The recent post by Peter Coyote about comportment at charged demonstrations, and the backlash that followed from various quarters about respectability politics and race- and class-based values in activism got me thinking:
Who is really creating blueprints for demonstrators, based on lived experience and study of what has worked to create effective resistance movements in the past?
Who is providing examples of how to build consensus among demonstrators in the field, so that we are aligned and have each other’s backs when things get heated?
Once again, TeenVogue is doing the heavy lifting to share a variety of perspectives on urgent issues. No joke, you would do well to like and subscribe for a wholly relevant cross-section of what’s happening in the culture.
This recent article finds several activists from various communities reflecting on the demonstrations of 2020, and offering helpful insights into preparation, long-term planning, and on-the-ground support strategies for activists involved in the events unfolding now.
If you’re looking for a specifically non-white, non-Boomer, gender-diverse set of perspectives on how to navigate the resistance demonstration landscape, this is a good place to start. It’s one article, but you might find that the voices represented inspire you to dig deeper.
I’m not amplifying these voices because I am 100% on board with all of their takes, but because I believe we make better decisions when we consider multiple strategies and consequences.
This article includes reflections from:
Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò
Kandist Mallett
Kelly Hayes
adrienne maree brown
Dean Spade
Vicky Osterweil
Study! Examine your narratives! Reflect on what has worked in the past! Avoid dead ends that sidelined our forebears!
Be safe out there!
“For this story, we want to recall the lessons of that time — lessons that seemed so unprecedented — and to practice what Olurin called for: Remember our history, that we’ve been here before, so we can learn from the past and keep building toward a different future.”
https://www.teenvogue.com/story/organizers-and -thinkers-share-lessons-from-the-2020-protests