Preparation Workshop inspired by Octavia Butler's 'Parable of the Sower' led by Jessica Gaynelle Moss, 2024

Preparing a comprehensive hurricane pack or emergency kit involves blending insights from both fictional and real-life survival strategies. This workshop draws on Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower alongside various extensive preparation lists to help you create and organize your own emergency supplies and strategies. Inspired by the spirit of Butler’s novel, we acknowledge the enduring struggles of Black people throughout history. Our collective journey has been one of resilience and resistance against systemic oppression and inequality. Survival is not a theoretical concept for us; it is an ongoing, daily reality.

The goal of this project is to shift our focus from a scarcity model to one of abundance, uniting our communities through a series of workshops dedicated to emergency preparedness and survival strategies, while also envisioning a future where all oppressive systems are completely dismantled.

“I'm trying to learn whatever I can that might help me survive out there. I think we should all study books like these. I think we should bury money and other necessities in the ground where thieves wonʼt find them. I think we should make emergency packs—grab and run packs—in case we have to get out of here in a hurry. Money, food, clothing, matches, a blanket… I think we should fix places outside where we can meet in case we get separated.” - Parable of the Sower, 1993