I’m Pissed Off…
On June 24, 2022 the Supreme Court overruled nearly 50 years of legal precedent to overturn Roe vs.Wade. I was currently on vacation at the time and I decided to not react. Not think about it. Nothing. We were finally all having a great time and I wasn’t going to let this negate or overshadow it.
I’m glad I waited to respond. I thought I was in denial, and I think for a day I was. But I wasn’t really in denial, I knew this could happen and it’s what I’ve been actively working AGAINST. I’ve become an activist but I’m also trying to support marginalized persons in a business aspect to help them gain more financial freedom and build generational wealth - since the only thing that seems to matter in this country is money. Those who have it have a voice. So that’s my way of trying to help make the world a better place.
Anyway, I’m glad I waited to respond. It’s kind of what I’ve learned to do these past few years - shut up and listen. Not a single person that I’m connected with online or in person needs to see me share a meme. If they know me, they know where I stand on this issue.
So I listened. And of course, because people know me and my viewpoints, I was invited and added to many social media groups, pages, events, etc. I attended and listened. And sure enough (as I’ve been told in the past) it became super obvious to me that liberal whites are part of the problem. We don’t need to lead the charge on this, because we’re new to this level of oppression. What we need to do is get in formation behind others that have been fighting this fight ALL THEIR LIVES … not just the past couple days.
For example, I attended an impromptu training session led by my good friend, Heather Fleming. It was titled “Inclusive Organizing that Creates Change” and it was a panel discussion led by herself (founder of In Purpose Educational Services and Missouri Equity Education Partnership), Chloe Telle, Amy Ryan, and Teona McGhaw-Boure. It was impressive. Four women who stand at four different corners of intersectionality - Black, Asian, political candidates, social activists, authors, teachers, speakers, uterus-having people, mothers, sisters, aunties, professionals, leaders, tax payers and the list goes on. This includes the special highlight that Teona is a board member of Pro-Choice America and is an organizing lead at Planned Parenthood. She was able to shine a little more light to the recent events these past few days.
It was a great panel where just by showing up and listening to their voices and perspective, it gave me the rejuvenation I needed to CONTINUE THE WORK. What the Supreme Court did wasn’t new for this panel. They’ve been living oppressed lives already. The fear and panic that cishet white women are feeling is entitled as hell. We know that if we need an abortion, we’ll get one somehow. Because we still have more access, more money, more support, more opportunities, etc. This will have a massively different affect on Black and brown people and their communities.
What white people fail to realize is that when something big like this happens, we need to turn our eyes to the BIPOC and already marginalized communities for their guidance and leadership and get in formation behind them to offer our support, numbers, and resources. Not create a new group, new page, new organization. Join groups that have already been doing it. They already have the infrastructure built and I know first hand how much work it takes to build something from scratch. It’s hard as hell and there is already someone that knows how to do it, they just need more help. So lend your hand, your voice, your resources to empower them.
So yeah, I’m pissed off. I’m pissed all the way off. But what I’m mostly pissed off is that I thought we were starting to move in the right direction, towards progress. Bipartisan gun safety legislation is being passed. We’re starting to see actual change from the recent cultural awakening regarding systemic and structural racism. And then this. It’s a kick in the gut, for sure. But I think it’s mostly the long planned reaction to the societal progress we’ve been working towards. So I’m going to take this as a sign that it’s just another pendulum swing. It’ll swing back towards progress. Two steps forward, one step back.
One of my favorites sayings is “Bitches get shit done.” And if you’re anything like me, you’ve been called a bitch for being assertive and claiming your space. So good luck with that cishet white men. We’re pissed off and we have the intellect to use what we have to get the job done. Society has groomed us for this. We’re resilient and we’ll figure it out.
