The Fight Ahead.
Well, fuck. So what now?
I got a beer with my brother the day after the election.
Anyone who knows my brother knows that he's not a very emotional person (unless he's drunk). However, his kindness and dedication to ensuring I had the space I needed to talk things out was extremely stabilizing. After a long 24 hours of uncertainty around what comes next, that happy(?) hour with him was a microcosm of what I believe is the best thing to do in the following weeks, months, and years — Be with your people; grow your community; organize mutual aid and collective resources; prioritize preemptive defiance; avoid apathy and capitulation; get involved with advocacy organizations (selfishly, I encourage y'all to get involved with The ACLU of Arizona — we have lots to do going forward and you always have a place here); but most importantly: be kind to yourself.
Election night and the election season as a whole brought with it countless traumas, exhaustion, anger, division, and blatant condescension. From working class people voicing real concerns about the price of goods only to be met with talking points about a booming economy, to advocates from every idealogical background pleading with the United States and it’s leaders to do anything to stop the genocide of the Palestinian people in Gaza; there was not only a disappointing lack of coalition building, but an abundance of talking at people, rather than listening to them.
I am so sorry to and infuriated for, the millions of women, people of color, Queer folks, and countless other communities who will face unprecedented challenges in the days ahead. You aren't alone, we will endure, and I'm right here with you. My inbox is open if you need resources, want to vent, or just need someone to be with you right now. I’m sending love and solidarity.
Now, a quick note to my fellow white men: 60% of you voted against the people and communities that some of you feign to care about. If any of you have sisters, wives, girlfriends, Queer, poor, working class friends, loved ones who are people of color — your privilege, miseducation, and subsequent political complicity has led us to a place that is both unsafe and actively harmful to all those people and communities you claim to love.
A major issue to be addressed going forward is the right wing radicalization of young, particularly white, men. What that deconstruction of harmful beliefs and more deliberate and substantive outreach looks like, we don’t yet know. What we can do now is engage with those around us. Ensure those in your life are being heard, work with them, and make a conscious effort to talk with people, rather than at them. I want to be explicitly clear that this isn’t all to say that we need to work hand in hand with fascists or entertain the opinions of people who disagree with the fundamental right of Queer people to exist or that access to abortion care is something to compromise on. However, I do encourage people to examine their own biases, backgrounds, and understand that remaining insular will only force us to become more divided.
Now that the election is over and I’ll hopefully have more time to write, I want to do my best to ensure that this newsletter can be a hub for helpful and trustworthy information, resources, political activation, and community. The future for Arizona, our country, and the world looks concerning and tumultuous to say the least. Those feelings of fear are normal and justified. However, I refuse to believe that all hope is lost. There are countless advocacy organizations, organizers, and every day people who are staying in the fight. Once you’ve taken time to process, grieve, prepare, sleep, or whatever other coping mechanisms best work for you; I encourage you all to do the same. This newsletter will be here and so will I.
I strongly believe that personal politics is not a difference of opinion, it is a matter of morality and a raw reflection of the world and people around us. If you have inherent privilege, I urge you to utilize it to dismantle the systems that oppress so many and then continue to uplift the people and communities that make this country great. The following weeks, months, and years ahead are uncertain and overwhelming, but if you're reading this — you are not alone. There are always ways to fight back and pathways to progress. Talk soon.
All Power To The People always.
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RESOURCES/MUTUAL AID —
Resources:
Mutual Aid: