Grassroots social movements are curious, living, evolving beings with many centers. Their success rests in the energy and vision of individuals and their strategies for creating and sustaining community. So, what will it take to transform Transhumanism, a largely intellectual movement, into a grassroots social movement?

1. Building a Grassroots Social Movement
(& the Futures of Transhumanism)
Darshan Elena Campos
@darshancampos

2. ______________________________Darshan Elena Campos
educator. historian. futurist.
www.darshancampos.org
@darshancampos

3. ______________________________Darshan Elena Campos
first, an open secret.
i’m transhuman.
@darshancampos

4. ______________________________Darshan Elena Campos
first, an open secret.
i’m transhuman.
@darshancampos
I survived. My
young student
didn’t.

5. @darshancampos
Mission Objectives:
1. Define grassroots social movements & transhumanism.
2. Outline a method that I use to teach these concepts.
3. Model a simple method for creating community.

6. @darshancampos
What are grassroots social movements?
● People.
● Alive, social, evolving.
● Mechanisms to promote genuine security & meet basic
human needs like food, housing, education, etc.
● Open invitations to find community, share knowledge,
& change daily life.

7. @darshancampos
And the movements that last & grow?
● Inspire participation & personalization.
● Harness collective intelligence.
● Distribute responsibilities.
● Cultivate leadership.
● Share power.

8. @darshancampos
Examples? Black Panther Party & INCITE!
Cau Napoli Collettivo/Flickr

9. @darshancampos
Black Panther Party
● Founded in Oakland, CA in 1966.
● Launched ‘survival programs.’
● ‘Citizen Patrols’ to end police violence.
● ‘Free Breakfast for Children’ to end hunger.
● BPP lives on because it captured the collective imagination
& still speaks to basic human needs for genuine security.

10. INCITE!
● Founded in Santa Cruz, CA in 2000.
● Provides a lens for seeing violence in its many forms.
● Changed its name from ‘INCITE! Women of Color Against
Violence’ to ‘INCITE! Women, Gender Non-Conforming, and
Trans People of Color Against Violence’ to better reflect a
shared vision of freedom from violence.
@darshancampos

11. @darshancampos
Grassroots social movements & the classroom.
● Educators are guides, not experts.
● Students direct the learning process.
● Open learning experiences honor student expertise, foster
collaboration, & promote higher order thinking.
● Course work reflects the demands of different career paths.
● Evaluation is an exchange & daily practice.

12. @darshancampos
So how to teach transhumanism?
I ask students to put transhumanism on trial for racism. Yes!
In my class, “Race, Gender, & Science Fiction,” we play...
Ethnic Studies Freedom Brigade
versus
The Transhumanists.
introducing….

13. The scenario:
The Ethnic Studies Freedom Brigade has charged The Transhumanists
with racism! The case is now before Oakland’s Human Futures Commission,
which works to protect and promote the right to dignity, justice, and
equality for all peoples and sentient creatures, including the planet, for
seven generations to come. The Ethnic Studies Freedom Brigade and
Defense Counsel for The Transhumanists are calling on the following
expert witnesses: Andrea Smith, Harriet A. Washington, Ramez Naam, and
Nalo Hopkinson. Reporters from the East Bay Express, Youth Radio, and
New York Times are writing articles on the case and will be present during
the trial.
@darshancampos

14. How it works:
● Students works in small learning teams to explore different
perspectives & find their personal truth.

15. Why it works:
● The scenario is silly.
● It builds on previous course work.
● The trial is structured like a formal debate.
● The research process is open, playful, & collaborative.
● The teaching method invites exploration, not resolution.
● Above all, students teach each other & share knowledge.
@darshancampos

16. So what is transhumanism?
● A means to surpass our biological limitations.
● A rising paradigm and cultural reality for today’s youth.
● A practice of science & technology that deepens violence due
to issues of access, social justice, & equity.
● A ‘deathist’ ideology because it advances space colonization,
rather than space exploration.
● A future vision that seeks to evolve the species through
science & technology.
● An open invitation to ask questions of science, tech &
@darshancampos

17. Can we build a transhuman social movement?
Yes. The simple method for creating community and building
grassroots social movements? It’s called…
socializing!
@darshancampos

18. Let’s socialize & explore these questions:
● what brings you to this event & learning community?
● what are transhuman innovations (research techniques,
medical practices, etc)?
● what does transhumanism mean to you, our lives, and our
living planet?
@darshancampos

19. Tips on building grassroots social movements...
1. share knowledge in community
● throw a smart dinner party!
● organize playshops!
● host a book club!
2. make space for critiques, questions, & challenges
● attend to emotions & feelings, yours first.
● listen, learn, change, repeat. @darshancampos

20. More tips….
3. Don’t sell an idea (that’s marketing). Instead, explore
questions in community (that’s learning).
4. Eliminate barriers to participation (cost, access, language, etc).
5. Remedy social issues & change together (that’s what
grassroots social movements do; they reflect the needs & goals
of their people. When they don’t, they fail, and people move on.)
@darshancampos

21. And ‘people’ are?
By people, I mean every thinking creature – human, transhuman,
transhumanist, and what comes next!
@darshancampos

22. ______________________________Darshan Elena Campos
www.darshancampos.org
@darshancampos
So long, and thanks for all the smarts!