Adrienne Brown

Adrienne Maree Brown

Adrienne Maree Brown is a writer, pleasure activist, trainer/facilitator, traveler and singer/songwriter living in Brooklyn, NY.

As communications/training director of the League of Young Voters www.youngvoter.net, she created a national training program focused on basic voter organizing and is now amping up the communications department.

In addition to co-editing How to Get Stupid White Men Out of Office, her political writing has been published in anthologies including Stop the Next War Now and Resilience and Resistance: Women of Color Respond to Violence, and online at www.grist.org, www.africana.com, and www.wiretap.org.

She’s active with Up4Democracy and the Climate Crisis Coalition, and is producing a NY-based HIV+ youth documentary. She is also on the board of The Ruckus Society.

Previously an ARMY brat, program manager of the Harm Reduction Training Institute NY, and co-founder/managing director of Conscious Movements Collective, Adrienne's work focuses on power and pleasure. Adrienne studied Political Science, African American Studies, and Vocal Performance at Columbia University.

Adrienne wants to know!

Adrienne Maree Brown has also posed a question to be answered by the One World Youth Project

participants on the Forum page! Everyone is encouraged to give a thoughtful answer.

click here to go to the question

Adrienne answers students questions!

One World Youth Project participants submitted the following questions.

What are the goals of a pleasure activist?

Adrienne: Originally it was to bring a new viewpoint to the work I was doing around harm reduction, which is work done to get folks talking about and using safe sex and drug practices, but it has expanded. In general I feel like people approach the world like it is this great darkness they are raging against. I approach it like, what can I do to shed light? So often we are in pain because we don’t speak up, act on our values…if you get down to it, you have nothing to lose by being fearless. I love my work and my play, it’s all good challenges, and I lean into every emotion. My end goal is to have people aiming not just at survival, but at Good Lives, at pleasure – raising the bar for a better life and living in that better place as often as possible.

Did you have a role model when you were young? Who, and how did they influence you to do the things you are doing?

Adrienne: I loved stories – the stories of Jonah and Harriet Tubman and how we are called to do hard work in the world. But my role models were my parents, from them I learned to be brave, that if I wanted to do something I only needed to set my mind on it, and how love can conquer everything.

How did you get started doing the things you do?

Adrienne: One at a time and a bit randomly. I think we are taught to plan so much in life, but really life is just a string of lessons and you have to always stay open to learning and shifting into the next lesson. I sing because songs come into me, I write because stories come into me, I organize because I love people and we’re hurting.

What type of political science classes did you take?

Adrienne: Two stand out in my memory. One deconstructed race on a biological level and then explored all the ways we are socialized to use race to oppress. The other compared the class and race legacies of Brazil, South Africa and the U.S. I loved classes that broke down the frames we take for granted. The work you can take on in a world where there is no race or nation, just people, is so much more comprehensive and hopeful. You have to acknowledge current realities, but have a revolutionary viewpoint. See under the systems, see beyond the prison bars.

How do you balance a lifestyle with so many wonderful, engaging, activities?

Adrienne: Well first of all I do work I love. And second, I walk and meditate and write and sing and all of that is designed to calm me down and help me explore the personal aspects of growth. I work hard and play hard and just stay very engaged. I also use the four agreements to stay cool: don’t make assumptions, don’t take things personally, be impeccable with your word, and always do you best.

How do you get stupid white men out of office?

Adrienne: You combine community organizing with electoral organizing. You run people for office who actually care about people, democracy and representation – and you hold them accountable. You unveil the mistakes folks make in office which destroy our world. And most of all, you educate and love those stupid white men, recognizing that the planet is small and we are all called to a higher place than we currently occupy.

Do you think the war in Iraq is justified?

Adrienne: Absolutely not. Beyond the fact that there were no weapons of mass destruction, preemptive war is not a justifiable act to me. It is not our job to set in place the leadership of other nations, to oppress people into adopting our way of doing things – which we aren’t even doing very well these days. We are fighting terrorism, which can only be conquered by making sure people have enough and are not in constant misery. On an economic tip, it is unacceptable that we are spending so much money on a war effort when we can’t provide education, healthcare or jobs to everyone in this country.

What do you think about imperialism?

Adrienne: Well I am not a fan. I feel like it never comes from a space of trying to make sure people have freedom or resources – it always comes from a greedy, egotistical place. It comes from the lesser self in each of us, the instinct to dominate and compete.

Do you think governments are doing enough to prevent global warming?

Adrienne: Not even close. In the U.S., our government isn’t even down to work with other countries to come up with strategies that could work for everyone. We aren’t willing to be accountable for the effect our country’s greed has on the rest of the world. I am very disappointed in this administration, and any government that doesn’t understand how pressing this issue is. Politics and disputes don’t matter when there is no earth, no stable environment.

