No, it’s not going to be OK. That is the good news. Because OK was not working for most of us. OK kept us head down and stuck in our bubbles, forgetting our interdependence. OK demanded our obedience to a system that fed off of the most vulnerable. OK held us back from imagining wild and inclusive futures where we all get to thrive.
How bad does it need to get before we decide not go to back to OK? How many more need to die before we choose something different for ourselves and each other?
Arundhati Roy reminds us that this pandemic is a portal between where we are coming from and where we are going. She says…
”We can choose to walk through it, dragging the carcasses of our prejudice and hatred, our avarice, our data banks and dead ideas, our dead rivers and smoky skies behind us. Or we can walk through lightly, with little luggage, ready to imagine another world. And ready to fight for it.”
What will we choose?
Kerri (she/her)
Historically, pandemics have forced humans to break with the past and imagine their world anew. This pandemic is a portal [[link removed]]. The question is: what will we choose? [click to tweet [[link removed]]]
Social connection can be the difference between life and death [[link removed]]. Beyond physical distancing, we need solidarity and real social infrastructure to survive this pandemic. [click to tweet [[link removed]]]
The idea that this virus is an equal-opportunity killer must itself be killed. Black people are being disproportionately impacted by this virus in devastating ways. Here’s the data [[link removed]]. Social distancing is a privilege [[link removed]], plain and simple. [click to tweet [[link removed]]]
New Zealand isn’t just flattening the curve. It’s squashing it. And, yes, it has everything to do with the fact that they are led by a woman. Here are 3 reason’s Jacinda Ardern’s response has been a masterclass in leadership [[link removed]]. [click to tweet] [[link removed]]
Lawmakers are using Coronavirus as an excuse to ban abortion. Abortion access is essential [[link removed]] and here’s how to protect it [[link removed]]. [click to tweet [[link removed]]]
Who do we want to be during COVID-19? We want to be moving towards the action zone. Here how:
DOWNLOAD THE GUIDE: The Coronavirus Community Care Guide [[link removed]] is a good place to start to get informed and determine how you can respond.
SUPPORT EACH OTHER: Many are struggling to survive, much less be well during this pandemic. Mutual aid is how we provide real-time care and relief to the people who need it most. Check out Reclamation Ventures Relief Fund [[link removed]] and do your part.
GO GET YOUR PEOPLE: We need to organize now more than ever around a culture and politics of community care. Join us TOMORROW for a LIVE community meetup [[link removed]] at 6p EST on how to organize in this moment around collective care.
Elizabeth Warren has a plan for Coronavirus [[link removed]]…actually, she’s had three plans (the first one she released in January). And listening to her talk to Ezra Klein this week, I was reminded of how badly we need women’s leadership right now. Just look at Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand [[link removed]], whose quick and compassionate response to eliminate the disease is paying off big time. Or Norway’s Prime Minister, Erna Solberg who held a coronavirus press conference just for children. Not to mention, women make up a majority of frontline healthcare workers. We need a feminist response to COVID-19 [[link removed]] that centers human rights and recognizes and prioritizes the needs of the most vulnerable communities. In our most recent CTZN podcast (coming out tomorrow!), Soraya Chemaly talks about how we, women, have a right to be angry in this moment and we can channel that anger into powerful leadership and possibility. Here’s a sneak peak [[link removed]].
Bernie Sanders ended his presidential bid today with a heartfelt call to action [[link removed]] to keep the fight going. Over the last few years, Bernie has single-handedly moved the democratic party to the left championing progressive values and fighting for working families and collective care. We are better because of it. Now comes the hard part for Joe Biden [[link removed]]. He has some work to do to win over progressive voters. Here’s a list of demands from progressive youth groups [[link removed]] on how he can win (hint: it includes #Medicare4All #GreenNewDeal #WealthTax). But none of this matters if we don’t protect the election. Here’s how to secure the 2020 election [[link removed]] and beyond.
What we choose in this moment matters. It is the difference between going back to the “normal” that got us into this mess, or imagining better for ourselves and each other.
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