout history everyday people have come together to take on the most pressing challenges of their time and through collective organizing and struggle they have envisioned a better world, made large scale changes, won important victories, and passed on lessons to the next generation. Around the world and here in the United States, we see people’s movements doing the same thing today. I believe in our ability to learn from the past, organize for tomorrow, and practice our visions and values today. I believe in our ability to work for systemic change, while simultaneously building beloved community and supporting one another’s personal transformation in the process. I believe in collective liberation and I believe in our ability to win. I believe a better world is possible for my son and the younger generations.
I give talks and lead workshops with organizations, schools, congregations and communities around the country. My talks and workshops focus on themes of anti-racism, social justice organizing, feminism, creating healthy activist culture, and spiritually grounded leadership for liberation. You can learn more about my speaking tour and my book, Towards Collective Liberation: anti-racist organizing, feminist praxis and movement building strategy, here. You can also find information about how to bring me out to work with your community, school, congregation or organization. Let us be rooted in our vision, act with love, and be powerful in our work for collective liberation.
Honoring the Passing of Elizabeth Betita Martinez (2021)
By Chris Crass (July 2, 2021) Honoring the passing of justice movement veteran, elder and one of the most important mentors of my life, Elizabeth ‘Betita’ Martinez. Of two Latina staff members of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee in the 60s, and founding leader of the Women’s Liberation movement and the Chicano/a Power Movements … Read More »A Prayer for Black Futures and Collective Liberation
By Chris Crass (February 20, 2020) While Elizabeth Warren was destroying Bloomberg from jump at the Democratic Debate, I was doing bedtime with River and August (but I watched what I missed right away and Warren was incredible). We read Freedom Soup, a gift from their aunt Rahula S. Janowski, and it’s a beautiful picture book … Read More »Trump's Executive Order on Anti-Semitism and Our Responsibility to Resist It
By Chris Crass (December 16, 2019) Throughout history, anti-semitism has been used by ruling classes to culturally position Jews to be seen as “above” other oppressed and exploited people, to be seen as the ones really pulling the strings. For Jews as a concept and actual people, to then be targets of other working class … Read More »Notes From Conversations With White Men Committed to Anti-Racism and Feminism and Struggling to Love Themselves/Ourselves
By Chris Crass (December 12, 2019) “I’m struggling to find my grounding, to feel grounded and good about who I am, while I’m learning about all of this history, learning about people who have looked like me in the past and look like me today – white and cisgender male – have been in positions … Read More »Seattle 1999 and Its "This Changes Everything" Energy
By Chris Crass (November 30, 2019) Twenty years ago today Nov. 30th, I was part of the Direct Action Network that successfully shut down the World Trade Center summit that was negotiating global capitalism in the interests of ruling classes and crushing human rights and dignity around the world. Joining together with unions and people’s … Read More »Pass the Liberation and Let's Trash the Opression
By Chris Crass (November 27, 2019) How can we talk with people in our lives during the holidays about our values? How can we challenge the ways that systems of oppression show up during the holidays with family and longtime friends, while also inviting people into liberation values and culture? How can we practice deep … Read More »Is "OK, Boomer" a Radical Critique? Two Responses
By Chris Crass-Joe Lowndes (November 12, 2019) Chris Crass: I’m grateful that the first time I heard of “OK, Boomer” and was responded to with “OK, Boomer”, I was having a friendly and beautiful debate with a 13 year old member of the Democratic Socialists of America, about socialist electoral strategy. I said “Yes, … Read More »Notes to an Activist Feeling Overwhelm and Despair (Notes to Myself to Rise Again and Again)
By Chris Crass (December 4, 2018) We are up against the brutality and toxic culture of oppression, the sinister and devastating divisions of supremacy systems, and in our work of building and uniting a majority for racial, economic and gender justice, how we treat each other, and how we treat ourselves, is vital. We must … Read More »How to Talk to the Young White Men Drifting Toward the Alt-Right
By Chris Crass (September 7, 2018) Talked with a Mom who reached out for support about her teenage son who she sees drifting towards the alt-right. My heart ached listening to her story. I shared how when I was 15, I was deeply confused, angry and felt alienated. I was trying to figure out who … Read More »To Men Looking Inward and Outward at the Nightmare of Patriarchy
By Chris Crass (November 16, 2017) To men looking inward and outward at the nightmare of patriarchy and feeling woefully inadequate to do anything remotely close to effectively rising up for gender justice and feminism in ways that these times call for. I am with you. Every single time I do anything to try and … Read More »Men Need to be Present, and Not Defensive, in this Uprising Against Sexual Harassment
By Chris Crass (November 14, 2017) If you are a man and hear “men are garbage” from women and people of other genders experiencing the daily reality of patriarchy and misogyny, I understand if the first reaction is to be defensive, to want to say “not me” or “that’s not fair” or anything to debate … Read More »Notes to a White Person Trying to Figure Out How to Talk With White People About White Privilege
