i don’t have so many coherent thoughts this week, coming off a very inspiring national gathering of Resource Generation organizers. some takeaways….curiosities:
WE HAVE BEEN TAUGHT WAR CULTURE. the struggle is in us, we’ve been taught emperor mind—the ground is our own minds, relationships, behaviors. may we not do shit to ourselves and each other on the fascist leaders’ behalf. we are being asked to learn how to actually be human together. 1
the militarism is vicious. we are somehow always at war, rarely even “winning” those wars, and white supremacy culture teaches us to fear and avoid conflict.2
can we move through conflict with curiosity, grace, with care? what’s beyond a cycle of reactivity?
the arc and the movement we are part of is longer than an election, than four years, than our own lifetimes. who’s shoulders do we stand on?3
many years ago, a mentor told me that white Americans are weaponized without our consent.4 wealthy people, people who occupy many kinds of privilege are. may we decide to be human, unwieldy, caring, gracious, rather than weapons.
to be continued. I LOVE YOU.
DaMareo Cooper — Executive Director of Popular Democracy ↩
Nick Tilsen ↩
Michael Strom
photos: upper left — lil mural in Clinton Hill, upper right — bumper sticker in Nashville, TN, bottom left "the role of the artist is to load the gun” orange trees shift the air of entire streets/like art, bottom right — introduction of Joyful Militancy ↩