Sunday Confessional: tired of making signs

/ Tracy Abell

There’s a collection of signage in my home. Signs that family members and I carried at marches against G.W. Bush’s invasion of Iraq. The non-mobile Iraq death toll sign we created on a piece of countertop, the one chained around the honey locust tree in our front yard for years and years following the invasion and occupation. Signs urging my so-called representatives to go big on climate policy. Signs against fracking. Signs in support of a Green New Deal. Lest you think I’m incapable of throwing anything away, I no longer have my sign from the May 1987 march in San Francisco that shouted U.S. OUT OF EL SALVADOR or the signs protesting Bush Sr.’s bombing of Iraq in the early 90s. I do, however, have a bag filled with clean, blank cardboard just waiting to be made into other signs.

Why? After all, none of those things I marched in opposition to were stopped. None of those policies I marched in support of have been enacted. So why do I continue to make signs and take to the streets? Because it helps me feel less alone. Because chanting in unison with others helps release anger and frustration. Because silence feels like complicity.

Today I made another sign for my front yard: ARMS EMBARGO NOW. I’ve been meaning to do so for months and finally summoned the energy today.

The CEASEFIRE sign has been in the yard for over a year now. There are layers of packing tape holding the vinyl letters in place and today I added more to extend the sign’s life since the two major candidates share the same goal to not only continue the onslaught on Gaza, but to extend it to the surrounding region. When I made that sign a year ago, I had no idea this nightmare would continue as long as it has. Silly me. I’m old enough to remember Joe Biden’s four decades of war-mongering. The man has never not chosen violence and destruction. And Kamala Harris, booed yesterday at a rally in Michigan (a swing state) for her unwavering support for genocide, cares more about enabling Israel than winning the election.

We’ll see if the liberals who got mad about missing brunch after Clinton lost in 2016 will return to the streets this time around. No matter what happens on November 5, I know where I’ll be. Holding a handmade sign and shouting my outrage.

9 thoughts on “Sunday Confessional: tired of making signs”

  1. I interpreted a blog post the other day to mean that speaking out about issues and protesting doesn’t change anything. I suppose you could deduce that to be true from your collection of signs with no apparent results. I commented on the post that if it weren’t for the few people speaking out about what’s going on, I’d have no idea of the bad things my tax money is supporting. Your signs and blog posts inform us of a reality we may not be aware of if you stayed silent. The more people wake up to reality, the better chance we have of uniting to make real change. So, THANK YOU, Tracy! Your signs matter!

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  2. Tracy, I also believe that “silence feels like complicity.” It’s very difficult to judge if expressing our outrage through signage and protests make any difference when nothing seems to change. Systemic changes take years, across generations. In doing what we do, in our different ways, raises awareness for those not attuned to these crucial issues or still too young to effect change. So, my friend, keep on doing what you do.
    When it comes to Israel, it matters not who wins this coming election. But, let us not forget the existential threats we face with our ongoing climate and ecological crises.

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