Resisting Covid Denialism Community of Practice

The denial of COVID’s continuance hinders collective care, undermines safety, and suppresses disabled experiences. As the conditions of COVID change – and also stay the same or even regress – organizers against COVID Denialism are constantly making adjustments and searching for new connections and resources. Many of our organizations are local and/or isolated, and have few points of connection with a broader movement rooted in the principles of disability justice. 

In the face of the ongoing COVID pandemic and Long COVID crisis, PeoplesHub is offering this space to bring movement organizers together to share strategies, resources, and political education.

We recognize that people have been resisting COVID Denialism within organizations and communities, often doing this work alone, or as part of the few groups organizing in their sectors and regions.

‍We’ve seen the rise and fall of concern about COVID in movement spaces, and the impact this has not only on collective care, but the overall success of our campaigns and projects. We also understand that COVID Denialism is both a consequence of, and contributing to, rising authoritarian forces – forces that threaten all of our work. What we’re faced with requires us to apply learnings from the past, as well as share current models and interventions rooted in disability justice and harm reduction. This includes analysis around COVID mitigation strategies, and how to best incorporate these throughout our groups and organizations.

This community of practice is only for people who are currently resisting COVID Denialism in their organizing – including long-term organizers & people who’ve become involved over the course of the pandemic.

Each session will follow a format consisting of updates, strategies, collaboration, political study, and collective action planning.

FAQ:

• What is COVID Denialism? COVID denialism is the refusal to acknowledge the ongoing reality and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, including its long-term health consequences, Long COVID and the necessity of sustained public health measures. It manifests through the dismissal of scientific evidence, the normalization of mass infection, and the erasure of disabled and immunocompromised experiences. More than just misinformation, COVID denialism is a political force that undermines collective care, advances eugenicist policies, and reinforces authoritarian structures. It is deeply tied to ableism and the broader suppression of marginalized communities, making it both a consequence of and a tool for rising fascist movements. Combating COVID denialism is essential to resisting these oppressive systems and ensuring a just future rooted in disability justice and harm reduction.
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• What is a community of practice and the expectation of participation? Our communities of practices are peer-supported spaces to workshop and troubleshoot strategies and challenges that organizers face in their local communities. There is an expectation of participation in our community of practice. We know participation looks different for everyone, so we ask that everyone is open and responsive to questions about participation. Please note: There is no expectation of anonymity in this space. As it will be a place to strategize, it is also a site of peer support - and at times, participants will share intimate details about our lives. We want to protect the integrity of the space and the agency of each person to choose what they’re comfortable sharing. A part of that includes knowing who else is in the space.
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• Will this be recorded? We may record for internal purposes only. The recording of this community of practice will not be shared publicly or with participants that are absent. We encourage all registrants to attend this event in real time.

• What is an organizer? For these community of practices, we define organizers as those who are putting their time, energy, and resources into harm reduction efforts as we enter year 5 of this pandemic. We are looking to coalesce with groups actively working to resist covid denialism at community levels. This space is offering to help shape alignment around this emerging movement.
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• What if I'm not an organizer? We ask that you not attend this particular offering. However, you’re welcome to join our Community Care Clinic if you are looking to connect with other chronically ill & disabled people in movement spaces. You are also welcome to support materially by donating to PeoplesHub in general or specifically to this space.

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Throughout this Community of Practice, the group will...

• Sharpen political education about disability justice in relation to COVID Denialism
• Collaborate on projects within a community and network of folks organizing against COVID denialism 
• Develop your own groups to be more resourced to share organizing and support practices with others  
• Troubleshoot common issues related to organizing against COVID denialism with an emphasis on stopping mask bans

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This program is designed for:

• Folks who have been organizing in relation to COVID or disability justice. We highly encourage organizations to join and send representatives, although we understand that being in an organization may be challenging due to the isolating impact of ableism so individuals are also welcome.

• The expectation is that you're actively working against COVID denialism and or putting time, energy, and resources into harm reduction efforts, whether you identify as an organizer or not.
   
• This community of practice will include strategizing to redistribute power. Since people of the global majority have been and continue to be disproportionately impacted by COVID denialism, we aim to uplift and center the global majority’s needs. Redistributing power requires active participation by people of the global majority; it also requires active participation by white folks who recognize the greater visibility given to white-led/dominated COVID advocacy organizing efforts.
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To prepare for this Community of Practice:

• Review the series description and FAQ above, including participation expectations and definition of organizer for the series
• Fill out the application form
• Look out for a followup email from us (info@peopleshub.org) after submitting an application

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Accessibility:

Access requests, including interpretation and captioners, can be made during registration or by emailing Dustin Gibson at dustin@peopleshub.org.  Requests for interpreters and captioners that are made less than 48 hours before the event typically are more difficult to meet. We will try and notify you if we cannot secure requested access. 

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Attendance:

We ask that registrants commit to attending all sessions if possible.

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Application:

Please fill out the application form. After applying, we will review your submission. Qualified applicants will receive a followup email about their admittance.

If your application is approved, you will receive an email with a link directing you on how to complete the registration process. It is not until completing this step that your registration will be finalized.

If you have questions about this offering or technical needs registering for this event, please contact registration support.

LAST DAY to submit your application will be Friday, April 11.