My name's Ethan Scott Barnett (They/Them), I'm a Black, Queer, organizer and cultural worker living on Lenapehoking land in so called Kingston, NY.

For the last 5 years, I've had the opportunity and honor to contribute to some exciting and extremely necessary struggles for dedicated to collective political education, food sovereignty and mutual aid redistribution.

I’m going on a pilgrimage to find these tools. I know these tools cannot be crafted by the master (as the black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet Audre Lorde has taught us), but must be designed and crafted by the masses. I’m looking for tools that inspire and fuel collective liberation. Tools that can change the material conditions for the working class people. Tools that are rooted in collective liberation and prioritize community care over state sponsored violence.

In order to secure these tools, I will be embarking on a 15,000 mile/3 month motorcycle/camping journey to study individual and collective movements across Turtle Island (United States and Canada).

This Freedom Ride will be divided into 4 sections.

1) New York's Hudson Valley to Dead Horse Bay, Alaska (Arctic Circle).

2) Deadhorse Bay, Alaska to Little Rock, Arkansas

3) Little Rock, Arkansas to Cape Coral, Florida 

4) Cape Coral, Florida to Kingston, New York.

During this freedom ride, I intended to develop a better understanding of how organizations and individuals are changing and improving their communities. I am seeking out guidance and advice from BIPOC farmers, Queer cooperatives, elders of the Civil Rights Movement, spiritual leaders, veterans of the Black Freedom Struggle, indigenous organizers, gorilla academics and lastly and most importantly, everyday people who are dedicated to their communities and passionate about changing the world.

Budget

Upon my return to the Hudson Valley, I will be using all of the information and resources gathered to develop the Hudson Valley Freedom Project (Facebook/Instagram): an ever-evolving movement incubator dedicated to building unity across historic lines of division for working class communities in the Hudson Valley.

If you're interested in supporting me along the route, have suggestions for a comrade/organization to visit or just want to maintain contact - please reach out on Instagram or via. email at [email protected]