Our Mission and Vision:

Rural Liberation exists to build power in the places long overlooked and underestimated. We fight for a future where rural communities, especially those most marginalized, can thrive with dignity, self-determination, and access to the resources they need. Through organizing, mutual aid, and policy change from the ground up, we are reclaiming our land, our health, our homes, and our voices. We believe liberation is rooted in community, and together, we will transform the systems that were never built for us.

We envision a rural America where every community has the knowledge, resources, and power to thrive, not just survive. A future where schools are fully funded, hospitals stay open, workers are protected, our land and water are sacred, and every person’s rights are upheld. We believe liberation is not a dream but a collective journey and rural communities are leading the way. Because when rural people rise, we all rise.

Our Strategic Framework:

Rural Liberation believes that the federal government can no longer be relied upon to advocate for the well-being of rural communities and state governments have largely been captured by partisan politics. That’s why we are taking a fundamentally different approach to creating change: by organizing at the local level, where people still have the power to shape their daily lives.

We focus on building power through town and city councils, school boards, county governments, electric co-ops, and other local elected bodies because this is where we can create equitable and just systems that directly serve rural communities. As federal agencies that once supported rural life, like those overseeing public lands, healthcare, and education, are gutted, our communities must be prepared not only to survive, but to thrive.

At the same time, we recognize that material conditions are just as vital as political conditions. People can’t organize for long-term change if they’re struggling just to get by. That’s why Rural Liberation is deeply committed to mutual aid as a core part of our strategy: coordinating resources, care, and support systems that do not rely on government institutions or exploitative markets. As the economy becomes increasingly unsustainable for working people, we must rebuild our dependency on one another, not on systems that were never built for us.

Through the twin strategies of civic engagement and mutual aid, we aim to liberate rural communities from the extractive forces that have taken so much from us and build something radically better in its place.

Our Pillars of Action:

1. Power Through Education

Equip communities with civic education, policy tools, and organizing skills to lead local change. Ensure that rural communities have access to education.

2. Defend and Expand Rural Healthcare

Protect rural hospitals, support community-based health initiatives, and push back against privatization.

3. Environmental Justice for Rural Lands

Reclaim land stewardship, defend water and air, and stop extractive industries from exploiting rural spaces.

4. Labor Rights and Economic Dignity

Organize workers, expose exploitation, and fight for livable wages and local economic development.

5. Human Rights and Belonging

Uplift and defend the rights of those most marginalized—immigrants, LGBTQIA+ people, disabled residents, and working-class families.