A lot of groups and projects break apart because of internal conflict. Here are some pointers on how to engage in productive conversations to keep movements together.

This article is adapted from a Mutual Aid 101 session Shareable hosted on November 20, 2025, titled “Navigating conflict when building power with Dean Spade.” Access to the webinar recording and supporting materials is available here . A shortened version of this piece first appeared in Nonprofit Quarterly on December 18, 2025 .

There’s a lot of really intense conflict in groups doing resistance work, and it can get in the way of the work and stop new people from joining the work. It is my firm belief that if you do things that you care about with other people, you will experience conflict. We live in a conflict-avoidant society that tells us this is a bad thing, but conflict is actually normal and inevitable. Conflict doesn’t mean anybody’s doing anything wrong.…