I've supported BLM since the beginning, and I support Bernie now. Here's some thoughts... [View all]

[nashville_brook]

I believe Bernie is our best hope to win in 2016. It's a pragmatic thesis on my part. Things could change between now and election day, but right now the zeitgeist favors Sanders.

But here's what I want you to know: I'm a middle aged white progressive woman from an economically disadvantaged background (to say the least). I've been an activist since college. I've routinely set my own issues aside (abortion, biodiversity, clean water, fair wages) to work in solidarity with those whose issues were most urgent: AIDS, voter protection, immigration and now BLM.

I believe if we're to move forward, we have to find a way to put all our issues together and stop playing Whack-A-Mole with people's lives. This is one reason I believe Bernie is a candidate who can beat the Republicans, because the economic justice frame is the most effective way we have to knit our communities together. Women's reproductive health is at base an economic justice issue for women who must be able to work within the carrying capacity of their families. Clean water is an economic justice issue as we've seen that privatization favors big business which seeks to provide the resource to those who pay the most (water for golf courses, and cut off in poor neighborhoods). And police accountability is an economic justice issue as it affects those of all racial and ethnic backgrounds whose lack of resources leave them vulnerable to attack. In terms of strategy, Bernie is the only candidate advocating to get the profit motive out of the war on drugs. It's all connected -- and we don't have the resources to alienate one group or another. Bernie's campaign offers the hope that none of our issues is an "either/or" proposition.

In a capitalist society such as ours, economic justice IS justice. It's the biggest lever we can pull.

We'll make real headway on all our issues, if and only if, we create solidarity amongst our disparate interests. That means showing up to support everyone in the struggle. I'd like to see BLM activists come out for Clean Water work. I'd like to see LGBT activists take up abortion rights...and actually they have here in Florida.

I'm not black, but I've been beat up by a cop who, I was told, had a problem with women. These guys are out of control and we have to put a stop to it. Period. We're horrified by the militarization of our police forces. Everyone I know supports BLM. We're white liberal women, and we're not racists. Most of us have been fighting against this shit since college, standing up to skinheads at our music clubs back in the day; spreading the word when real racists were trying to infiltrate our college campus; and most recently volunteering to be arrested in support of BLM actions.

Having said that, here's some photos of the BLM events I took in 2014. In chronological order, and I want to call your attention to something. The first event was organized by a group dominated by white liberal women. In the photos you might see people wearing different colored arm bands. The yellow bands were for those willing to get arrested in the civil disobedience that closed streets to downtown. This was a risky action. There were police vans ready to arrest everyone in the area, not just those who intended to get arrested. Once the crowd saw this happening, no one fled. We stood our ground. We have no idea why they didn't deploy the LEOs to take us in. I suspect it was a public relations move.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/brookhines/sets/72157647278923394

The second set is from the Die-In at Amway Arena. During and after the first event, the organizing group invited community members to form a Racial Justice Committee to take over the actions, and there was no shortage of interest -- it just took the first action to get the ball rolling. Notice again, this is a racially diverse crowd. It's not one demographic against the other. It's all for one, one for all.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/brookhines/sets/72157649640465096

Here's the third action which shut down access to the Mall during Christmas (an economic action). Still a diverse crowd, but you're starting to see that the African American community is supporting BLM in much greater numbers. It takes real commitment to put your body between Christmas shoppers and the Mall. But they did, for 4 and half minutes, and concluded the action without incident.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/brookhines/sets/72157649833981035


People in my community have been working across their lines of personal interest for quite some time. I'm sure that the case in many other places. This is why the rhetoric coming from the young women who disrupted the Social Security rally is so off the mark. We're only as powerful as our solidarity provides. We have to reject that which divides us.

I'm rejecting it and moving on. Factionalization is the goal of the ruling class. Don't let them win.