Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds

Octavia Butler was a renowned science fiction writer known for her visionary storytelling and exploration of social and political themes related to the Black experience. Butler’s novels are known for their thought-provoking meditations on race, gender, power dynamics, and the human condition. Her work often pushes genre boundaries, combining elements of science fiction, fantasy, and social commentary. Her writing style is characterized by meticulous research, vivid storytelling, and a deep exploration of human nature. Some of her most well-known books include Kindred, Parable of the Sower, and Parable of the Talents.

Born and raised in Pasadena, California, Butler developed an early interest in storytelling and began writing at a young age. She broke barriers as an African American woman in a predominantly male and white-dominated field by centering gender and the African American experience in science fiction. brown draws heavily from Butler’s ideas and concepts, particularly her ability to weave together speculative fiction and social justice. Butler’s approach to social justice in the realm of fiction speaks to the power of imagination and heavily influences brown’s understanding of emergent strategy as a tool for reimagining futures and inspiring social change. Butler died in 2006 when she was 58 years old.

Grace Lee Boggs was a Chinese American philosopher, political activist, and author whose lifelong dedication to social justice and transformative change left a mark on movements for civil rights, labor rights, and environmental justice.

Boggs’s activism was deeply influenced by her experiences working in the Black community in Detroit, where she moved in 1953. She became an integral part of the civil rights movement, working alongside prominent figures like Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. Her powerful insights, as captured in works like The Next American Revolution: Sustainable Activism for the Twenty-First Century (2011), called for a radical reimagining of society.

At the end of her career, Boggs conducted mentorship programs in Detroit, where she and brown met. From 2008 to 2014, brown learned from Boggs’s wisdom and used their meetings as a way to refine the core concepts of emergent strategy.

Throughout her life, Boggs emphasized the importance of grassroots organizing, community empowerment, and the power of ideas. She believed in the capacity of individuals to effect meaningful change and encouraged people to see themselves as active participants in shaping their communities and the world. Grace Lee Boggs passed away on October 5, 2015, in Detroit, Michigan, leaving behind a profound legacy of activism and a vision for a more just and compassionate society.

Margaret Wheatley is a writer, speaker, and organizational consultant known for her influential work in the fields of leadership, systems thinking, and organizational development. Wheatley’s work emphasizes the importance of human values, relationships, and interconnectedness in the face of complex challenges. She opposes traditional notions of leadership and offers alternative approaches that prioritize trust, collaboration, and collective wisdom. Her book Leadership and the New Science (1992) is a foundational work that has influenced the work of many authors, such as Brené Brown, a researcher and author in the field of vulnerability, courage, and shame. Leadership and the New Science explores the parallels between scientific principles and effective leadership practices and was influential in brown’s considerations around emergent models of leadership.

Janine Benyus is a biologist, innovation consultant, environmentalist, and author who has made significant contributions to the field of biomimicry. She has dedicated her career to promoting the concept of learning from nature’s sustainable designs and harnessing them for human innovation. Benyus believes that by observing and understanding the strategies employed by organisms and ecosystems, humankind can find answers to its most pressing problems. Her influence on brown can be seen in brown’s emphasis on learning from the natural world.

Black Organizing for Leadership and Dignity (BOLD) is a dynamic and influential organization that focuses on cultivating and supporting Black leadership in social justice movements. At the heart of BOLD’s work is the belief that Black leadership is essential for building a more just and equitable society. BOLD provides a platform for Black organizers to connect, learn, and collaborate, fostering a strong network of support and resources.

brown’s emergent strategy framework has been a guiding force for BOLD’s organizing principles. Her work emphasizes the power of collaboration, adaptability, and learning from natural systems to drive effective social movements, which have since been embraced by BOLD as core principles in the work they do. Her insights and teachings on emergent strategy have informed BOLD’s belief in the transformative potential of decentralized, collaborative, and interconnected movements.

Autumn Meghan Brown is one of the three thinkers brown interviews in Chapter 9, and brown also published her work in her books Pleasure Activism and Octavia’s Brood. She also cohosts a podcast, “How to Survive the End of the World,” with her sister and adrienne maree brown. Brown self-identifies as a queer, Black woman and does both organizing and healing work. She helped found the New York City-based Rock Dove Collective in 2006, which defines itself as a “radical community” healing collective. She has also worked with organizations like Planned Parenthood, the ACLU, RECLAIM!, and the Black Visions Collective. She does facilitation work with the Anti-Oppression Resource and Training Alliance (AORTA), a worker-owned organization that provides political education and training to activists.

Another interviewee from Chapter 9, Jodie Tonita is a coach who collaborates with BIPOC leaders to promote their ideas and healing strategies. She also focuses on dismantling white supremacist ideas and patterns with her clients. brown states that Tonita “embodies an accountable politic that lays a strong foundation for growth and transformation” (brown, adrienne maree. “What People Are Saying.” Jodie Tonita).