ADVOCACY

The Care Is Resistance Advocacy page is a space to turn care into collective voice, visibility, and community presence. Through advocacy we invite people to stand together in support of public healthcare and the well-being of our neighbors.

As part of this work, Health Brigade is partnering with our friends at Mending Walls to create a community mural and Care Wall. Together with community members, we are transforming lived experiences of care into a public statement of solidarity, connection, and resistance. We believe public art can create room for truth, healing, and dialogue while pushing back against the exclusion and current policies that harm our communities.

Advocacy lives in the ways we gather together. From town halls, public calls to action, protest presence, Fuxico workshops, and old-school spaghetti dinners, we are creating spaces where people can connect and organize around care for Health Brigade and our larger community.

Community members can also sign up for our Advocacy Alerts to stay connected to opportunities to show up together.

Town Halls AND Calls for Action

Over the last year, Health Brigade has hosted community town halls focused on federal and state funding cuts, immigration rights and resources in partnership with Legal Aid Justice Center, and the ongoing threats to Medicaid and the public health safety net. These gatherings created space for honest conversation, shared information, and community connection during a time of deep uncertainty for many of our neighbors.

As broader government cuts continue to impact healthcare access, Health Brigade has helped lead conversations within Virginia’s free and charitable clinic community about what these changes mean for patients and providers alike.

Through Care Is Resistance, we will continue creating opportunities for people to gather, stay informed, and find meaningful ways to stand together through advocacy, public presence, and collective care.

ADVOCACY ALERTS

Old School Spaghetti

Dinner Kit

The Old School Spaghetti Dinner Kit is an invitation to gather your friends, family, neighbors, or community around a table to share a meal, reflect on what we care about, and imagine how we can advocate together.

Rooted in the belief that community starts with simply showing up, these dinners remind us that connection does not have to be complicated. Sometimes care looks like passing a bowl of spaghetti, listening to each other’s stories, and remembering we have one another.

This project is also a loving nod to the spaghetti dinners hosted by St. Mark's Episcopal Church before AIDS Ride fundraisers years ago, gatherings grounded in community, care, and collective support during difficult times.

Each sustainable dinner kit includes a tablecloth, napkins, wood votives, Health Brigade story cards, conversation prompts, homemade recipe cards (if you want to cook), take out ideas, and a killer dinner playlist.

When you are done, the kit is passed on to the next person. An additional downloadable kit will also be available if you’d rather DIY it.

Kits will be available to check out soon! Stay tuned.

Mending Walls & The CARE WALL

In partnership with Mending Walls, Richmond artist Emma Scarvey, and inspired by the community-centered textile work of Davi Leventhal, we are creating a future Care Wall on Health Brigade’s building rooted in shared stories, collective care, and public belonging.

Through community storytelling, Fuxico workshops, and collaborative art-making, neighbors will help transform lived experiences of care into a visible statement of solidarity and resistance.

The Care Wall will be a place where people can gather, leave their mark, and stand side by side, affirming that care is something we build, protect, and carry together. By making care public and unmistakable, we honor our shared responsibility to show up for one another with dignity, compassion, and resolve.

photo: Kat Jones