Commitments to Repair and Liberation
This living page details the historical context of Pattern Shift Strategies' location and work, and outlines the practice's commitments toward reparative justice and systemic transformation.
The work of Pattern Shift Strategies is grounded in this commitment. Pattern Shift is the solo consulting practice of Adrianne Glover, a white trans woman living in present-day Decatur, Georgia, on the ancestral homelands of the Mvskoke (Muscogee) people and in the Weelaunee (South River) watershed. My work is situated at the confluence of history and future and is centered on supporting movements, transforming philanthropy, and decolonizing evaluation.The US South, the region where I live and work, is inextricably shaped by the foundational context of stolen life, land, labor, and wealth. Yet, it is also powerfully defined as a nexus of life, culture, and resistance—a place forged through the profound courage, ingenuity, and deep communal bonds of those who have loved and resisted. The South is the birthplace and proving ground of transformative movements, a dynamic cultural hub, and a place where people continually dream, create, and build radical futures together.
The Mvskoke people lived on this land for countless generations before the arrival and colonization by white European settlers, including my ancestors, whom some Mvskoke people called Ecunnaunuxulgee (“people greedily grasping after the lands”). They cultivated deep roots and fostered a thriving culture of kinship and stewardship on this land.
In 1821, only seven generations ago, the US government forced the Mvskoke people to sign the First Treaty of Indian Springs. Following this "treaty," the Mvskoke and Tsalagi (Cherokee) peoples were forcibly relocated to Alabama and what is now Oklahoma. This displacement, along with other broken treaties, paved the way for the mass enslavement of Africans and African-descended people and the theft of their labor to fuel white Southern economic growth. Continued violent land dispossession and wealth extraction, including the state-sponsored erasure of the Beacon Hill community through 20th-century "urban renewal", mirrored the earlier displacement of the Mvskoke and Tsalagi peoples.
My personal and professional life is profoundly rooted in this history, and in the enduring resistance and lifeblood of this place. My practice and movement today are rooted in the collective values and ethics of the communities I am a part of, the people I love, and those with whom I navigate conflict. My work is fundamentally informed by countless thinkers and doers in movements, institutions, and community spaces who have taught me how to live, resist, dream, and build.
At the same time, my ability to operate in these sectors is tied to a family history of dispossession and settler-colonialism, which directly contributed to systemic harm. My ancestors benefited from colonial land grants that led to the displacement of the Mattaponi and Chickahominy in Virginia; the forced removal of the Mvskoke to establish Alabama plantations fueled by enslavement; and 19th-century religious settler-colonial migration that displaced the Eastern Shoshone and Goshute peoples in Utah. For most of their time on this land, my ancestors also benefited from exclusive access to white-only education. This intergenerational educational and economic advantage is the unearned, invisible capital that allows me to navigate and benefit from the philanthropic and evaluation fields I work in today—fields built on the foundations of this injustice.
As a white trans woman, I recognize that my experience at the confluence of history and future informs my accountability and commitment to solidarity in this work, even as I benefit from the structural privilege of whiteness. I acknowledge the ongoing harm caused by this legacy and my present-day relationship to these systems, as well as the responsibility to contribute to the thriving future that so many have made possible.
The systems my ancestors created are not relics of the past. The structural violence originating from this history persists today through apartheid, gentrification, and systemic displacement. This violence continues through racial terror, white supremacist mass shootings and vigilante murders, as well as carceral systems like police, prisons, borders, and militarized ICE operations.
In the face of this endemic violence, the South remains a place of unyielding community, creativity, and love. In Atlanta and across the South, I see the people I love in acts of collective care—sharing food, making art, navigating conflict, experimenting, and building vibrant, interdependent lives. My commitment is to ensure our communities, cultural hubs, and resistance movements are fully funded, resourced, and recognized as the essential heart of innovation and liberation that they are, especially given that the very wealth meant to resource us has been amassed and maintained through exploitation.
My commitment is to ensure our communities, cultural hubs, and resistance movements are more fully resourced and recognized as the essential hearts of innovation and liberation that they are, especially given that the very wealth meant to fund us has been amassed and maintained through exploitation.
This critique extends directly to the philanthropic sector. The very endowments that fund the philanthropic and evaluation fields were largely amassed and are maintained through the extractive processes of racial capitalism, colonialism, and genocide, ultimately reinforcing the power of white institutions.
This systemic reality requires us to acknowledge that despite massive overall philanthropic growth, funding for communities of color and racial justice remains a chronically small fraction of all giving.
The philanthropic sector has yet to collectively grapple with this history and take accountability for systemic disinvestment, wealth hoarding, and harm.
Pattern Shift is a small, prefigurative practice, interlinked with this history and present, and rooted in the ongoing tradition of Southern movements and community.
I, alongside many others, envision a transformative future built by autonomous global movements rejecting extractive systems. This future is characterized by solidarity economies, restorative justice, global cooperation, participatory governance, universal access to public goods, environmental regeneration led by frontline communities, and cultural flourishing centered on interdependence and ancestral knowledge. This future is being built today through countless acts of solidarity, care, and imagination that I witness in my life and work every day.
