We've been here before
What we would have done then is what we're doing now
Hello friends,
It has been a wild couple of weeks, hasn’t it? I figured I’d just pop into your inbox and say hello. Check in on you. See how you’re doing.
It’s something I’d like to do more often, stretch that caring muscle and see if I can translate it into IRL check-ins with strangers and neighbors. And not in a surface-level exchange where the expected answer is “I’m good,” but a more vulnerable, “How are you really doing, and how can I support you right now” type of question. Might come in handy when I need to ask for a cup of rice or a few eggs or figure out how to repair that leak coming from under the hood of the car.
In such chaotic times, it can be hard to find joy amidst it all. I keep thinking back to 2020, when we knew that the world was changing, but we weren’t quite sure how, so we carried on with our daily lives, and then one day it all changed. I believe we’re there again, unsure of what’s to come but knowing it will never be the same. Rather than sink into the hopelessness of it all, I’m reminding myself that during those very hard times, we came together and supported one another in a way that many of us had never experienced in our lifetimes.
I feel this potential again when I attend rallies and protests—this reimagining of what is for something much better. It’s always so overwhelming, but not for the reasons you might think. When I stand on the street holding a sign or wait in line for hours to see Bernie and AOC, I’m amongst thousands of people who, like me, are willing to fight for something that is so important to us, to this country, to this world.
Don’t let the smile fool you; the wave of emotions I feel, from fear to honor to hope, makes it impossible to hold back the tears. And I’m not the only one. The elderly woman sitting in the passenger seat of the car driven by a man I assume to be her husband, holding her pro-democracy sign out the window, sobbing, will be forever burned in my memory.
We show up because we can and because we have to.
“Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or with both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.” ~ Frederick Douglass, August 3, 1857
I want to encourage YOU to exercise your First Amendment rights while we still have the opportunity to do so! It feels cringy conspiracy theory-y to write that, but I think that’s the point—to gaslight us into submission, as if we’re the ones who don’t see things clearly. Because here’s the thing, when one person loses their Constitutional rights—as in the case of Mahmoud Kalil, Rumeysa Ozturk, and Mohsen Mahdawi who were detained and will be deported because they believed they lived in a country that honored free speech, or Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia whose only crime was looking like someone we’ve been told is a threat—we all lose our freedom of speech and our due process, and who knows what else is on the chopping block.
Not sure where to start? Here’s a few ideas:
If you’re already doing what’s on this list, it doesn’t speak to you, and/or you’re looking for more, you’ll want to carve out some time to read Hold the Line: Options for Resistance. It’s a really comprehensive guide, and most of it is easily accomplishable. So go give yourself that gold star!
Afraid that you might become a target? Reasonable. I think about that all the time, so much so that I have a few names of Canadian immigration lawyers, and moving to Kenya is pretty far up on the list. But as Sigal Samuel wrote in this Vox article, “If you don’t act now, America could well become a more authoritarian state. If that happens, people in the future really might not be able to resist without facing extreme consequences. That’s an argument for resisting now, while you can do it at relatively low risk.” There are so many non-public-facing ways to strategically resist. What I found most interesting about this article, though, is how Samuel ended it—by exploring what made people courageously agree to hide Jews during the Holocaust while the majority went along with tyranny. Turns out all they had to do was be asked.
So friends, consider this my ask.
Until next time,
Jen
PS: This morning I cried on the phone to the SBA and not in a tears of joy way. I’m going to be writing about that soon, but only for paid subscribers because it’s going to get REAL.
PSS: In case you’re worried about me, I want you to know that I have not lost my sense of humor, and here’s the proof. Don’t worry, I’ll keep working on it ;)
If you’ve ever wondered what you would have done during the Holocaust,
you’re doing it now.
If you’ve ever wondered what you would have done during the civil rights movement,
you’re doing it now.
If you’ve ever wondered what you would have done during the first Pride,
you’re doing it now.
If you’ve ever wondered what you would have done during the Underground Railroad,
you’re doing it now.
If you’ve ever wondered what you would have done during KKK’s reign,
you’re doing it now.
If you’ve ever wondered what you would have done during Nat Turner’s slave uprising,
you’re doing it now.
If you’ve ever wondered what you would have done during Japanese internment camps,
you’re doing it now.
If you’ve ever wondered what you would have done during the days of the Rainbow Coalition,
you’re doing it now.
If you’ve ever wondered where you’d land in history,
you’re doing it now.
~ Miyah Byrd, for Forge
UPCOMING WAYS TO CONNECT —>
🚵♀️ May 24th, Ladies of the Loam: Yay bikes! I’ll be popping up at the very first all-women's mountain bike enduro and festival in California + offering free simple bike repairs. Get the details here.
💌 May, Full Send: Join me in this collaborative workspace to grow and nurture your emails, newsletters, and creative writing because the algorithm isn’t there for you to succeed. Register here.
🚲 July, Cycling Safari in Kenya with Zawadisha: Please tell us what is more fun in summer than cycling next to giraffes and elephants. If you want to learn more, respond to this message or DM me. This is THE trip to save for.
Thanks for reading! All typos are intentional to make sure you’re paying attention.