We Have to Talk About Stripping

It's not just financial wealth that's drained from communities that can least afford it, as part of major development or public good projects or in response to climate emergencies. It's people's sense of belonging and purpose, connection to the past and future, predictability, and safety that are stripped away. Financial reparations are vital, but don't inherently restore wellbeing.

This "wellbeing stripping" isn't a new phenomenon, and people have been fighting it and working to heal from it for as long as it's been happening. But it hasn't had a name that might capture decision-makers' attention. Without a name, it's too easy for power to dismiss or de-legitimize the harms and the repair. If we're serious about equity and justice, we have to get serious about wellbeing stripping.

So in 2024, I suggested a name and made a case. Dive in here to learn what’s taken through wellbeing stripping, and examples of collective and creative repair.