Remembering Elandria Williams

(español a continuación)

We are incredibly sad to learn the news of the passing of former PTO Board Member Elandria Williams, whose impact on the PTO community and so many other communities was immense. Elandria served on the board from 2010-2015. Elandria’s perspective was essential in PTO’s ongoing evolution as an organization. Elandria brought a lifetime of organizing experience and knowledge to PTO and was at the center of some of the most important shifts in PTO’s practices in the last decade. Elandria pushed everyone on the board to think as concretely and critically as possible about the kind of organization we want to be and how to get there. Whose practices, needs, and perspectives did we value most? It is no coincidence that more people involved in collectively fighting oppression each day on the ground became involved in PTO during and after Elandria’s time on the board. In that way and so many others, Elandria’s legacy is felt by this organization every day.

But Elandria’s work on the PTO board represented only a very small fraction of their contributions over a lifetime devoted to organizing. Elandria was central to so much organizing and struggle around economic, environmental, racial, and disability justice, among many other struggles. For those who were not familiar with Elandria’s work with many organizations over the years–including PeoplesHub (where Elandria was currently the Executive Director), Highlander Research and Education Center, the Unitarian Universalists Association, and so many others–we include links below where you can learn more.

Elandria spoke truth with directness and genuine compassion. They knew how to redirect a group to the heart of what mattered. They were an organizer to their core. They were also incredibly funny. The world is far better because Elandria was in it, and PTO is a far better organization because Elandria was a part of it. Our thoughts are with Elandria’s family and friends, all who learned from them, and all who loved them.

There is much more to say about Elandria, but for now we wanted to let people in the PTO community know about their passing. We prefer to leave you with Elandria’s words instead of our own. The poem below was written by Elandria, who shared it publicly in April. Rest in Power, Elandria.

“We Are Worthy” by Elandria Williams

“We are worthy

Not because of what we produce

But because of who we are

We are divine bodies of light and darkness

You are not worthy because of what you offer, not because of what is in your mind, not for the support you give others, not for what you give at all

We are worthy and are whole just because

In this great turning, in this great pandemic, in this radical readjustment and alignment

We are not disposable, we are needed, we are the very people that have withstood everything that has been thrown at us as a people and as Maya Angelou would say

Still I Rise

We arise from the pain

We rise from the grief

We arise from the limits people place on us and the limits we place on ourselves

We rise to be the children and the ancestors

We rise to be our true selves

Our true selves in relationship to our families and communities

Recognizing our liberating and whole selves

Honoring them and others as we strive for abundant communities, abundant lives, abundant relationships, and abundant values and cultural manifestations

We are worthiness personified

I, you, and we are worthy and deserve a life where we are not always fighting for our existence

Imagine what we could create if we were not always in the struggle

Imagine what we could envision if we could just be let to just go there

So tired of always having to resist, to fight, demanding, pushing

To everyone that has the courage, the power, the ability to co-create what we want and need while rooting in what we can’t lose and who we are

You are the visionary

You are the hope

You are our ancestors dreams

No you might not ever end up on some list somewhere

But you are on a list in someone’s heart and mind

And if it’s in how you move in the world so people can see by example

You are the embodiment of what we need

Thanks to all that are the embodiment

The embodiment not of productivity but the embodiment of radical love, care and sanctuary

It’s time

Embodiment time

Embodiment

Living ones values out loud

Let me everyday live my values out loud

Let us everyday live our values out loud

Embodying our values

Not the productivity quotient

Beyond productivity

Past productivity

True embodiment

Life”

—

Elandria’s bio at PeoplesHub (where you can also find a beautiful interview in the pop-up link next to the bio): https://peopleshub.org/people/

Another interview with Elandria from 2016: Elandria Williams

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ESPAÑOL

Estamos increíblemente tristes de conocer la noticia del fallecimiento de la ex miembro de la junta de la PTO, Elandria Williams, cuyo impacto en la comunidad de la PTO y tantas otras comunidades fue inmenso. Elandrio sirvió en la junta desde 2010-2015. La perspectiva de Elandria “E” fue esencial en la evolución continua de PTO como organización. Aportó toda una vida de experiencia y conocimientos en relación a la estratégica organizativa a la PTO y estuvo en el centro de algunos de los cambios más importantes en las prácticas de la PTO en la última década. Elandria instó a todos lxs miembros de la junta a pensar de la manera más concreta y crítica posible sobre el tipo de organización que queremos ser y cómo llegar allí. ¿Qué prácticas, necesidades y perspectivas valoramos más? No es casualidad que más personas involucradas en la lucha cotidiana y colectiva contra la opresión se involucraron en PTO durante y después del tiempo de Elandria en la junta. De esa manera y de tantas otras, esta organización siente el legado de Elandria todos los días.

Pero el trabajo de Elandria en la junta de la PTO representó sólo una pequeña fracción de sus contribuciones durante toda su vida dedicada a la organización. Elandria fue fundamental para tanta organización y lucha en torno a la justicia económica, la justicia ambiental, la justicia racial y la justicia de discapacidad, entre muchas otras luchas. Para aquellxs que no estaban familiarizadxs con su trabajo con muchas organizaciones a lo largo de los años, incluido PeoplesHub (donde Elandria era actualmente Directorx Ejecutivx), Highlander Research and Education Center, la Unitarian Universalists Association y muchas otras, incluimos varios enlaces a continuación donde puede obtener más información.

Elandria dijo la verdad con franqueza y compasión genuina. Sabía cómo redirigir a un grupo al grano de lo que importaba. Fue unx organizadorx en su esencia. También fue increíblemente divertidx. El mundo es mucho mejor porque Elandria estaba en él, y PTO es una organización mucho mejor porque Elandria era parte de ella. Nuestros pensamientos están con la familia y lxs amigxs de Elandria, todxs lxs que aprendieron de ellx y todxs lxs que lx amaron.

Hay mucho más que decir sobre Elandria, pero por ahora queríamos que la gente de la comunidad del PTO supiera sobre su fallecimiento. Preferimos dejarlxs con las palabras de Elandria en lugar de las nuestras. El siguiente poema fue escrito por Elandria, quien lo compartió públicamente en abril. Descansa en el poder, Elandria.