	For Participants Adrienne Maree Brown Adrienne Maree Brown is a writer, pleasure activist, trainer/facilitator, traveler and singer/songwriter living in Brooklyn, NY. As communications/training director of the League of Young Voters www.youngvoter.net, she created a national training program focused on basic voter organizing and is now amping up the communications department. In addition to co-editing How to Get Stupid White Men Out of Office, her political writing has been published in anthologies including Stop the Next War Now and Resilience and Resistance: Women of Color Respond to Violence, and online at www.grist.org, www.africana.com, and www.wiretap.org. She’s active with Up4Democracy and the Climate Crisis Coalition, and is producing a NY-based HIV+ youth documentary. She is also on the board of The Ruckus Society. Previously an ARMY brat, program manager of the Harm Reduction Training Institute NY, and co-founder/managing director of Conscious Movements Collective, Adrienne's work focuses on power and pleasure. Adrienne studied Political Science, African American Studies, and Vocal Performance at Columbia University. Adrienne wants to know! Adrienne Maree Brown has also posed a question to be answered by the One World Youth Project participants on the Forum page! Everyone is encouraged to give a thoughtful answer. click here to go to the question Adrienne answers students questions! One World Youth Project participants submitted the following questions. What are the goals of a pleasure activist? Adrienne: Originally it was to bring a new viewpoint to the work I was doing around harm reduction, which is work done to get folks talking about and using safe sex and drug practices, but it has expanded. In general I feel like people approach the world like it is this great darkness they are raging against. I approach it like, what can I do to shed light? So often we are in pain because we don’t speak up, act on our values…if you get down to it, you have nothing to lose by being fearless. I love my work and my play, it’s all good challenges, and I lean into every emotion. My end goal is to have people aiming not just at survival, but at Good Lives, at pleasure – raising the bar for a better life and living in that better place as often as possible. Did you have a role model when you were young? Who, and how did they influence you to do the things you are doing? Adrienne: I loved stories – the stories of Jonah and Harriet Tubman and how we are called to do hard work in the world. But my role models were my parents, from them I learned to be brave, that if I wanted to do something I only needed to set my mind on it, and how love can conquer everything. How did you get started doing the things you do? Adrienne: One at a time and a bit randomly. I think we are taught to plan so much in life, but really life is just a string of lessons and you have to always stay open to learning and shifting into the next lesson. I sing because songs come into me, I write because stories come into me, I organize because I love people and we’re hurting. What type of political science classes did you take? Adrienne: Two stand out in my memory. One deconstructed race on a biological level and then explored all the ways we are socialized to use race to oppress. The other compared the class and race legacies of Brazil, South Africa and the U.S. I loved classes that broke down the frames we take for granted. The work you can take on in a world where there is no race or nation, just people, is so much more comprehensive and hopeful. You have to acknowledge current realities, but have a revolutionary viewpoint. See under the systems, see beyond the prison bars. How do you balance a lifestyle with so many wonderful, engaging, activities? Adrienne: Well first of all I do work I love. And second, I walk and meditate and write and sing and all of that is designed to calm me down and help me explore the personal aspects of growth. I work hard and play hard and just stay very engaged. I also use the four agreements to stay cool: don’t make assumptions, don’t take things personally, be impeccable with your word, and always do you best. How do you get stupid white men out of office? Adrienne: You combine community organizing with electoral organizing. You run people for office who actually care about people, democracy and representation – and you hold them accountable. You unveil the mistakes folks make in office which destroy our world. And most of all, you educate and love those stupid white men, recognizing that the planet is small and we are all called to a higher place than we currently occupy. Do you think the war in Iraq is justified? Adrienne: Absolutely not. Beyond the fact that there were no weapons of mass destruction, preemptive war is not a justifiable act to me. It is not our job to set in place the leadership of other nations, to oppress people into adopting our way of doing things – which we aren’t even doing very well these days. We are fighting terrorism, which can only be conquered by making sure people have enough and are not in constant misery. On an economic tip, it is unacceptable that we are spending so much money on a war effort when we can’t provide education, healthcare or jobs to everyone in this country. What do you think about imperialism? Adrienne: Well I am not a fan. I feel like it never comes from a space of trying to make sure people have freedom or resources – it always comes from a greedy, egotistical place. It comes from the lesser self in each of us, the instinct to dominate and compete. Do you think governments are doing enough to prevent global warming? Adrienne: Not even close. In the U.S., our government isn’t even down to work with other countries to come up with strategies that could work for everyone. We aren’t willing to be accountable for the effect our country’s greed has on the rest of the world. I am very disappointed in this administration, and any government that doesn’t understand how pressing this issue is. Politics and disputes don’t matter when there is no earth, no stable environment.

For Participants