The long walk towards liberation: conflict, community and belonging with Susan Raffo

In this deep and wide-ranging conversation, I speak with Susan Raffo, writer, community organizer . She invites us to reimagine conflict as a natural part of being in relationship rather than something to be feared or eliminated. Raffo argues that difference, tension, and change are essential features of life, but that systems of oppression, historical wounds, and our growing discomfort with uncertainty often prevent us from engaging conflict in healthy ways. We explore what kinds of cultural “protocols” or practices might help communities hold tension without escalating into harm, and how reconnecting with land, ancestry, and interdependence can offer alternative ways of relating.Drawing on her walk across the United States, Raffo reflects on conversations with strangers that revealed common fears, longings, and desires for connection beneath political divides. She shares how the journey deepened her sense of belonging, not only to other people, but to the land itself, and reinforced her belief that community resilience depends on remembering our interconnectedness. The conversation ultimately offers a hopeful meditation on conflict, curiosity, and what it means to live together with dignity, difference, and care.