RESIST always, Rest as needed

Plus, we're reading Octavia Butler next month!

I'm going to guess that, like me, many times over the past week you experienced feelings of anxiety, stress, sadness, and anger after the onslaught of executive orders and other menacing signs that 47 is exactly who we've known him to be.

So we are here in the exact moment of fascist reality long predicted. Be that as it may, here's one thing to remember: the part of their strategy is distraction and confusion. The cycle of outrage fomenting does not serve us. They want us distracted and confused with our eyes following an ever-erratic volley. Some of what 47 has promised will come to fruition and already has with cruel raids meant to strike terror into the hearts of some of the most vulnerable. There will be times we can take action, RESIST and support those affected.

We’ll have to learn how to distinguish those specific instances from chasing the play-by-play and reacting to every outrage and dog whistle that keeps us anxious and exhausted. We must make time to unplug from the often rage-bait-driven news cycle and stay informed with other ways relying on trusted sources like the ACLU and this page from the Council of Nonprofits that tracks developments on specific topics.

Protecting our energy is paramount. It is the way we can best care for ourselves and others. RESIST always, rest as needed. Both and. We can do this. We must.

This space, as initially envisioned almost two years ago, is a site of resistance. A place to learn, analyze, explore, share ideas, and gather in the service of liberation. With that, we are excited to announce (a little early) February's selection. A pre-Black History Month treat, if you will. We decided to take a slight detour from our plans to explore the Emergent Strategy series and have pivoted to Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler.

"In the year 2024, the country is marred by unattended environmental and economic crises that lead to social chaos." – Parable of the Sower

I mean, how could we not explore this treasure now? Though we suspect many of you have already read it (I have, but it's been 25+ years for me!), there is no better time to revisit this prescient, brilliant guidebook for survival, community, and ways of thinking to see us through. And for a twist, we've chosen to explore the graphic novel version. We've always envisioned Toward Liberation as a place where we explore the written word in various genres and formats. We hope it will be a fun way to engage with the text, use different pathways in our brains, and give our eyes a little candy. Isn't the cover just striking? 🤩

Of course, it's deeply connected to our current selection and will provide deeper context to our current selection and the rest of the Emergent Strategy series.

As we prepare for our discussion of January’s selection, Emergent Strategy, on Thursday, we invite you to consider: What did you find meaningful? All month long, I’ve found myself returning to thoughts of dandelions which feel both meaningful and dreamy to my poetic sensibilities. ☺️

"Dandelions don't know whether they are a weed or a brilliance.
But each seed can create a field of dandelions. We are invited to be that prolific. And to return fertility to the soil around us."

The dandelion flower head can change into a white, globular seed
bead overnight. Each seed has a tiny parachute that allows it to spread far
and wide in the wind. The entire plant has medicinal properties. Dandelions
are often mistakenly identified as weeds, aggressively removed, but are
hard to uproot; the top is pulled but the long taproot remains.
Resilience. Resistance. Regeneration. Decentralization.
– adrienne marie brown, Emergent Strategy

Photo credit: Unsplash

In that consideration of the overlooked and even despised dandelion, I find beauty and hope. It's easy to imagine myself a dandelion, ascribed a lowly value by society's homogenizers. I, too, continue to spring forth nevertheless. And like the dandelion's spores, survival is in my DNA. I belong to a collective that refuses to be eradicated.

I've also been thinking about actionable takeaways. Please let us know in the comments below what you've found meaningful and/or actionable and any favorite passages, quotes, ideas, or themes from the book.

Speaking of actionable…Part 1

"Intentional adaptation is the heart of emergent strategy. How we live and grow and stay purposeful in the face of constant change actually does determine both the quality of our lives, and the impact that we can have when we move into action together." – adrienne marie brown, Emergent Strategy

In the wake of 47's "Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing," and, "Initial Rescissions of Harmful Executive Orders and Actions," there have been renewed talks about boycotts. For the last few days, lists and ideas about who to withhold our dollars from have been circulated. What we know from the Montgomery bus boycotts to the boycotts and sanctions that helped end South African apartheid to the beleaguered but relentless BDS campaign, is that it is an effective means of forcing Empire to listen. As we consider how to turn this into, hopefully, strategic and coordinated action, I found this advice very thoughtful and strategic.

Threads thread from @patriciadeanna

What I also know is that there won't be easy solutions. We will find that alternatives to our targets will cost more money, time, and/or convenience. It will also help us realize what we actually need and reckon with our participation in unnecessary spending that most of us have been mindlessly engaging in, all to capitalism's delight. But we can all decide to boycott overconsumption. Take that racial capitalism!

Shortly before the election, I committed to completely breaking up with Amazon. For many reasons that were obvious way before then, including being the epitome of capitalist greed and their anti-union stance and unapologetic support of 47, including donating $1 million to his inauguration, I have decided that more than any other company I can think of, Amazon doesn't deserve my dollars. Whenever I think about logging onto the app, I force myself to look elsewhere. (I've found many items hard to find, deepening my commitment to doing whatever I can to disrupt this frightening level of marketplace dominance.) Most of the time, I have to pay more, and sometimes, I figure out I don't need whatever I am trying to buy.

Amazon traffics in a (false sense of) convenience and lower prices that encourage overconsumption. Because, of course, we (and our planet) do "pay" for that free, two-day shipping in obvious and hidden ways.

So, as we gear up to read the graphic novel version of Parable of the Sower, we wanted to provide some non-Amazon options since it is hard to find. (Everybody must be reading Octavia. Yay!) It’s back ordered at Bookshop and Thriftbooks, but it is available immediately at eBooks.com (with no shipping costs).

Or if, like me, you have Luddite tendencies and prefer to hold books in your hands, I've sourced a few print options here, here, and here. However, I'd recommend ordering as soon as possible to allow time for shipping because quantities seem to be limited. Also, this is not an exhaustive list. There may be other options.

We’re looking forward to seeing you on Zoom Thursday!

In the meantime, please take good care as things are changing. Rapidly. Frighteningly. Remember, our job is the same. To fight for liberation. Always and always.

Wishing you rest and fortitude to RESIST,

connease

PS.

Speaking of actionable, Part 2

Please consider participating in Mechie Mondays, a series of online actions to win freedom for an incarcerated elder beginning today, Monday, January 27 with a phone-in to ask Pennsylvania Secretary Harry to reconsider her decision and give Marie “Mechie” Scott the DOC's recommendation for commutation

At 71 years old, “Mechie," as she is affectionately known, is serving a death by incarceration sentence while fighting breast cancer and bound to a wheelchair. Because of Pennsylvania's draconian 2nd-degree felony murder law, she was automatically sentenced to life in prison without parole (death by incarceration) for participating in a crime at age 19 that led to someone's death — a death she did not cause or intend. In a striking example of the inherent injustice in the statute, her codefendant who committed the murder was able to receive parole years ago because he was considered a juvenile at the time of the crime.

“When I came to Muncy to serve out my life sentence, there were only six of us serving life sentences. Today, almost half a century later, two of the six have died. The four of us remaining are close to if not already in our 70s, and all we seem to be doing is waiting around to finish our punishment of life without parole by dying, despite the fact that we do not pose any threat.

We are human beings who made terrible choices when we were very young. Some of our brains weren’t fully developed either. For those of us who have served almost 50 years, this doesn’t have to be the story of lifers in Pennsylvania.
– Marie “Mechie” Scott

"Mechie" is an incredible woman, mentor, and inspiration to many. She deserves to be free. Join us in RESISTING the enduring cruelty of the carceral state until she is free.

Phone numbers and a script for tomorrow’s action can be found here and below.