DESPITE THE HORRORS OF THE TIMES WE THRIVE!
In these times we must remember and understand history
The thoughts and feelings that come up these days, of intense disparaging and abuse of power, cannot be any different from those experienced by our Ancestors.
The election of November 2024 brought to office a clear and unabashed challenge to all the gains and hard-fought wins of the last 60 years and beyond.
We are clear, at least those of us who see the formation of paramilitary-style units under federal agencies like ICE echoes historical patterns such as slave patrols in the 18th and 19th centuries, which were precursors to modern policing in the U.S. These patrols enforced racial hierarchies and property laws, much like how ICE has been used to inforce exclusionary immigration policies.
Dismantling Institutions: The erosion of public systems—healthcare, education, food security—mirrors neoliberal strategies from the late 20th century, where privatization and deregulation disproportionately harmed marginalized communities. What’s new is the overt racialized framing of these rollbacks.
Election Aftermath (2024): The political shift aligns with a broader global trend of authoritarian populism, where democratic institutions are hollowed out under the guise of nationalism and “law and order.” This often includes scapegoating immigrants, suppressing dissent, and rewriting historical narratives.
Ancestral Resonance
Cycles of Resistance: From Reconstruction to the Civil Rights Movement to Standing Rock, each generation has faced backlash, or I should say WHITE-LASH, after gains. What’s different now is the digital terrain—how resistance and repression both play out online and offline.
Spiritual Grounding: In traditions THAT CONNECT YOU TO YOUR WHOS AND WHO YOU ARE, Prayer, meditation, appreciation of a higher power, for me and many others, it is Santería and other Afro-Caribbean cosmologies. Ancestors are not just remembered—they are active participants in guiding justice.
This moment may call for ritual, storytelling, and communal healing as much as the policy and protest we are partaking in and experiencing throughout the Nation.
We must stay in HOPE and ACT according to our principles.
So I suggest the simplest and most important analysis. Stay informed, connect with your community, support the continued movement to say NO to the destructive lies creating others of our neighbors as the scapegoat... Do what you can to retain both your and others’ humanity!
Liberation is an Action Word!
