Unrest is not the enemy. Fascism is.
And radical care will get us free
Maya Angelou says that “when someone shows you who they are, believe them”. And this administration is showing us who it is.
What do you call the deployment of paramilitary forces to American cities? What do you call the blatant disregard of a Supreme Court decision to uphold DACA? What do you call an administration that ignores a court ruling to release children from detention centers?
You call it fascism. And to get free, we need unrest and resistance.
Not just resistance in the streets, but resistance as radical care. It looks like defending black lives from law enforcement, protecting our neighbors against forced evictions, providing sanctuary from ICE agents, building mutual care networks that disrupt harm and heal survivors.
Resistance isn’t just opposition, it is imagination. It is refusing to settle for the status quo and embodying the dream that we all deserve. And it is not one note - it is protesting, cooking, organizing, making art and it is voting.
We have our work cut out for us, but we are powerful and unwavering. And we are rising.
Kerri (she/her)
We are told that if Trump wins, it will be the fault of Black protesters, and others acting against the anti-Black violence of the state, rather than the violence of white supremacy itself. Unrest is not the enemy. Fascism is. [click to tweet]
You cannot really understand white supremacy and COVID without knowing it as misogynist. Why we need to dismantle patriarchy, capitalism and white supremacy if we want to all get free. [click to tweet]
Who gets to be “Naked Athena”? Must read piece on weirdness, whiteness and federal agents in Portland. [click to tweet]
American policing was never meant to keep black people safe. It was designed to uphold white supremacy by surveilling, capturing, assaulting and killing black people. [click to tweet]
“The practice of love is the most powerful antidote to the politics of domination”. bell hooks on a working towards a worldwide culture of love. [click to tweet]
We are less than 100 days away from the election. And everything is at stake. Here’s how you can get vote-ready:
REGISTER TO VOTE: The best time to register to vote is TODAY. Then, make sure your friends are registered. Voting is collective care - it’s about making sure all of our voices are heard.
VOTE BY MAIL: Most states (not all) have allowed for vote-by-mail or absentee ballot to accommodate COVID conditions. Check with your state to request a mail in ballot.
BECOME A POLL WORKER: Every election, poll workers ensure votes can be counted. When there aren’t enough poll workers, voting locations close and lines stretch for hours. Volunteer to be a poll worker!
PRACTICE TO THE POLLS: Pledge to #votewell over the next 100 days to help get our community informed, vote-ready and turned out.
Politics is not a bad word. It is simply a system of how we take care of one another and the whole of society. And it is an everyday “practice” that looks like:
* Getting educated about the issues that matter.
* Having courageous conversations with our peers about racial justice and inequality.
* Knowing who and what is on your ballot.
* Advocating for the candidates that reflect your values.
* Fighting voter suppression to ensure that every voice is heard.
* Voting our values, but not stopping there. Voting is not an individual act, it is a collective one that demands that we actively turnout and protect the collective vote.
The practice of citizenship is how we uphold the freedom and dignity of everyone and achieve collective wellbeing for all. It’s loving and fighting for all of us, not just some of us. Only then, might we achieve the oneness we are so desperately seeking. Join us for a practice of voting well and taking care of the whole of who we are. #VOTEWELL
We cannot build the future we all deserve without imagination. This week, draw, paint, sing, write, dance and dream that world into being.
Art @bykellymalka
WELLREAD is community powered and crowd-sourced. That’s how we keep it real. Join us on Patreon for as little as $2/month so that we can keep creating content that matters for CTZNs who care.