Who Are We?
Address the Source
Address the Source is a support, education, and activism group. We believe that humanity struggles with several challenges including addiction, trauma, crime, poverty, houselessness, and more. While many organizations target each of these challenges as discrete issues, they are all connected as spokes on the shared wheel of human misery. We do not wish to address the symptoms; we must Address the Source.
Mission Statement
“Unearth, Cultivate, Advocate, Flourish.”
Unearth
We must understand how society conditions us to participate in, be complicit with, and coerce our silence in perpetuating systems of violence and oppression.
Cultivate
We must educate ourselves on our shared history; the history, values, and plights of marginalized groups; how systems of oppression operate; how to think critically; and how to research, acquire, and apply reliable sources of information.
Advocate
Systems of oppression must convince us that nothing will change and that we have no ability to make change. These systems only exist with our consent (either explicit or tacit). They thrive in our ignorance and unwillingness to directly confront them and the harm they cause. Our values only matter if we are willing to risk what we have to champion them. In risking our comfort and stability, we ensure a brighter and safer future for everyone. We must be willing to be advocates and accomplices to the best of our ability. Like the scales of justice: if we do less, others must do much more, especially members of marginalized groups.
Flourish
When doing the work, we also need to take time to help ourselves cope with living in an unjust and harmful society. We make time to validate and support members who are marginalized and negatively impacted by systems of oppression.