Stacey Abrams Lays it Out!

[qwlauren35]

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DL1V2CfREzn/?igsh=aTdjNnJ6ZmxmNzVu

My sister sent this to me and it’s a reminder of how amazing Stacey Abrams is and how saddened I was when she didn’t become governor.

Here she is talking to Anthony Anderson - didn’t know he was a talk show host - about the 10 steps democracies go through to become autocracies/dictatorships. It is downright creepy to hear her run through them and recognize how each one has played out in the US as a result of Trump’s two terms.

She also discusses what can be done to fight it, and it requires coalition building. When I think about this, I am of two minds. I agree that we must build coalitions. But Trump started by attacking DEI, and automatically, we were affected. He erased our history, he fired our military leaders, he went after our museum, he re-erected confederate statues (which I recently heard a white Southern liberal comedian refer to as “participation trophies”), he destroyed our historic landmarks. All within the first 30 days. People weren’t even sure whether to celebrate Black History Month.

I did not feel as though our fellow Democrats rose en masse to our defense. Maybe they weren’t prepared, maybe they were in shock. But I really feel that we took that first hit alone.

So, if we are to build coalitions, I want some assurances that our losses will be acknowledged and others will bat for us, as we have, so often, batted for others.

[slightlv]

1. I sympathize but

More important i empathize with you. For every black colonel or general, for every Buffalo Soldier hero, there was a female of the same, similar or higher rank that was also taken down. Our history, hidden for ages, has been completely white washed away. And now we're seen as nothing more than breeding stock. Notice in Texas the boys at their camp were all rescued, while dozens of girls at their camp died and more than a hundred still missing.

Yes, maybe this one hits me harder because I am female and have fought for our rights since I was 16. But I'm also part Native American and have some Hispanic blood. The atrocities happening right now to those who share my bloodlines hurt just as bad.

IMO, coalition building doesn't mean drawing together people who immediately rise to a defense. It means bringing together people who have been similarly spit on and showing what fighting together can accomplish. Maybe not even natural friends. We women tried for years within the party and were told we were that old perjorative... hysterical. We were told there were more pressing priorities. It seemed no one gave passing thought to us.

But during the race riots in my small hometown when I was in my late teens, one man my age but damn... wiser than his years... who was black pulled together a small coalition of women and POC and we fought together... physically, legally, and through town halls. We got change. It may not have lasted beyond my years, but to me that friend of mine showed what real leadership means.

The problem as I see it is lack of leadership, and the turning away from youths ideas actions by so mant of old people who are still in power. If you have power and don't use it to build coalitions and foundations what the hell good is it?

So, im female and ancestrally a mutt and proud of it. If we were in the same area I would take your hand and beg you for ideas to get others like us together, and then build beyond that. More people more ideas and then maybe some kickass action. I'm just sick and tired of the apathy I see all around me.

Good luck! And maybe one day we can meet and hug for the better world we helped manifest... if we can get those coalitions built!

[qwlauren35]

2. Black lives matter.

In the 21st century, BLM was the response of a new generation. It was not centralized, it didn't have "leadership" and the previous generations didn't know what to make of it. But after a while, when it was here to stay, they reached out. Only they didn't go through BLM channels. They insisted on talking to leaders and someone had to step up and claim the title. I remember when they said "defund the police". I looked into it and it made a lot of sense. Call in the National Guard if you need a SWAT team, but don't have the police invest in escalating weaponry. Consider that a social worker may be more effective than a cop and create funding for an emergency corps. And then, de-escalate.

I remember the response on DU. Nothing but contempt, anger and rejection because the Right had made it a negative talking point. It will cost us the election!!! Blue Lives Matter. Black people kill black people... Divert, and divest of power. And the killing continued.

Reparations has been another concept that couldn't be discussed. It will cost us the election!!! Never mind Trump handed $2000 to every American. Reparations ARE doable. Instead we get a holiday. Not the same.

Two things the black community has come up with that white Democrats have shot down. And yet we still support the party...

BTW when Trump shut down DEI, the people I knew in DEI space said that the people who would feel it the most are women. Not sure how that worked out.

[slightlv]

3. Im not sure how it will work out either...

Trump is wiping everyone nor male white and not NAR. Christian off the face of the earth, literally and figuratively.

The no leadership style you speak of with BLM was a lot more successful than Occupy. I may be really wrong, but wonder if leader vs no leader is a generational type difference.

