We shall overcome, we shall overcome
We shall overcome some day
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe
We shall overcome some day
I’m not a particularly religious person (sorry, Mom), but there is something about this gospel song and Civil Rights Movement anthem that gave me peace in the middle of the night after That News Conference. It didn’t keep me from laying awake for hours, poring over social media and twitching, but it did give me peace.
Because it’s an important reminder to have hope in the face of unspeakable ugliness, violence and hatred. And, perhaps worse, to have hope when the people with the power to turn this runaway train of horror around turn a blind eye. It gave me peace because it’s a reminder that people who look like me, who look like all of us, have changed the world for the better in the past. And we’ll do it again, as many times as it takes.
I’m not shocked by what 45 said. I’m shocked by what isn’t being said. What isn’t being done. What we aren’t talking about. When does someone lose the moral authority to be the leader of this country?
As I pondered that question and listlessly Googled “impeachment” in the wee hours, I forgot that I’d put the Make America Kittens Again extension on Chrome, creating this gem:
Thanks, kittens, I needed that.
This isn’t what my August editor letter was going to be about. I was going to write about quitting my full-time corporate job a year ago to pursue independent feminist media (mostly) full time, but that’s now a letter for another day.
As we march – and I hope we literally march – through the next days, weeks and months, I encourage you, as always, to take care of yourselves and each other. Take in a show about the Summer of Love, go hear live music that makes the world feel, even temporarily, like a sane place again, and don’t forget to laugh. And find new ways to connect with others, wink.
In Rebellion,
Karen