Recognizing this history, the ongoing reality of systemic extraction, and transformative movements toward alternative futures, Pattern Shift commits to the following concrete steps for reparative justice and accountability:
1. Resource Redistribution and Reparative Philanthropy
Commit a progressive percentage of gross revenue to movements for Land Back and reparations, starting at 3% up to a marginal rate of 10% during core operating periods. This commitment includes a defined personal draw cap, currently $120,000 annually (indexed to COLA), by dedicating a 65% marginal rate of all revenue earned above this threshold to redistribution toward Black, Brown, and Indigenous-led movement work, with the results shared annually. This commitment is effective as of April 1, 2026 and reconciled and paid monthly for the base rate and annually for the personal draw cap portion.
Organize inside philanthropy spaces among peers, foundations, and sector leaders to challenge conventional practices, shift power dynamics, and advocate for reparative funding models that redirect resources toward organizations advancing collective liberation, especially Black, Brown, and Indigenous-led organizations in the US South.
2. Southern Movement Amplification and Partnership
Prioritize relationships in the US South, actively seeking out and prioritizing deep, long-term partnerships with Southern-based grassroots organizations and community leaders where Pattern Shift’s resources and efforts can amplify existing work toward collective liberation and self-determination.
Actively work to democratize access to and ownership of knowledge and ensure all tools, frameworks, and intellectual property developed in partnership with Black, Brown, and Indigenous-led organizations remain the property of those partners.
3. Anti-Colonial Practice and Accountability
Ground all evaluation and consulting engagements in an anti-colonial and reparative justice lens focused on accountability, healing, and systems-level change by acknowledging and actively redressing the historical and ongoing harms of colonialism, racial capitalism, and environmental destruction.
Embed internal accountability, feedback, and repair as core practices sustained through quarterly solo reflection and ongoing transformative learning, and maintain relational integrity through peer reflection pods and publicly shared tools or frameworks.
Conduct a review of these commitments and their impact every two to three years, soliciting and integrating feedback from Southern-based partners.
I welcome feedback on these commitments and invite you to learn about and contribute to local liberation movements.
Resources for Action, Support, and Continued Learning
Pattern Shift Strategies is committed to actively supporting the movements that inform this work. These resources offer avenues for direct support and continued learning, centering the people and movements referenced in this commitment.
I. Supporting Mvskoke Sovereignty and Community
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The official website for the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, offering essential resources on tribal government, services (health, education, legal), cultural initiatives, events, and legislative updates.
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The official page for the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Scholarship Foundation, detailing how to contribute to educational funds, establish new scholarships, and support tribal students through designated grants and awards.
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Details the College of the Muscogee Nation’s Legacy Giving Program. Donations support student scholarships, faculty development, campus improvements, and Mvskoke language revitalization efforts.
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A dedicated resource page detailing the Muscogee (Creek) Nation's legal and cultural efforts to protect Hickory Ground, a sacred ceremonial site in Alabama.
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The official website of the Georgia state-recognized Lower Muskogee Creek Tribe, providing information on their self-determined government at Tama Tribal Town, community services in health and education, historical overviews, and tribal events.
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The official donation portal for the Lower Muskogee Creek Tribe, East of the Mississippi Inc. to contribute to the upkeep of tribal grounds, the preservation of traditional Muskogee ways, and the support of various historical and educational programs.
II. Movements in Atlanta and Decatur for Reparations and Economic Justice
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A non-profit focused on creating permanent housing affordability in Atlanta by using a community land trust model to prevent displacement and ensure long-term stewardship of land for lower-income residents.
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An organization dedicated to empowering the Black community in Decatur and DeKalb County through advocacy, youth leadership, and organizing for racial justice, reparations, and dismantling systemic white supremacy.
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A Black-led, Georgia-based organization that builds long-term community power by connecting grassroots organizers with the training, resources, and strategy needed to achieve racial and economic justice.
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A grassroots initiative based in Atlanta that seeks to secure land and housing as a collective resource, focusing on community-led development and providing an alternative to market-driven displacement.
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An initiative that funds direct restorative acts, scholarships, and legal efforts to provide tangible reparations to the descendants of enslaved people, focusing on historical inequities in the South.
III. Southern Regional Movement Organizations
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A member-driven organization of artists and activists that supports the creation of original art rooted in Southern communities, using cultural work as a primary tool for social and economic justice.
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A community-centered foundation that works to transform Alabama’s Black Belt by channeling resources into local nonprofits, arts programs, and advocacy efforts to improve the quality of life for residents.
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A historic catalyst for social change that serves as a training center for grassroots organizing, popular education, and movement building, famously supporting the Civil Rights Movement and labor rights.
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A social justice organization rooted in the legacy of the Black Radical Tradition, focused on creating local and regional “Movement Assemblies” to build political power and eliminate poverty, racism, and genocide.
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A home for LGBTQ+ liberation in the South, SONG focuses on intersectional community organizing to build a political home for queer and trans people of color, immigrants, and working-class Southerners.
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A public foundation led by community organizers that provides grants and technical assistance to rural, grassroots organizations in the South working toward long-term social change and economic justice.
