In the last week, I’ve seen a lot of posts about people losing hope for this country and having no hope for our future. General, defeatist language. And I get it. Things that are already difficult to process are made more so by a global pandemic and everything it brings.
I know your heart. I know you act in ways that are kind and full of care for others. I know you are running low on hope. I need you to dig deep and find some more. People of color need you to dig deep. Everyone needs you to dig deep.
We’re incredulous because we don’t understand how someone simply doesn’t care about the wellbeing of others. We don’t understand valuing power over life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It simply does not compute. And it seems like there are more of them than there are of us. But that’s not true. It’s just that kindness doesn’t yell too often or get as much publicity. We shouldn’t have to work so hard for basic human decency, but we do.
And I need you to know something: The hegemonic people in power are banking on you giving up.
Exhaustion is a well-documented strategy of oppressive groups. They count on propagating their lies and hatred so frequently you give up. They count on you feeling so distressed and alone and hopeless that you stop fighting and let them win. Unfortunately, it works a lot of the time.
You know what else is well documented? The pushback. The refusal to remain complacent. The desire and will to stand up and fight back.
Staying informed and aware is painful. It hurts to witness and acknowledge the destruction and oppression of our siblings, especially when we believe in the principles of existing systems which have been corrupted into abusive power. But it is necessary work; you have to know what you’re fighting to know how to fight it.
When I started to become more civically engaged, I was overwhelmed with information and the need to confront my own ignorance and complicity as a privileged white woman. As I dug deeper I was met only with despair, at a loss for how to move forward. But then I kept going, and right on the other side of helplessness was hope. And I trust you’ll find it too. You will find allies and evidence of people fighting back. You will know you’re not the only one feeling this way. You will know this is a team effort, the most important group-project in which you’ll ever participate.
There will be days when it all feels like too much. You will need a break. Take it. Acknowledge the privilege you have in taking a break—not everyone can. Don’t wallow in it. Use it to restock your supplies, and then come back so someone else can take their break. But remember collectively, we never put the work of justice and equality down.
My work to be better informed and involved is just beginning. I still have so much to do in so many categories of my own life before I’d consider calling myself a good ally or accomplice. But that’s not what this post is about. This post isn’t even about specific
atrocities—no doubt you can list a few off the top of your head without my help. This is a call to hope. A reminder that there are small actions you can take to start helping. A reminder that there are people doing the difficult work looking for teammates. A reminder that simply holding on to hope is its own act of rebellion. And it is necessary.
Start with one activist group on social media. Follow their national and local branches, sign up for the emails, and respond to action alerts. Read books that help contextualize what you’re seeing. Speak up when you see something, online and in person. Find art that revives your spirit and lets you laugh.
The stark reality is there will always be people who are deluded by their own desire for power and actively choose to oppress and harm others. But hope is not lost while there is still one person with breath enough to say, “Not on my watch.”
ResourcesA few ideas to get you started...
Organizations I follow/support:
- Obama Foundation: With a focus on education and engagement the Obama Foundation is home to a number of initiatives. Easy to get informed and involved. I support them with a monthly donation.
- Planned Parenthood: Reproductive health and education for anyone who needs it. I follow their social media accounts to stay informed on legislation effecting access to reproductive health care.
- NAACP: Advocating and fighting for the rights of all people with an aim of eliminating race-based discrimination. I follow them on social media for information I probably wouldn't see from my circle of friends.
Campaigns I've joined:
- All On the Line: A grassroots campaign focused on restoring fairness to our democracy by fighting against gerrymandering and pushing for fair maps in the redistricting process.
Books I'm reading:
- One Person, No Vote by Carol Anderson
- A fairly quick read covering the history and current state of voter suppression. Hugely informative and impactful. (Did you know the 2016 Presidential election was the first in 50 years held without the protection of the Voting Rights Act?)
- Buy the book directly from the publisher
- NY Times Review - A good primer on what the book contains
- Give Us the Ballot by Ari Berman
- Another look at voting rights with a focus on the Voting Rights Act
- Buy the book With links to sources other than Amazon
- NY Times Review - Another good review/summary, although I haven't finished this book yet so I can't speak to the accuracy of the review.
- Late Night with Seth Meyers
- Seth Meyers does not mince words or hold back, and it is invigorating. I'm particularly finding comfort in his "A Closer Look" segments. Also check out "The Kind of Story We Need Right Now".
- National Theatre at Home
- Each week, the National Theatre puts up one of their shows on YouTube for free. The production design for every show has been stunning. So far, I've watched One Man, Two Guvnors; Jane Eyre; Treasure Island; Twelfth Night; and Frankenstein.
- Up next: Antony and Cleopatra and The Barbershop Chronicles
- Never Have I Ever on Netflix: A teen rom-com from Mindy Kaling. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll feel good. What more could you want?
- Oh Hello, the P'dcast: John Mulaney and Nick Kroll make me laugh out loud in this ridiculous dive into the death of Princess Diana.
- David Byrne: His lyrics somehow fit every situation. And the songs will make you dance.
And of course...
"That's right," said Luna encouragingly, as if they were back in the Room of Requirement and this was simply spell practice for the DA. "That's right, Harry...come on, think of something happy..."
"Something happy?" he said, his voice cracked.
"We're all still here," she whispered, "we're still fighting. Come on, now..."
There was a silver spark, then a wavering light, and then, with the greatest effort it had ever cost him, the stag burst from the end of Harry's wand.Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
I know. It's all wrong. By rights we shouldn't even be here. But we are. It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going. Because they were holding on to something.
What are we holding onto, Sam?
That there's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo...and it's worth fighting for.Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
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