Ya gotta have hope!
Mustn't sit around and mope ...
[From the musical "Damn Yankees"]
Author Jemar Tisby audaciously offers "the tools and knowledge necessary for you to move from follower to leader on the journey of racial justice" on his Substack Footnotes. I share his reaction to Donald Trump's conviction for 34 crimes last week.
... as people concerned about justice we need to learn to be as concerned about what is a win as what is right.
There’s a sense in which Trump’s conviction is both a win and it is right. But it’s not an unequivocal win. He can still, very likely, become president.
Yet is there any relief in the right being done (a conviction in this case)? Do we allow ourselves the space to be glad that a system works, even occasionally?
I get it. I study racism and justice all day, every day. We face a lot of setbacks, heartbreak, and resistance.
What is also true is that we occasionally catch a break. Sometimes light pierces the darkness of our political atmosphere. And we have every right to appreciate those moments.
There is no virtue in suppressing our feelings. Feelings are a compass that point to our most authentic thoughts.
Allowing yourself to feel a glimmer of joy and hope is not foolish. It is inward, the spark of the Creator, that reminds you of your humanity and that you can still imagine a better future. ...
In a long career of working for more justice and more compassion, I too have found it hard to note and savor the moments when justice momentarily prevails. But they do happen. The New York State convictions are one such. Let's be glad -- and defeat the Orange Crybaby and his MAGA hordes in November.
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