It is unbelievable what’s happening. Yes, I know this administration is unhinged and cruel and chaotic, but so much of their decision making has been disjointed and clunky. There were tariffs, then there were no tariffs. There were deals, then there were no deals. Certain Russian leader is good. Certain Russia leader is bad (certain Russian leader was always bad??).
This constant back and forth and flip flopping makes statements like “we’re going to "deport all of the ‘illegals’” seem like another exasperated, exaggerated utterance almost laughable considering how discombobulated these Republican leaders seem when it comes down to actually taking action, but I was wrong. Those weren’t just words. It has been months of people being disappeared. It has been months of families being ripped a part. It has been months of fear, terror, and confusion for innocent people who were just born in a different part of the world but wound up here for a better life. For people who are deserving of dignity and due process, but shouldn’t even be swept into these broad strokes of mindless deportations in the first place.
There’s a lot of discourse #online about who is showing up for protests and who is speaking out. There’s also lots of opinions about how people voted and the result of their vote. Even more discourse around being too exhausted to engage in protest for other communities when some communities have not been so welcoming. Okay.
Obviously I’m talking about the Black community being called out for not protesting or marching like others did for BLM. I’m going to stop right there because not only is that just insanely insulting and categorically untrue, it is nothing but an attempt to divide and take the spotlight off of the real enemy, these systems that uphold white supremacy, capitalism, and greed. When something like this happens it feels like people’s first reaction is to point fingers, but not at systemic oppression, at other marginalized communities. Make it make sense.
This also happened after the election. Black people, Black women particularly (92%!!!!!), who overwhelmingly voted for Kamala Harris threw up their hands in exasperation and told the rest of the country, good luck, I’m resting now. It was a frustrating reality which we are all dealing with, but I understood that sentiment. I myself needed to take a step back from the overwhelming onslaught of executive orders and press conferences to just get my bearings. Of course, I wholeheartedly believe the statement nobody is free until we’re all free, so I would be back in action. However, for that period in time I was feeling…resentful. I was angry this country voted against its interests AGAIN and this time with gusto. Anyway, it was a harrowing time, but that was in January. What’s done is done and we are all being affected in different ways by this tumultuous time. Black women are not a monolith and while some Black women have had it, there are plenty of others who continue to fight publicly, privately, outloud, and silently. It’s weird to assume an entire race/group of people are not engaging because you see a few pictures circulating online and some anonymous social media accounts making sweeping statements. This country is becoming unrecognizable and now is not the time for division or blame or indifference.
NOBODY IS FREE UNTIL WE’RE ALL FREE
I had to say it again because that is what it is going to take to continue the resistance. The protests are only getting larger. LA was just the beginning. The unrest is continuing to spread. This country cannot fall into the hands of fascists so easily. We will not go quietly into the night. And that means everyone. The we is all of us, regardless of race, creed, circumstance. It will take a true coalition from every walk of life to stop this machine… Or maybe just a few billionaires.
Look what’s happened recently. The annoying orange is rolling back these sweeping orders and telling his gestapo (ICE) to put a cork in it while they sort out a more organized approach. Apparently because corporations were finding undocumented workers were being lost by the hundreds. Disgusting really. I want to believe it wasn’t just pressure from CEOs, but the horrible press the administration’s been getting and the growing frustration within the party. Sending troops to a city also didn’t help, and Gavin Newsome is plainly not having it. I think it’s a combination of things that led to that decision. Again, another thing that’s on again/off again.
It has been painful to watch. I cannot imagine being a child during this time and being scared not only about your parents being taken away but you yourself being sent to a country you don’t know and being separated from your family. I honestly don’t care how people voted at this point when it comes to this kind of evil, because no one deserves that kind of treatment and no one can be illegal on stolen land. I’m gonna be honest, people who are living in this country undocumented has never bothered me and never will. I cannot understand why there is such vitriol for a class of people who are only a part of this designation because they don’t have the right papers. It’s honestly so ridiculous and overtly racist, because what other reasoning is behind wanting to remove someone from a home they’ve built for 30/40 years?
There are a lot of protests happening this weekend. I hope everyone participating stays safe, because it is not a safe time right now.
Don’t stop though. Nobody is free until we’re all free.