Tonight, on the eve of the inauguration, I can feel our communities holding their breath, waiting for the metaphorical axe to fall on things and people we hold dearly. Racial and social justice organizations have done countless scenario planning exercises to formulate plans for various disastrous outcomes.
And yet, none of us feels prepared for what’s to come, it would seem.
What we do know is that attacks on the wins and progress of racial justice organizers, leaders, and advocates have escalated over the last few years. We know that there are concrete, detailed plans to dismantle hard won civil rights, and harm vulnerable communities - immigrants, trans people, black and brown folks, and so on.
In the face of these looming attacks, in the form of Executive Orders, ICE raids, and dismantling of life-giving/extending laws, it is so easy to fall into a black hole of doom and gloom. It is so very easy to feel hopeless.
And yet, it is exactly in this moment when the light flickers and the cold air causes us to shake, that we must hold each other closer, tighter. It is in this moment between light and dark that we must renew our commitment to justice. For us in my line of work, it is in this exact moment that we must double down on racial justice.
And so we must renew our commitments to the work. Below is a list of what I consider as new year’s resolutions for myself as a racial justice facilitator and advocate. If they resonate with you, you may borrow them, add to them, and share them. Most of all, remember: The fight is not over yet.
New Year’s Resolution to Double Down on Racial Justice:
Be Race Explicit - It is by design and intention that many of the efforts to dismantle racial equity policies and initiatives in this country begin with the suppression of explicit conversations about race. If we are not naming race, then we won’t address it. Through punitive policies (attacks on critical race theory in schools, for example), organizations are forced to default back to being race silent. This forced silence shows up in organizational lack of effort to disaggregate data, explicitly name systemic racism as the root cause of disproportionate outcomes, or name the impacted black and brown communities by the problems we are trying to address. We must double down on racial justice by naming race, racism, and racial justice when and where we have opportunity, power, and space to do so. We must lead with race explicitly (but not exclusively). We must reveal systemic racism at the roots of many inequities faced by communities of color in this country in service of identifying and crafting relevant, effective, and long lasting solutions.
Address systemic and institutional roots - With politicians like Trump and his ilk, it is so easy to get distracted by our feelings of anger and indignation. In our heads, we start thinking “how do I make sure this person does not get elected again”? While it’s important to address individual and interpersonal harms, especially the ones in our televisions and phones, we must not lose focus on systems and institutions that uphold racism and oppression long-term. We must drive our efforts to change policies, practices, culture, and narratives that negatively impact outcomes and material conditions for people of color. We must be vigilant in protecting and preserving institutions and systems that uphold equity, justice, and human dignity.
Build solidarity and community - Last year, weeks after the election, progressive media released articles and videos offering analyses of why Harris lost the election that essentially boiled down to scapegoating black and brown communities (ignoring systemic issues of access or that white voters continue to overwhelmingly vote republican). These narratives divide the progressive left and communities of color. This year, we must work on building and repairing bridges between our communities. And yet, solidarity is more than a buzzword for unity. Genuine solidarity requires us to do the hard work of reflection, learning, trust-building, conflict transformation, and deep listening. In my experience in solidarity-building spaces, especially within multiracial spaces, solidarity requires a systemic analysis that allows us to see beyond the hurt that individuals feel. A systemic analysis allows us to see the larger web of institutions that shape our day to day outcomes, interactions, and material condition. A systems analysis also requires intersectionality so that we can see the connections and overlap between harmful systems of oppressions. An intersectional analysis reveals to us the deep connections between patriarchy, capitalism, systemic racism. With an intersectional, systemic analysis, we realize that solidarity that bridges communities from across sectors, racial lines, and issue areas, is not just something that’s good to have. Within this analysis, genuine solidarity built on share values and vision for racial justice is integral and critical to systems change work.
Lead with empathy - In the work of solidarity building to address systemic racism, we must lead with empathy. We must step outside of ourselves and the walls we built around us (admittedly, walls that have allowed us to survive thus far). If we want to build solidarity and a shared vision for racial justice within our movement, we must listen with our hearts and minds, especially to those experiencing the traumatic consequences of harmful systems and institutions. We need to be able to dismantle our egos and pride and be open to learning. Solidarity work that’s rooted in empathy is hard because it requires us to invest and let go of parts of ourselves that we’ve built for years, brick by brick, piece by piece. But we must not be afraid, in letting go of parts of ourselves, we become more connected to others, and in this connectedness, we become more human, more alive, more ourselves.
Center Joy - Finally, may our commitment to racial justice also be a commitment to joy. This work is hard, tiring, and sometimes overwhelming. Yet, it is also joyful. How can work that bring about solidarity, solutions, inspiration and hope not lead us to joy? In racial justice spaces we say that our goal is to thrive and not just survive. Is that not just another way of saying we want lives filled with joy? In racial justice work, joy is the strategy, path, and the goal.
A joyful new year to one and all.