Is it just me, or have things been particularly rough recently? I got back from a winter vacation a couple weeks ago to news of attacks on Gaza, Oscar Grant being shot in an Oakland BART station, and a well-known activist from my hometown admitting to being an FBI informant. The economic crisis (and its devastating effect on communities) is ongoing, neoliberal fundamentalism is as out of control as ever, organizers are still being targeted, state-sponsored murder of people of color is happening everywhere.
Meanwhile, Obama was inaugurated yesterday, but that’s not what’s giving me hope. I’ve been thinking about the tirelessness of the organizers in my life, many of whom worked hard get Obama into office, and who are still organizing – in solidarity with Gaza, to stop police violence, against privatization, gentrification, war, homelessness – mostly organizers who are affected by these things so much more directly than I am, and are inspiring me endlessly with joy, art, camp, attitude, and resilience in the face of ongoing crises.
I thought Enough readers might appreciate this wonderful statement by the Audre Lorde Project: A Different Kind of Morning in America – so helpful in thinking about the interconnectedness of these crises and how to approach them in our work.