Details
Facilitated by
Kristen Barker
Date/Time
Wednesdays | 6:30-8:30pm | 4 weeks | October 29 - November 19
Cost
Free to Members | $99 for Non-Members
Location
The Hive: A Center for Contemplation, Art, and Action
1628 Hoffner St Cincinnati, OH 45223 | In Person
About the Class
Domains
Description
As tensions intensify across the country, I’ve been reflecting deeply on how we can respond—not just react. How do we actively undermine authoritarianism while simultaneously building the beloved community in real, lasting ways?
This moment calls us to clarify what matters most, to root ourselves in what we’re truly dedicated to, and to step into a more liberated, purposeful version of ourselves.
What kind of world do we want to live in?
What is our unique contribution to liberating goodness?
And how can we participate—consciously, creatively, and collectively—to help this moment of breakdown become a moment of breakthrough?
In this four-part gathering, we’ll explore these questions through the lens of the One Million Rising campaign—a global movement that has offered me real hope and tangible strategies for effective response. It’s a powerful reminder that authoritarianism isn’t just a national issue—it’s a global phenomenon, following a recognizable playbook. And even more importantly: people have successfully countered it, again and again.
This work is about building community power step by step, linking actions in ways that weaken the pillars propping up authoritarian systems. But it’s not just about tactics—it’s about how we show up with one another. It’s about expanding participation, widening our range of responses, and deepening connection in the process.
Over the course of these four weeks, we’ll explore both outer authoritarianism and the subtle ways it lives within us. We’ll examine how we can liberate ourselves from internalized patterns of control and disengagement, and how we can engage authentically in a movement rooted in active nonviolence, strategic noncooperation, and collective community power.
This class is for you if:
You feel the urgency of this moment and want to respond with clarity, not overwhelm
You’re seeking ways to counter authoritarianism through community, creativity, and strategy
You long to build the beloved community—not just in theory, but in practice
You’re curious about how global movements like One Million Rising offer hope and direction
You want to explore both the outer systems of control and the inner patterns that mirror them
You’re ready to engage in active nonviolence and strategic noncooperation as a path to liberation
You value deep reflection, collective wisdom, and embodied participation
You’re committed to showing up with integrity—in your relationships, your choices, and your leadership
Intention of the Hive
When you join a Hive experience, you're invited into our intention to create a group experience that's inclusive, rooted in mindfulness, and dynamically relational. We aspire for each Hive experience to model these intentions, and even to refine them as we continue to learn how to gather in a way that's transformative! The embodiment of these intentions by Hive facilitators, Members, and class participants is what makes the Hive the unique and healing social container that many experience it to be. To view our Hive Intentions for gathering, click here.
More About the Facilitators
Kristen Barker
is a social entrepreneur and a Co-Founder of Co-op Cincy and 1worker1vote. She designs and leads participatory education events with English- and Spanish-speaking co-op workers, and helps worker-owners make their businesses more successful. Kristen also helps retiring business owners determine whether they can sell their business to their employees, and helps viable co-ops access the capital they need to leverage their ideas.
Kristen has done groundbreaking work in adopting the Mondragon model to the U.S. context, and hosts delegations from around the country, including the participants in our biennial Union Co-op Symposium.
Before becoming Co-op Cincy’s Co-Executive Director, she worked for 12 years fostering partnerships between people of faith, union members, and community members of diverse backgrounds. During her time at Ignite Peace she led the Peace Committee, offered trainings in strategic nonviolence, nonviolent communication, conflict intervention, and led the Days of Dialogue program. Kristen is a graduate of Xavier University and a lifelong Cincinnati resident—except for two years in El Salvador! Kristen is a single mother of a resilient daughter with special needs.