Inaugurating Ourselves

On choosing life and how we protect each other

Jan 21, 2025

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Hey everyone,

I’m briefly coming back online (on sabbatical in Bahia, BR) to checkin on this important day. The last few weeks have been a blur of fear, destruction, grief and resilience. I, myself, have run from multiple wildfires in LA and am heartbroken by the magnitude of devastation and loss for so many. The fires that are burning at home and around the world are symptoms of the same disease: a system that puts profit over people, greed over life. And it is that very system that is being sworn into office today.

The etymology of the world “inaugurate” comes from the latin world “augere” which means to increase, grow, develop. So instead of getting hooked on the circus of fear and chaos, let us inaugurate ourselves and each other into this next phase of resistance. Here are some invitations for attention and practice:

DON’T REACT. Respond. This administration thrives on chaos and confusion. But reacting to every sensational headline is a recipe for burnout and only serves to distract us from the work of collective care. Be discerning with what you give your attention to. Our response-ability is how we stay resilient for the long-haul.
STAY AWAKE. Don’t doom scroll. Consider your capacity for following the news and staying informed. Find creative and sustainable ways to get what you need to stay engaged. Instead of scrolling, curate trusted accounts to keep you informed and resourced along the way.
GO UNDERGROUND. No one is coming to save us. We must build care infrastructure outside the state to ensure people have what they need for safety and survival. This could include mutual aid, community pods, sanctuary spaces, healing circles and more.
PROTECT EACH OTHER: With so many communities facing injustice and violence, we are responding by coming together in solidarity, learning how to boldly intervene as effective allies, and reconnecting to each other, our neighbors, and the world. Check out this toolkit on practicing sanctuary.
RESOURCE & REGULATE. Tending to our nervous systems is how we will be able to meet each moment and show up for what’s needed. How do you resource yourself throughout the day? How can you build self and co-regulation into your daily routine?
REST. Rest is revolutionary. It’s how we regenerate so that we can keep fighting for the future that we all deserve. Listen to your body. Give yourself (and each other) permission to rest.

I love you. We got us. Onward. 💛🌈🌱

Kerri (she/her)

NTK (need to know)

“When the collective needs are met - and only when the collective’s needs are met - will our needs be met. And it never works the other way around.” Ijeoma Oluo on how we have always been connected.
As billionaires consolidate power, we need to recommit to MLK’s radical vision and “revolution of values”.
Trump and his allies don’t really care what kind of leftist you are, so long as you fall in line. A better show of our political identity is how we make changes in the world around us, not our slogans and mission statements.
The ultra-rich have long held immense influence in U.S. politics. But Trump’s inauguration shows oligarchy is stronger than ever. The staggering combined net worth cheering at Trump’s inauguration.
It is our turn to carry the world. A community safety ritual from adrienne maree brown.

PRACTICING SOLIDARITY

Over the next couple days (weeks), it is expected that the 47th administration will issue a bunch of egregious executive orders targeting undocumented people, LGBTQ+ folks, DEI, women and more. As Chase Strangio reminds us, these orders will not change the law but are “glorified press releases designed to create confusion and chaos”. While outrage is justified, it will only lead to distraction and burnout. Rather we can direct our energy towards collective care and protecting the most vulnerable. Here’s what you need to know about immigrants’ rights under the constitution (no matter who is president). Please share far and wide and protect each other!

You have a right to remain silent: you may refuse to speak to immigration officers. Don’t answer any questions. You may also say that you want to remain silent.
If an ICE agent comes to your door, do not open it. To be allowed to enter your home, ICE must have a warrant signed by a judge. Do not open your door unless an ICE agent shows you a warrant.
You have a right to speak to a lawyer. You can simply say” i need to speak to my attorney”.
Before you sign anything talk to a lawyer. ICE may try to get you to sign away your right to see a lawyer or a judge. Be sure you understand what a document actually says before signing it.
Carry any valid immigration documents you have. If you have a valid work permit or green card, be sure to have it with you. Do not carry papers from another country with you, such as a foriegn passport.
If you are a parent and are worried that ICE may arrest you, let the officer know you have children. If you are a parent/primary caregiver of a US citizen or permanent resident who is under 18, ICE may “show discretion”.
Carry a know your rights card with you. Show your KYR card if an immigration officer stops you. The card explains that you will remain silent and you wish to speak to an attorney. You can download here.

For more information/resources, check out @mijente @nilc @unitedwedream

Art by @paolamendoza

DIGGING DEEPER

The way we get through is each other. “It is in collectivities” that we find reservoirs of hope and optimism". Here are some people we are turning to for inspiration as we navigate the work ahead:

Dean Spade: Building mutual aid projects is a way to plug people in, build shared understandings of current conditions, offer meaningful support to vulnerable people, and prepare for the coming disasters.

Kelly Hayes: It will be easy to fall into a pattern of dunking & reacting in these times. Performing disapproval can be a consuming pastime & it is not enough. Refuse to abandon vulnerable people. Build a rebellious culture of care. If you need help, @prisonculture.bsky.social and I wrote a book to assist you.

Ijeomo Oluo: There are times when fear overwhelms me. There are times when I’m drowning in “what-if"s, where they turn, in my mind, into the “what will be”s. There are times when I’m sure that I will not survive the horrors of this world. In these times I have to remember what my therapist tells me: “You have already survived.”

adrienne maree brown: we are the adaptation no oppressor can imagine … we are building our stamina we dream of the real world we carry god, and see god, in each of our faces your holiness is not too heavy, not for me

Chase Strangio: The media keeps suggesting the resistance is dead, but that is because they don’t realize we are everywhere. Building. Shapeshifting. Laying the groundwork for a world beyond their wildest dreams.

Rev angel Kyodo williams: If we can be more radical, be more whole, be more true to ourselves, whatever it is that we do, we could not have spent out lives any better…and we give ourselves over to the endeavor of being more whole and more true.

Kai Cheng Thom: Above all, it is deeply important that we continue to build deep connections between trans liberation and the liberation of all peoples. An attack on trans people’s healthcare is an attack on the right of all people to access healthcare and control their own bodies. Discrimination against trans people in housing and the job market is an attack on the right of all people to have safe housing and meaningful, well-compensated work. Denying trans people the right to live in public is an attack on all of our right to live in freedom and safety. None of us are free until all of us are free.

Prentis Hemphill: To make it through we will have to find resource in each other. abundance through connection, to have empathy to offer. Notice the emptiness of things. Otherwise, we’ll all end up isolated in our pain. The ones that have happened and the ones to come.

WE-NESS

We got us.