Hope is more than just optimism. It’s the belief in the possibility of change, even when we can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. Snyder (2002) describes hope as the belief that we can influence our circumstances and find ways forward, even during difficult times. During times of socio-political stress, when injustice, violence, and systemic oppression feel unrelenting, hope can take many forms. For example, it can look like choosing to rest when the world demands urgency or showing up for your community despite living in an individualistic society. Hope turns into a collective resilience, reminding ourselves that even small acts of kindness, care, and connection can push back against despair.
We are living through a time in which the government is defunding social programs which marginalized communities, and a great majority of American citizens depend on. The Trump Administration is weaponizing immigration and customs enforcement and employing militarized and fascist tactics to elicit fear and harm to people of color and families of mixed immigration status. The current administration has made it clear that their goal is to terrorize, regress, and control through fear tactics. The work of healing the collective and advocacy for groups who are most vulnerable to the violence and discrimination of white nationalist government officials and racist policies, everyone holds a responsibility for recognizing their relationship to others’ oppression.
Scholars and theorists studying war “have long understood that when one can deplete the social capital of a group with whom one is in conflict; they are that much easier to take advantage of” (Tzu, 2008). Engagement is key for cultivating power in community: social capital as a means for resistance as well as resiliency building. Some forms of social capital are bonding, bridging, and linking, all forms of community engagement as a means for resourcing and strengthening through connection (Hansson et al., 2005). Bonding, bridging, and linking, looks like relationships and interdependence across varied social spheres in our lives, across work, social networks, and institutions. Social capital – built in community spaces of all shapes and forms – supports mental health and overall well-being and can be a coping tool for both the individual and the collective. When we engage with each other and build social capital, we connect with each other, and our agency, individually and collectively (Hansson et al., 2005).
“Actively engaging with one’s community and society to create equitable change can play an important role in addressing individual stress while also contributing to a longer-term transformation of the root causes of the pain they are facing” (Bartlett et al., 2021). For marginalized groups and communities experiencing structural oppression and violence, social capital and resourcing in community care is not easily accessible, as these individuals and families are often in a state of survival. Systems of oppression directly impact these groups’ ability to develop social capital – interdependent resourcing and community building. One aspect of building resilience and empowerment is through education. Understanding structural violence can provide understanding and grounding for those experiencing racial trauma, discrimination, and institutionalized harm. Education can be an act of resistance and empowerment, laying a foundation for individuals to understand better the systems and policies articulating the barriers to access in their lives. Advocacy and community engagement can act as a healing modality for treating minority stress, racial stress and the trauma of discrimination and oppression” (Bartlett et al., 2021).
From an attachment lens, hope has always been relational. Bowlby (1988) states that our capacity for trust, safety, and emotional regulation starts with our earliest attachments. When those relationships are reliable and responsive, we learn that others can be a source for comfort and stability. In adulthood, that foundation extends into the communities that we’re a part of. In a world filled with disconnection, polarization, and grief, our community becomes a kind of safe haven for us to restore and share suffering, support, and understanding. Community becomes a place where we can experience safety, belonging, and mutual care. Moments like gathering around shared meals or checking in on one another remind us that maintaining hope is not work we can do on our own. When we gather, give, grieve, and hold space for one another through hard times, it’s a reminder that hope doesn’t grow in isolation, but through relationship, solidarity, and shared humanity.
Sources:
https://www.icsw.edu/icsw_blog/bowlbys-attachment-theory-and-psychodynamic-therapy
Bartlett A, Faber S, Williams M, Saxberg K. Getting to the Root of the Problem: Supporting Clients With Lived-Experiences of Systemic Discrimination. Chronic Stress (Thousand Oaks). 2022 Nov 21;6:24705470221139205. doi: 10.1177/24705470221139205. PMID: 36439647; PMCID: PMC9685113.
Hansson A, HilleråS P, Forsell Y. What kind of self-care strategies do people report using and is there an association with well-being? Soc Indic Res. 2005; 73(1): 133–139. 10.1007/s11205-004-0995-3
Tzu S. The art of war. In: Mahnken TG, Maiolo JA, eds. Strategic studies: A reader. Routledge; 2008: 63–91.
Washington HA. Medical apartheid: The dark history of medical experimentation on Black Americans from colonial times to the present. Doubleday; 2006.