Safe Space Is a Buzzword: What Real Community Actually Looks Like

Becky Mollenkamp and Taina Brown break down what actually makes a group of people a community — not just a paid membership or "safe space" buzzword. On this episode of Messy Liberation, they unpack why comfort and safety get conflated (especially by white women), why "we don't talk politics here" silences the most marginalized voices in a space, and what harm repair and restorative justice look like when done right. Plus: the stories of the best communities they've ever been part of, from a virtual event where a host let Resmaa Menakem rest mid-talk, to a nonprofit that gave staff the day off after a police shooting, to the friends who took Taina in when she was homeless.

Timestamps:

0:00 – Intro & follow-up from last episode

0:34 – Why "community" became a business buzzword

1:14 – Defining community: shared vision & culture-making

4:46 – Trust, "ride or dies," and the buzzword of "safe spaces"

7:07 – Feeling held vs. feeling safe

9:00 – Why community isn't about being safe for everyone

9:57 – Privilege, comfort, and what "safe" really means

11:23 – True crime, privilege, and the illusion of safety

12:06 – White women's tears: confusing comfort with safety

14:02 – "We don't talk politics here" and who gets silenced