#woc almighty

[the-cimmerians]

Happy Birthday, Miriam Makeba!

[the-cimmerians]

Black Joy in Pursuit of Racial Justice

What does it mean to give ourselves permission to experience joy even when grief and rage are present?

Righteous rage and deep grief, particularly the kind we Black folks have experienced of late, can be so all-consuming that, if allowed to completely split us open, can make it seem like joy or peace doesn’t even exist. In those instances, we can’t access joy. Our grief and rage are so big, we are, in essence, disembodied.

I’ve observed this in many social justice leaders and racial justice organizers. Those working on the front lines are often the first to fall victim to a disembodied way of moving through life and doing the work. I can always tell when an activist is wrestling with the presence of joy. Those very valid, even necessary emotions of rage and sorrow are so big in their bodies that they cannot feel anything else. Joy is but a miniscule thing relegated to a past life or a kernel of memory. As a result, these activists don’t rest. They don’t hydrate. They don’t sleep well.

And so, for every victory—every indictment or conviction of an abusive police officer, every policy change or increase in the voter rolls—they find themselves sicker or dealing with anxiety and other stress-related ailments. I rejoice when I hear about a movement leader taking a sabbatical or going on vacation, or when I see images of them laughing or dancing. As much as I want collective change, I want collective healing—whether or not the dismantling of White supremacist systems or laws ever happen.

[the-cimmerians]

This is the SpeakOut Summer Institute talk I attended yesterday, forwarded to 32:24 for the first speaker, Loretta Ross, on effective solidarity in human rights movements. I kept trying to take notes on my favorite parts, but it was all of it. If you have time and if you do intersectional social justice or human rights work, I highly recommend this.

[the-cimmerians]

How Black Actresses Fought for Science Fiction Roles for Nearly a Century

Hollywood didn’t decide on its own to portray Black women as heroes and women of power in science fiction. Their central roles in sci-fi film and television were the result of more than 80 years of Black-led struggle and strategy.

[the-cimmerians]

It’s voting day in Georgia

[the-cimmerians]

Bree Newsome

[the-cimmerians]

Stacey Abrams

[the-cimmerians]

Look, Shiny WONDERFUL Thing! Rep. Deb Haaland Is Biden Pick For Interior Secretary!

First Native American Cabinet secretary? Why yes, please!

And while New Mexico is one of the country's top producers of oil and natural gas, Haaland has pledged to make some big changes at Interior, which for too long has been a wholly owned subsidiary of the fossil fuel industry. Haaland wants to shift the department's focus to promoting green energy and mitigation of climate change. As part of that transformation, Biden has promised to stop issuing new permits for oil and gas drilling on public lands. Phasing out fossil fuel production wherever possible is key to decarbonizing; as the Post points out, "extraction of oil, gas and coal in these areas account for nearly a quarter of the nation's annual carbon output."