On "No Kings" and Actually Doing Something

So there was a big ol' national "No Kings" rally this past weekend. And you know what? Some respect for people who showed up, marched, made signs, and wanted to be in solidarity with like-minded people who aren't ok with *gestures wildly* EVERYTHING happening in the United States right now. You wanted to stand up and be counted among those who are against authoritarianism, hate, and oppression. Cool. But real talk? I always find myself asking people who attend these mass protests the same questions.

What organizations had a hand in organizing your local protest? Did you get information from those orgs for how you can volunteer time, money, supplies, or other resources to their causes?

How many resource guides and informational pamphlets, booklets, or flyers did you get at the rally? Have you scanned those documents in and shared them with others?

Did you leave the "No Kings" rally with some idea of how you'd like to focus your time and energy for the next few months or year? Did you leave with a clear idea of something you can dive into right now, something tangible, that you can take action with today?

Now, when I ask questions like this, of course certain people *cough* people of pallor *cough* get agitated. Evidently, I'm a hater or "not down for the cause" when I ask people what their plans are post-flashy social media-worthy rally experience. But guess what? That's the actual purpose of a protest rally, dude.

Seriously.

The purpose of a protest rally is to gather in solidarity while learning about tangible ways you can actively engage in social activism and do your part in addressing human rights issues in your community.

You know, volunteering your time and energy and putting your skills to use on particular issues in your community.

You know, ACTUAL community organizing and engagement.

You know, not just spending 10 hours on a sign that'll sit in your closet gathering dust until the next "No Kings" rally where you'll rinse and repeat with no tangible actions taken on your part to be actively engaged in pursuing change.

But OK, I guess I'm a hater for expecting substance over style.

C'est la vie.

This Week's Opening Thought: September 18, 2023

Image description: A one-panel comic strip. An older person wearing glasses and a suit and tie stands at a podium in front of the silhouette of an audience. A person in the audience says, "I want my kids taught about the past exactly as it happened in a way that also mythologizes this country's achievements in particular while portraying bad actions as aberrations in order to instill a sense of civic pride but is not in any way opinionated." At the bottom of the image is the sentence, "My nightmare: having to write public school history curricula."

This week's opening thought: THIS. This is why I decided to go on an indefinite sabbatical from doing anti-racism and equity work with organizations.

There is no positive spin for original sins.

There is no way to learn about or have difficult conversations about U.S. history, colonization, the abuse and enslavement of Black and Indigenous peoples, and the near genocide of Native and Indigenous communities and make people of pallor "feel safe" or willingly allow people of the white persuasion (genetically or aspirationally) to run with the "not my ancestors" narrative unchecked.

Don't waste my time. Don't waste the time of facilitators, educators, and other people you expect to teach you or our youth if all you want is to feel you and your ancestors are on the "right side of history."

Those who want to rewrite history tend to have no issue repeating it and partaking in its bitter fruit.

Just admit you prefer the fruit you know and aren't interested in you or your kids planting new trees and digging up the old ones.

[Image description: A one-panel comic strip. An older person wearing glasses and a suit and tie stands at a podium in front of the silhouette of an audience. A person in the audience says, "I want my kids taught about the past exactly as it happened in a way that also mythologizes this country's achievements in particular while portraying bad actions as aberrations in order to instill a sense of civic pride but is not in any way opinionated." At the bottom of the image is the sentence, "My nightmare: having to write public school history curricula."]

Monday's Opening Thought: June 7, 2021

This week’s opening thought: If you are white and you’re against Critical Race Theory being taught in schools but have never actually read any credible CRT essays and the only things you “know” about CRT you read on a Twitter or Facebook thread or heard from a conservative politician or talking head? Congratulations!

You are your white ancestors’/colonizers’ wildest white supremacist dream.

Embrace who you are the way your ancestors openly embraced their hate and views around melanated people existing. Don’t be shy! You might as well go all in and embody the beliefs and support the oppressive states and laws that CRT was created to analyze and educate people on.

And if you’re Black or a person of color and you’re against Critical Race Theory being taught in schools but have never actually read any credible CRT essays and the only things you “know” about CRT you read on a Twitter or Facebook thread or heard from a conservative politician or talking head?

You’re choosing lies and talking points over educating yourself against being some white ancestor’s/colonizer’s dream. That’s a dangerous soapbox to stand on. And it’s a perilous hill to die on.

Monday's Opening Thought: October 19, 2020

This week’s opening thought: Not being willing to learn about and understand intersectionality makes you a contributor to problems, not solutions.