The Courage to Hope

The Courage to Hope

As the US election results came in last November, I said: HE will NOT steal my HOPE.

Yet, if we're even somewhat awake, there is much reason for fear, grief, and even despair.

Hope itself is not a strategy for inclusion and equity. Hope without action is dreaming. The Nap Bishop is teaching me that dreaming is crucial. What changes without hope for change? Hope helps us envision a better future for everyone, especially in an oppressive system.

A quick side note: Since the US election in November I've taken a break from my typical weekly blogging; I needed to go inward, rest in community, gather myself, commune with nature, listen to my wisdom, and breathe. I'm experiencing push from my teachers and coaches to not be quiet in this season.

It's now 2025; I'm back, wobbly yet stalwart. Practicing an open heart and strong back. Embracing imperfection. I love you, leaders, and we are in this together. I'm holding juxtaposition: speaking up and being quiet. Holding complexity is incredibly messy and beautiful.

Invitation to Hope in 2025

I invite you to renewed focus for early 2025: hope and dreaming toward love and liberation. Let's learn from those who have gone before us, who have led the way, that paved a path, building community toward love and liberation.

Do you worry that hope is lost? Do you fear what we will face in 2025 and beyond? 

The idea that hope alone will transform the world, and action undertaken in that kind of naïveté, is an excellent route to hopelessness, pessimism, and fatalism. But the attempt to do without hope, in the struggle to improve the world, as if that struggle could be reduced to calculated acts alone, or a purely scientific approach, is a frivolous illusion. (Freire, 1997, p. 8)

We don't have to invent ways to bring about love and liberation; neither are we aren't free to abandon the cause. Lives depend on it.

While the exact contours of today’s struggles may be unique, as oppression morphs and adapts, the human experience of hope and commitment to a better world is not new. Across history, individuals and communities have persevered through incredible adversity. Their wisdom, resilience, and hope are gifts we can draw upon today.

Jeff Duncan-Andrade wrote a piece about hope that is a beacon: Note to Educators: Hope Required When Growing Roses in Concrete. Written for educators, this content is 100% relevant to nonprofit and liberation-focused spaces.

Three Types of Hokey Hope

Duncan-Andrade outlines three types of "hokey hope:"

1. Hope as a Passive Expectation – This is a superficial form of hope where people expect change to happen without taking meaningful action. It’s the kind of hope that is overly optimistic but does not acknowledge or engage with people's challenges in an oppressive system. This hope assumes that things will improve on their own or simply through wishful thinking, without real effort.

2. Hope as a "Cure-All" – This type of hope suggests that hope itself will solve all problems. It can be a form of "hokey" hope because it assumes that if people simply believe things will get better, they will. It disregards the deep systemic issues or obstacles that need to be addressed, offering hope as a quick fix rather than a long-term solution that requires hard work, structural changes, or support.

3. Hope that Denies Reality – This form of hope involves glossing over or ignoring the harsh realities that people face. It is often an attempt to create a "feel-good" atmosphere without confronting the deeper issues of oppression, inequality, and societal challenges. This type of hope can make people with less power (marginalized identities) feel as though their struggles are being minimized or invalidated, making it less effective.

As we work to hold hope as a fire within us, propelling us, Duncan-Andrade offers a framework for finding purpose and action, even when everything feels impossible. 

Six Types of Liberatory Hope

1. Material Hope - This is the tangible support we need to thrive: food, shelter, safety, access to healthcare, and education. Material hope reminds us that we can create systems and environments that meet basic human needs. It's about transforming our surroundings to cultivate hope in action.

2. Socratic Hope - This hope invites us to question everything—including our own beliefs and assumptions. It challenges us to lean into discomfort, to engage in tough conversations, and to let critical thinking guide us. Socratic hope fosters growth through reflection and dialogue, helping us find clarity amid confusion.

3. Audacious Hope - Audacious hope is the defiant belief that better things are possible. It’s the courage to dream big in the face of injustice and despair. This type of hope calls us to act boldly, even when the odds feel insurmountable. Think of civil rights leaders, climate activists, and others who dare to imagine a transformed world.

4. Reflective Hope - This is the hope rooted in history. Reflective hope encourages us to look back at past struggles and triumphs, drawing lessons and strength from those who came before us. It reminds us that we are not alone in our fight and that progress often comes from collective action over time.

5. Critical Hope - Critical hope recognizes the need for systemic change. It doesn’t shy away from the harsh realities of oppression and inequality but instead embraces the belief that these systems can be dismantled and rebuilt. This type of hope aligns itself with justice and demands action for change.

6. Healing Hope - Finally, healing hope is deeply personal and communal. It’s about addressing trauma, building emotional resilience, and nurturing well-being. Healing hope reminds us that caring for ourselves and others is a radical act, one that sustains us in the fight for a better world.

Finding Hope in Community

Each of these types of hope points us toward connection—connection with ourselves, with others, and within the systems we seek to change. When you feel trapped, know that the solutions are not just within you, but within the communities around you. Together, we can learn from those who have come before us, co-create, and apply new possibilities to current inequities in our organizations and systems.

Hope is not a passive feeling. It’s a practice, a mindset, and often, a choice to believe in and work for a better future.

When despair knocks at your door threatening to drown you, remember that there are always options. Sometimes, hope looks like raising our middle finger to the systems and mindsets that keep us stuck, boldly declaring, “We will find another way.”

Which type of hope resonates most with you today? Which types of hope have been effective for you and your team(s)? What have you learned, or are you willing to learn and practice? Let’s keep this conversation alive —when hope is shared it multiplies.

Fellow leaders and learners, I wish you courage, rest, and Beloved Community for the journey. Together we catalyze a brave, bold, and liberatory future.

Peace to you,