We are faced with two futures.

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One in which we continue down the path we are currently on. In this future, our economic system hollows out the earth and climate change brings about brutal storms, clean food and water shortages, fatal heatwaves, mass migration and disease. The ruling class concentrates more power and money and is able to act with impunity, creating legal infrastructure that incentivizes more police brutality, imprisonment of protestors, and racism. Basic human needs like medication, housing, and education grow more expensive. While the rich and powerful continue to live in luxury, the masses, us, fight over the scraps.

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The second future is started by returning all power to the people: the government, the healthcare system, the energy grid, banks, the agricultural industry— everything gets taken out of the hands of those that exploit us and returned to the communities that they serve. In this future, we achieve real democracy and build meaningful communities. The economy that once chewed up working class American families is now designed to create peace and abundance for all people.

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Red Wing members wake up every day and commit to the revolutionary work of building this second future.

 

These are our "survival pending revolution" programs. We use these to teach, support, defend, and nurture each other and our communities as we struggle under and against the oppression of this system, as well as equip ourselves with the tools and skills necessary to build this second future.

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Each program is housed under a different branch; Red Wing has six branches in total. Scroll below for more information on each branch and the programs within it.

BRANCHES

MUTUAL AID

At the core of Red Wing is a sense of profound responsibility for our fellow human beings. We do not call it charity or volunteerism, for those approaches are touch-and-go and do not seek to radically address the root cause of the suffering, nor do they come from a place of understanding that no one of us can be free until we are all free. Our Mutual Aid programs are and will always be central and priority to the Red Wing plan. Examples of existing and possible Mutual Aid programs and activities:

•COVID-19 Relief
•AC Repair & Replacement
•Water Distribution (during Laredo water crisis)

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MEANS

A guiding goal for Red Wing is increasing the autonomy and self-determination of our communities so that we may have the freedom to determine our own lives and futures. Currently, we are dependent on an exploitative system that forces us to work long hours for little pay, spend half our paycheck on rent, and otherwise accept and take a passive role in our lives. This branch is dedicated to putting all that makes up our daily life, like work, housing, food, transportation, energy, and infrastructure, which we can summarize as the “means of production” into the hands of the people. Examples of existing and possible Means programs and activities:

•Housing Cooperatives
•Employment Cooperatives
•Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs)
•Energy Cooperatives
•Tactical Urbanism
•Legislation, Institutional Goals (when necessary)

EDUCATION

We cannot lead our community astray, and it is therefore crucial that we are always challenging ourselves and our own understanding of the world around us and our place in it. Raising political consciousness through learning never ends, and we are powerless without the right ideas, right perspectives, and right education. Much of this work is simply undoing the destructive and incorrect ideas, histories, and beliefs we were conditioned with in school and in mainstream media. Examples of existing and possible Education programs and activities:

•Reading Groups
•Discussions
•Syllabus Creation
•Internal Courses
•Skills (gardening, sewing, carpentry, language)

RESILIENCE

For our community to thrive, the members of the community must be in good health. Good health looks different for each person, and some people may never achieve good health due to chronic or worsening conditions. We want every person in the community to live their highest quality life possible, and health is the starting point for a high quality of life.  As we age, there are fewer opportunities to engage in physical activities with others. We hope to create these opportunities while remaining inclusive and accessible to all levels, body types, and disabilities. Examples of existing and possible Mutual Aid programs and activities:

•Armed & Unarmed Self Defense
•”Left-Wing” Soccer
•Group Exercise (functional fitness)
•Nutrition & Cooking
•Meditation & other Discipline Techniques
•Self Care Techniques
•Peer counseling

OUTREACH

Outreach and Mutual Aid are the outward facing branches of Red Wing. Getting our community excited for new ideas, mobilizing them around certain issues, and connecting with external organizations and events is key to the Outreach branch. Examples of existing and possible Outreach programs:

•Teach-ins
•Film Screenings
•Community Hearings & Townhalls
•Recruitment
•Public Events
•Media, Interviews, Speeches

ORGANIZATION & DEVELOPMENT

This branch keeps Red Wing running, outlines short and long term goals, and guides the organization forward. This branch is reserved for long-term, dedicated members. Examples of existing and possible Organization & Development programs and activities:

•Long and Short Term Goals
•Organizational Strategy & Defense
•Organization-wide Decision Making
•New Program Creation
•Organization-wide Coordination
•Internal Communications, Scheduling