WHO NEEDS A PEP TALK?
It’s hard to find the energy to write these days; in the face of all that is breaking. Our systems, our people, our earth, our rights, are being dismantled, degraded, burned. In times like these, it’s common to hear phrases like “throughout history…” and “change is a pendulum…” and “it isn’t all bad....” Traditionally, these are phrases coopted by white people who still remain—somewhat—safe in their whiteness.
But those who uphold the belief that “balance” can still be found in The Status Quo are not living in reality. The Status Quo—an ideology that brings White people so much comfort— is not a reality that is even inherently unbiased, because the “center,” itself, was never established to uphold the humanity of nonwhite, non-Christian, non-straight, non-male persons.
But: through we have been living as if our axis is somehow the “center,” to meet the day with defeatism serves absolutely nobody.
When faced with the dark and stark realities of all that is coming to pass, we can throw our hands up in defeat, or we can press forward. Certainly, it is easier to choose apathy, much as it’s easier to choose conservatism and cynicism in the face of such turmoil. Take your pick of mottos: “We cannot help them. We should not help them. We must focus on ourselves. The system will break if we overextend. The small man cannot withstand the big corporation.” It is easier to be defeatist in the face of such unknown, because to claim Failure is easier than claiming some Immeasurable Change.
Somehow, cynicism has traditionally been seen as the most intellectual option. But cynicism does not protect anyone, nor does it create anything. Cynicism stifles, while hope grows. Often the hopeful among us are labelled naïve and unrealistic. But if reality is made, then certainly our narrative about reality matters. Cynicism closes doors, it does not open them. It dismisses, it does not invite. Using cynicism as a world view and calling it being careful is dishonest. Hope, structured, organized Hope is being care-full.
Hope is a flimsy thing if unstructured; misguided in application, misplaced, and easily coopted by the movements causing the destruction in the first place. But Hope—when organized, actionable—is an invincible force of growth and change. There are those who are experts in their field who are very much participating in structured and coordinated ways to enact change en masse. Power, however we are taught otherwise, is never top-down, it is always bottom-up. Through walkouts, sit-ins, autonomous councils, protests, direct action, grassroots movements consistently enact policy change. And, the ripples extend far beyond any original movement. Want something concrete? There’s a list of movements at the bottom of this newsletter, there for your perusing. (Yes, it’s ChatGPT generated, but I made sure to wish it a “good morning” and use as many “pleases” and “thank yous” as possible to cost OpenAI money).
We seek control. We love the safety of predictability. But Change is never linear. The future is an unknown space, being created right now by what we say and do, and is never concrete defeat. Hope can never be defeated. We cannot hold ripples in our hands, though they are there.
Until next week.
Love, light, and solidarity,
Steph xx
🔴 Civil Rights & Racial Justice
· U.S. Civil Rights Movement (1950s–1960s)
o Civil Rights Act, Voting Rights Act
· Chicano Movement (1960s–1970s, U.S.)
o Bilingual education policies, farmworker protections
· American Indian Movement (AIM) (1968–present, U.S.)
o Tribal sovereignty policies, Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (1975)
· Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo (1977–present, Argentina)
o Forced government acknowledgment of forced disappearances
· Idle No More (2012–present, Canada)
o Environmental and Indigenous consultation policy shifts
· Black Lives Matter (2013–present, global)
o Police reform bills, school police defunding, federal investigations
· Dalit Rights Movements (India, ongoing)
o Anti-discrimination policies in education and employment
🟢 Environmental & Land Rights
· Chipko Movement (1973, India)
o Forest conservation acts
· Greenbelt Movement (Kenya, 1977–present)
o Reforestation laws and women’s land rights protections
· Narmada Bachao Andolan (India, 1980s–present)
o Displacement regulation and environmental impact laws
· Standing Rock Sioux Water Protectors (2016, U.S.)
o Delayed/revised pipeline projects; strengthened tribal consultation
· Extinction Rebellion (UK & global, 2018–present)
o Climate emergency declarations
· Pacific Climate Warriors (2014–present, Pacific Islands)
o Recognition of climate displacement in global climate treaties
🔸 Gender & LGBTQ+ Rights
· Second-Wave Feminist Movement (1960s–1980s, global)
o Equal pay, reproductive rights, gender violence legislation
· #MeToo Movement (2017–present, global)
o Sexual harassment laws, workplace accountability
· Ni Una Menos (Argentina, 2015–present)
o Anti-femicide laws; abortion legalization (2020)
· Lavender Menace (1970s, U.S.)
o Inclusion of lesbian rights in feminist movements
· ACT UP (1987–present, U.S.)
o Reformed FDA drug approval, HIV/AIDS public health policy
· Sex Workers’ Rights Movement (various countries, ongoing)
o Decriminalization (e.g., New Zealand, 2003), worker protections
🔵 Labor, Economic, & Housing Justice
· Delano Grape Strike / United Farm Workers (1965–1970, U.S.)
o Union contracts, pesticide regulation, labor reform
· Fight for $15 (U.S., 2012–present)
o Minimum wage increases in several states and cities
· Mothers of East Los Angeles (1980s–present, U.S.)
o Blocked toxic waste/incinerator and prison construction
· Anti-Eviction Mapping Project (San Francisco, 2013–present)
o Tenant protections, rent control expansions
· Zapatista Movement (EZLN, Chiapas, Mexico, 1994–present)
o Indigenous land and education rights policies
🟡 Peace, Anti-War, & Democracy Movements
· People Power Revolution (Philippines, 1986)
o Nonviolent ousting of Ferdinand Marcos
· Saffron Revolution (Myanmar, 2007)
o Led to constitutional reforms (later rolled back)
· Arab Spring (Tunisia, Egypt, etc., 2010–2012)
o Policy changes, democratic reforms (varied outcomes)
· Fridays for Future (2018–present, global)
o Climate emergency declarations, emissions targets
· Pro-Democracy Protests in Hong Kong (2014–2019)
o Extradition law blocked; inspired international legislation