Family,
We know that Friday, January 20th was a rough one, but we just want to remind you that we love you and we got your back. We can’t downplay the current political moment and will not promise that you won’t feel the impact of this administration. But what we can promise is that we will be beside you, hand in hand in the name of Black resilience, fighting for Black liberation and defending Black joy every step of the way.
We know that the future looks and feels deeply uncertain, but it is exactly in moments like this that we call forth the resilience and vision of freedom of our ancestors. In the darkness, Black love has always been the light that has led us to liberation.
Whatever you are feeling — fear, anxiety, anger — it is all real and valid. But all is not lost. And while the road ahead will be long and difficult, we are everything we need to build a future that is radically inclusive, just and liberatory for all Black people.
Beneath the language of “equality” and “freedom” and beneath the illusion of democracy, we must remember that this nation was founded on genocide and slavery. Trump is obsessed with building a bigger “law and order” system – the same system that has destroyed our communities, locked millions of us up and fails to keep us safe. Trump also uses divide and conquer tactics to pit Black people against Latinx immigrants, despite the fact that Black immigrants are among the most targeted. But as Audre Lorde reminds us: “By seeing who the we is, we learn to use our energies with greater precision against our enemies rather than against ourselves.” We must, and can, keep each other safe.
With Trump as president, the opportunities for resistance are more plentiful than ever. Under a neofascist administration, we can expect to see hypernationalism, criminalizing dissent, mobilizing hate against particular groups of people (like racial/ethnic minorities, immigrants, communists, etc.), supremacy of the military, rampant sexism, controlled media, and suppressed labor power. We saw our comrades are on the front lines in the Capitol yesterday pushing back against the incoming neofascist administration because we know that in these times, we can’t afford to retreat. We have to double down, supporting and protecting each other along the way.
Join or support us or another organization already engaged in resistance work within the Movement for Black Lives
In this moment, Black people, it is just as important that you treat yourself and each other with the grace, gentleness, love, and compassion that this country has always denied us. This means doing things and being with the people who make you happy. Cultivating Black joy will be instrumental to developing the resilience needed to fight another day. Nurture your physical and spiritual self – however that looks. Go to the grocery store, grab your water, incense, some live food, turmeric, garlic, local honey, some lavender, some sage, and some palo santos. Get some whatever you may need in case you decide not to leave the house or your body just needs to be still.
We hope that in the coming days, you are able to find joy, see yourself reflected in other beautiful black faces, be with your people, and get the opportunity to check in with your body.
Here are some resources that may support you in that:
We are divinely ordered and prepared to hammer through whatever comes at us. Our ancestors move through us and within us to let us know that we are not alone and that we are not losing. Take comfort in your family and community – both blood and chosen. Hold tight to each other, ‘cause we are all we got.
L
oving each other, holding each other, caring for each other in a world that seeks to destroy us — These are the most powerful acts of resistance we can practice.
We love and we see you.
We believe that we will win.