By Chris Crass (Sept 15, 2017) My goal in talking with white people about racism is to generate outrage for racial injustice and a passion and urgency for racial justice. My goal is to awaken a hunger for justice in the hearts and minds of white people that leads them into confrontation with the … Read More »Charlottesville and Boston Were Significant Victories for Collective Liberation
By Chris Crass (August 22, 2017) After the massive anti-racist/anti-fascist marches for racial justice, with Black Lives Matter in the lead, in Boston and Charlottesville, the racist anti-Muslim, pro-Trump organization Act for America have cancelled 67 rallies in 36 states and replaced their day of action into an online protest. This is a significant victory … Read More »Antifa are a Critical Component of the Struggle Against White Supremacy
By Chris Crass (August 16, 2017) Any minute you spend debating that the antifa, that the right wing created term,”alt-left”, is violent too, is a minute spent supporting Trump and the ultra-right. The world is uniting against Trump and the ultra-right’s racism. Do not give Trump life support by giving any space, any room to … Read More »The Fight for the Soul of White America is Raging in the Streets of Charlottesville
By Chris Crass (August 12, 2017) Republicans falling over themselves to denounce the views of white nationalists in Charlottesville, while promoting legislation and implementing policy that enacts those views on society. White people denouncing the Klan, Alt-Right, GOP shock troopers marching in Charlottesville, while giving these racist Force the political space to grow, by arguing … Read More »The Black Working Class of Ferguson Opened Up Human Rights For All of Us
By Chris Crass (August 10, 2017) Three years ago the Black working class communities of Ferguson, St, Louis, and the surrounding area, moved the political landscape of the country towards Black liberation, racial justice and collective liberation. Black working class communities, with young people, women, and parents in the lead, refused submission in the face … Read More »Notes for An Activist Struggling with Depression and Overwhelm In These Times
By Chris Crass (June 1, 2017) I am with you. Because I feel the grief and anguish of these times, with the recent murders of Black, Indigenous, and white people in Maryland, Washington and Oregon by white supremacists. Of Professor Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, author of From #BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation, canceling two public speaking engagements on … Read More »On this May Day, let's keep Black Lives Matter Central
By Chris Crass (May 1, 2017) As we build the broad based progressive left to stop and bring down the Trump/GOP agenda that attacks almost every community except the rich, we must do all we can to keep Black Lives Matter and the fight against anti-Black racism at the center. Anti-Black racism is at the … Read More »We Need White People to Want Racial Justice
By Chris Crass (April 18, 2017) We need white folks to care more about wanting racial justice, wanting to end the nightmare of white supremacy in society and in our institutions and communities, wanting to listen to and show up with leaders of color who are moving forward the deepest values of our faiths, of … Read More »The Attacks on Jewish Centers are at the Heart of Authoritarianism in the US
By Chris Crass (February 28, 2017) Antisemitism positions Jews as socially acceptable targets for working and middle class Christians (religiously and culturally) to unleash violence and hatred, to release the anger and resentments of crushing economic and political inequality. Antisemitism instructs and encourages working and middle class Christians to see Jews as the conspiratorial puppet … Read More »The Time of "Never Again" is Now
By Chris Crass (February 2, 2017) If what happened at UC Berkeley makes you uncomfortable, I invite you to be in that discomfort for a while. If what happened at UC Berkeley gets you more riled up than the right wing Trump supporting Alt-Right Nazi terrorist in Quebec City who opened fire on a Mosque … Read More »Notes to Activists on Demonstrations in These Mass Movement Times
By Chris Crass (January 31, 2017) There are demonstrations taking place all over the country today and remember 10 people demonstrating in a rural community, small town or the suburbs, where I grew up, can have a powerful impact, like the hundreds and thousands in cities. When we act as movement, like Black Lives Matter, … Read More »The Right Heart is More Important than the Right Analysis in Fighting Racism
By Chris Crass (November 14, 2016) The goal, for those of us who are white and want collective liberation, is to help support, encourage, resource, listen to, invite and bring in as many white people as possible into liberation values, culture, action, community and movement. If white people are expressing outrage or shock about Trump, … Read More »Notes to White Anti-Racists the Day After Trump's Election
By Chris Crass (November 9, 2016) 1. The need for Left liberation organizing in white communities, of all kinds, screams out with each stat from the exit polls. The need for tens of thousands of white anti-racists to dedicate themselves to not only active solidarity with people of color-led struggles, but also to rising up … Read More »Trump and Rape Culture: Let's Get Free and Nourish Collective Liberation
By Chris Crass (October 8, 2016) The misogyny and rape culture that Trump celebrates is wrong, period. Yes, I have women in my life who I do not want spoken of in that way, but I also have men and boys in my life who I do not want socialized, trained, and rewarded to dehumanize, … Read More »