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A justice-oriented intermediary that provides infrastructure, grassroots organizing support, and leadership development for frontline organizations fighting for social, economic, and environmental justice across the South.
IV. More Metro Atlanta and Southern Movement Organizations
The organizations below are listed by primary focus area. Justice is intersectional, and many of these groups engage in critical work that spans multiple categories. This list is intended as a starting point to highlight the breadth of movement work happening across Atlanta and the Southeast.
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A community-led initiative that organizes People’s Movement Assemblies to build community governance, define public safety, and resist corporate exploitation.
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A specialized fund providing direct mutual aid and legal support for activists arrested in social justice movements, currently focusing on those involved in the “Stop Cop City” campaign.
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A Black trans-led collaborative that builds the power of Black trans people and gender non-conforming folks to end the crisis of mass incarceration.
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Grassroots organization of formerly incarcerated women of color that works to end mass incarceration and oppressive policies through advocacy, organizing, and reentry support.
Abolition and Decarceration
Arts, Culture, and Movement History
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A collective of artists and organizers using cultural resistance and art to support movements for liberation, collective care, and international solidarity.
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A specialized branch of the Fulton County Library System that preserves and promotes archival resources and activities related to the history of peoples of African descent.
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An annual multi-disciplinary festival that celebrates the indigenous cultures, art, and resistance of First Nations peoples.
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A community initiative honoring the legacy of Palestinian poet Refaat Alareer by providing access to literature through mobile book distributions.
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An Atlanta-based queer and trans artist-run organization that centers Black and Brown queer art and community building in the South.
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A hyperlocal news publication dedicated to centering the stories, perspectives, and information needs of immigrant and refugee communities in Metro Atlanta.
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A national coalition of organizations and individuals working to abolish immigration detention in the United States through advocacy and movement building.
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A modern-day freedom school in Georgia that provides tuition-free college-level classes and leadership training to undocumented students banned from public higher education.
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A community-based organization that educates and organizes the Latino community in Georgia to defend and advance their human and civil rights.
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A community-led nonprofit that empowers immigrant residents along the Buford Highway corridor through advocacy, education, and leadership development.
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A nonprofit that provides hospitality and support to the family and friends of immigrants detained at the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia.
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A regional network transforming the Southeast into a place that respects human rights by lifting up immigrant leadership through collective action, political education, and solidarity building.
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A nonprofit preserving Atlanta's Buford Highway multicultural identity by supporting immigrant small businesses and offering community programs like food aid and youth orchestral music training.
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A regional organization working at the intersection of disability and social justice to improve the lives of disabled people across the American South.
Disability Justice
Immigrant, Refugee, and Migrant Justice
Racial, Economic, and Social Justice
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A legal advocacy nonprofit protecting the civil rights of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in Georgia.
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A grassroots organization focused on mutual aid and fighting racial injustice through community support programs and direct action in Atlanta.
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A human rights project that seeks to revive the historic anti-war and anti-imperialist positions of the radical Black movement.
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An organization that works with Black people to transform communities and build Black political power at the local, state, and federal levels.
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A community organization focused on transformative justice and mutual aid, providing resources and education to marginalized communities in Atlanta.
Reproductive Justice and Bodily Autonomy
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A reproductive justice organization providing financial and logistical support to ensure Southerners can access safe and compassionate abortion services and reproductive care.
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A health center and advocacy group dedicated to providing inclusive reproductive healthcare and advancing bodily autonomy for all people.
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A national multi-ethnic reproductive justice collective that strengthens the voices of Indigenous women and women of color to ensure reproductive lives are free from oppression.
V. Key References and Further Learning
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A comprehensive people’s history of Decatur, Georgia, created by the Beacon Hill Black Alliance for Human Rights. It aims to counter settler narratives by centering the experiences of Indigenous people and African Americans.
https://beaconhillblackalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Decatur-Peoples-History-3.pdf
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Emory University’s acknowledgement of its location on Mvskoke land. It details the university's establishment following the coerced First Treaty of Indian Springs (1821) and the subsequent forced removal, which enabled the enslavement of Africans for the expansion of the Southeastern plantation economy.
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An article by historian David S. Rotenstein on the history of racism and gentrification in Decatur, GA, and the maintenance of its public image as a “liberal island of blue in a conservative red sea”.
https://www.historynewsnetwork.org/article/i-had-to-move-after-exposing-the-seamy-history-of-
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A collection of guides and articles that provides best practices for moving beyond land acknowledgments toward meaningful action and Indigenous sovereignty.
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An interactive global map and educational tool designed to help users identify the indigenous territories, languages, and treaties of their specific location.
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A report by the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy examining the origin of philanthropy’s wealth in the exploitation of Black people and outlining a five part plan for actions funders can take to engage in a full process of repair, healing, and restoration.
https://ncrp.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/NCRP-reckoning-launch.pdf
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A report from the Philanthropic Initiative for Racial Equity detailing the ways philanthropy has retreated from funding racial justice and communities of color.
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A chapter by Leila K. Blackbird exploring the impact of the American Revolution on various Indigenous nations and the expansion of the American empire.