I used to feel guilty for having zero desire to go outside. That was many years ago. Fear wasn’t the issue, it was impact. I wanted to know that what I was doing was impactful. And so my form of resistance is to untangle my [financial] relationship with the pillars of patriarchy. Last time I checked, Target is still feeling the pain from our collective withdrawal. The more we learn, the more we will see how our daily actions can shift and make meaningful change. It’s a long game strategy. Thanks for reminding us to be true to ourselves.
We know things shift when we swing the economic impact. It just takes a lil solidarity. I've done plenty of protests; these days my strongest contribution is being that Unc who understands history and can break shit down to molecules for the uninitiated.
Thank you Jackie. We are family caregivers so there are risks we can’t take. But honestly neither of us are wired to fight the good fight marching. Yet there are things we are doing and more things we can do.
I just found your stack today and already my soul feels better. Thank you for being the light I needed to see.
Love this line especially: "Empire wants you frozen between “I should be doing more” and “I’m too scared / tired / broke.” Black history says there is always a job with your name on it. The system recognizes only two categories: people who maintain the status quo, and those who move the needle." I also think when we find the role that's best suited to us, we will better sustain ourselves for the long haul. Thank you for your wisdom and sharing.
My granparents escaped other countries, my parents fought in WW2 and unionized+protested+joined committees, as a GenXer I did die-ins in my 20s, unionized a theater venue in my 30s, now in my 50s I tell my 2 adult offspring stories every week that blow their minds. I work nights+weekends: many protests I can't attend. I donate what I can, I call my reps weekly, I share movement history with younger coworkers, I cut people slack and don't write people off as part of longterm relationships. I have "opening" topic chats w/ strangers as an extrovert as much as I can, suggest "simpler" points of entry to joining in/helping.Every mvmt I've read about or been part of took 7to10yrs for change (minimum). Don't delude yourself: it's a lifetime commitment. Anticipating a few shifts in role over time and aging = sustainable change+more good ideas.
I used to feel guilty for having zero desire to go outside. That was many years ago. Fear wasn’t the issue, it was impact. I wanted to know that what I was doing was impactful. And so my form of resistance is to untangle my [financial] relationship with the pillars of patriarchy. Last time I checked, Target is still feeling the pain from our collective withdrawal. The more we learn, the more we will see how our daily actions can shift and make meaningful change. It’s a long game strategy. Thanks for reminding us to be true to ourselves.
We know things shift when we swing the economic impact. It just takes a lil solidarity. I've done plenty of protests; these days my strongest contribution is being that Unc who understands history and can break shit down to molecules for the uninitiated.
Thank you. I needed to hear this.
My best friend has lupus. I don't want her in the streets. That doesn't devalue her contributions. We can all do SOMETHING.
Thank you Jackie. We are family caregivers so there are risks we can’t take. But honestly neither of us are wired to fight the good fight marching. Yet there are things we are doing and more things we can do.
I just found your stack today and already my soul feels better. Thank you for being the light I needed to see.
There are so many ways to fight the good fight that don't involve risking your health. Find you lane, stay safe, we need you alive.
Will do. Thank you .
Thank you, I needed to hear this from the "Unc who understands history. . ."
Deep gratitude and Love
Seeing the crowds can and should inspire us each to do what we can in our own way.
Thank you for this powerful piece. I've been writing about this, and I was so glad to find yours. Going to be resharing on my Substack :)
Thanks for helping to keep hope alive and for the reminder that there "big" jobs or "small" jobs, just things that need to be done. We keep going!
If all we can do is support those who do things we can't, that's enough.
Hopefully it will be enough to turn the tide!
My friend Neelu wrote another piece that resonates and amplifies what you shared. Hope it's okay to share the link here.
Bottom line, "Silence perpetuates sin."
https://open.substack.com/pub/neelukaur/p/silence-is-a-privilege?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=gt5dm
As one bed-/couch-/housebound by severe ME/CFS, I needed this. Thank you. And thank the universe for putting Jackie Summers in my path today. 💙
Love this line especially: "Empire wants you frozen between “I should be doing more” and “I’m too scared / tired / broke.” Black history says there is always a job with your name on it. The system recognizes only two categories: people who maintain the status quo, and those who move the needle." I also think when we find the role that's best suited to us, we will better sustain ourselves for the long haul. Thank you for your wisdom and sharing.
My granparents escaped other countries, my parents fought in WW2 and unionized+protested+joined committees, as a GenXer I did die-ins in my 20s, unionized a theater venue in my 30s, now in my 50s I tell my 2 adult offspring stories every week that blow their minds. I work nights+weekends: many protests I can't attend. I donate what I can, I call my reps weekly, I share movement history with younger coworkers, I cut people slack and don't write people off as part of longterm relationships. I have "opening" topic chats w/ strangers as an extrovert as much as I can, suggest "simpler" points of entry to joining in/helping.Every mvmt I've read about or been part of took 7to10yrs for change (minimum). Don't delude yourself: it's a lifetime commitment. Anticipating a few shifts in role over time and aging = sustainable change+more good ideas.
Planting seeds is important