And hea... I wanna apologize if I came off too heavy. Yesterday was a really bad day. I was lost in hopelessness and despair... like life ending type. Tired of pain... tired of being talked down to like I was demented old woman, and the last straw was the state wanting 'my husband' to sign off on my disabled plate. Yeah, 1st world problems... except it was the same type of thing I had thrust at me 50 years ago... tho I was of age and in active duty. And to see so many of my female friends just shrug off what they're again stripping from us, it just made me want to say I give up... no one understands and no one cares.. and check out.

Your message both where I readily agreed and where I could understand thru my own experience, actually gave me the strength to face another day. That differences could be understood and similarities seen where possible. Not everyone is apathetic. You gave me back a little bit of hope when I needed it the most, and I so very much thank you. Blessings to you and yours.

[qwlauren35]

5. Started to write something, lost it, starting again.

Slightly - as a woman engineer in a male dominated field, you have my deepest respect for being a veteran, and watching Hegseth degrade women in the military must make you sick.

My husband served and saw enemy fire. The women fired back. The men hid. My husband never again doubted that women belong in combat.

Stay strong.

[Keepthesoulalive]

4. This is not always the most accepting space

You can look at some of the most outspoken black people on this forum and how they were silenced. We have always had to forge our own path with temporary alliances, who drop off when it is to tough or inconvenient . There are a lot of young folks and oldsters on YouTube, substack, Reddit and other platforms. They are telling some serious truths and they are not afraid. I find it refreshing not to have to dodge eggshells constantly.

[qwlauren35]

6. Sometimes...

I feel as though I have a bullseye on my back that says "black troublemaker - do not reply". My posts sink faster than a rock in a pond. It may be because I am more moderate. I have someone in my life who is a religious conservative. We don't discuss things like LGBTQ rights. Even though she has a married lesbian granddaughter. Another person is pro-life for the craziest reason. She had her child, so everyone else should. We don't discuss it. One of my reviewers was a die-hard Trump supporter. He didn't go to Washington on Jan 6th, and that's where I drew the line. He lives on a mountain in Alabama. He's not going to change. Another reviewer lives in the woods of PA. He doesn't believe in climate change. His daughter is a missionary. He's not going to change. But, I am not in a position to reject these people - I need them to do my job. They know me for the liberal that I am. We talk about marriage and pets. We keep it safe.

I truly believe that we can find common ground if we try hard enough, and sift through the disinformation. I have seen the disinformation on both sides, and when we do it, and get caught, it reinforces the barrier.

So, I guess I'm not a liberal because I can't hate every conservative.

[Keepthesoulalive]

10. You are a liberal because you are living your values

There is righteous anger at people who take pleasure in hurting others, but we all have to decide where we draw our lines. I live with mountain folk , they have helped me learn to live in this type of rural area. I do not hang out with them but I try to be courteous. So much is being destroyed because of hateful, ignorant people and sometimes folks need to vent to keep their sanity.

[Gum Logger]

7. It would be a point of pride to see the best possible campaign

and not see the Repukes paint the Dems as political amateurs

[serbbral]

8. Erased our history

I noticed that has been repeated often, and I disagree. Don't get me wrong, I don't like what Trump stands for or what he is trying to do, but I guess I am alone when I say he is trying to erase our history. He may have succeeded in taking monuments down (whether stationary or online/electronically), but I do not think he has fully accomplished that yet. I don't think he has erased our history. People still celebrate the contributions of Black and African Americans, both orally and in print, digitally, and through online sources. As a librarian at an academic library, where I contribute largely to our African American Collection, I suppose I see things differently. Don't get me wrong, I know there are some battles we have lost, but the war is not over. Lots of things are happening, despite what Trump is trying to do.

[qwlauren35]

9. Thank you for your positivity

He is TRYING.

What I fear is that he will manage to make inroads in how it is taught to white people, who need to know it just as much as we do. So often, I see excuses made for what happened, and statements about "It wasn't me, it wasn't my family"... and anger about why we get a month...

I feel as though his efforts will encourage a sentiment of "we don't need to know". And then when we point things out, it seems like whining because there's no historical context.

I think that in black neighborhoods, and liberal neighborhoods, it won't be erased. But I fear that it won't stay integrated within America's history.

In Florida, the governor wants to convince people that we benefitted from slavery, and folks were lappin' that up.

[serbbral]

11. I feel where you are coming from my sista

I think about that also. However, this is nothing new. More of the same. Black people have always persevered, despite what many have tried to do. We shouldn't have to do this, but it is what it is. I have come to the point that those who want to believe that their ancestors are the only ones who contributed to this country and beyond will, and those who are willing to learn beyond and want to know the truth will. You know that saying about leading the horse to the water. Despite this, it is our job to teach our children and those who want to listen. Many who prefer to be ignorant may not even be worth trying to convince.