Reflecting, reconnecting, reactivating
I’ve struggled to write a decent essay in the past few weeks. I thought about throwing out a listicle just to share something. To be honest, I should’ve done it, because I was missing our little connection and I want to be consistent for you. I made a video because I couldn’t figure out what to write and ended up with one of many reflections of the importance of storytelling and building connections amongst each other.
I also want to share that this newsletter is one of my many efforts to stay connected. Thank you for still being here.
What stories have you been told? What new narratives are you crafting? Whose voices are you amplifying? What are you doing to connect with others?
Today, I am hanging out in livestream chats of the Ella Baker for the 21st Century: National One Day Symposium, which is hosted by Barnard Center for Research on Women (BCRW) in honor of the 20th anniversary of the publication of Ella Baker and the Black Radical Tradition by Barbara Ransby. (First, can I say how jealous I am of everyone who is there in person?! I need to start taking a closer look at my inbox…) Recordings will be available after today, so don’t forget to bookmark.
I deeply appreciate the history that is being shared and the wisdom of not only Ella Baker, Dr. Ransby, but so many scholars, artists, organizers who have contributed to changing our movements for the better. Earlier this year, I wrote an editorial for In These Times on the importance of political education and creating more spaces for hard discussions and imagination. Those spaces were crucial at the beginning of my abolitionist and Black feminist journeys as a student activist, and I still can’t do without them.
Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace delivered beautiful words. I’ll always admire student organizers because it takes incredible courage to stand up to an institution that is committed to silencing your voices and upholding the status quo while taking your money and claiming to have set the foundation for your organizing and advocacy. It takes incredible courage to stand up and fight for what you believe in, and to remain in pursuit of others to join you.
As Mariame Kaba said in her remarks this morning, “The work of liberation is a lifelong struggle.” For many people, this is the start of their journey into this collective fight. There will always be hostility around the corner, but more often, you’ll find someone wanting to find a place to ask questions, share resources, turn hopelessness into motivation, and feel connected to a group of people who care enough to learn more and take a stance.
As always, the solidarity with Palestine is beautiful to witness. My abolitionist and feminist journeys deepened my commitment to Black liberation. As a budding abolitionist in 2014, it was learning about the fight for Palestinian liberation that affirmed my burning desire to do anything for my people. Never forget that all of our struggles are inter-connected. That reminds me: if you didn’t know, Read Palestine Week started on Wednesday, November 29—which is also International Day of Solidarity for Palestine—and goes through December 5.
I’ll end with a quote by Septima Poinsette Clark that I came across when
and I visited the Legacy of Lynching: Confronting Racial Terror in America at the Brooklyn Museum in 2017.I believe unconditionally in the ability of people to respond when they are told the truth. We need to be taught to study rather than believe, to inquire rather than affirm.
With love,
Sula