shared humanity

Let’s Turn Refaat Alareer’s “If I Must Die” into a Bestseller

/ Tracy Abell / 19 Comments

One year ago today, Palestinian writer, poet, and educator Refaat Alareer was targeted and murdered by an Israeli airstrike. I wrote about him here. Today, I received a text message from Ryan Grim and Jeremy Scahill of independent Drop Site News regarding the posthumous publication of Refaat’s poetry and prose collection on December 10. Here is that message:

Today marks one year since Israel assassinated Palestinian Poet, Writer, and Educator Refaat Alareer in a targeted airstrike. On December 10th, Refaat’s book, “If I Must Die,” a collection of his poetry and prose compiled by his friend and former student, Yousef Ajamal, will be published by OR Books.

We’re asking all of our readers, if they can, to pre-order the book in an effort to drive it on to the best seller rankings. Not only is it a truly magnificent piece of writing, a book you’ll be glad to own and/or gift, seeing Refaat’s book at the top of the charts will be a small sign to Palestinians facing genocide that the world has not forgotten them – and it will send a message to his assassins that we haven’t forgotten them either. For our part, we will be buying 535 copies and hand-delivering them to each member of the House and Senate.

Pre-order Refaat’s book here: https://bookshop.org/p/books/if-i-must-die-poetry-and-prose/21530923?ean=9781682196212

UPDATE 12.17.24: DO NOT order from Amazon as scammers took note of the situation and are selling non-authentic books. PLEASE order from bookshop.org at above link.

Tracy here again: I’m editing to add that you can also request your library system purchase the book. In my system, “Suggest a purchase” tab is located under SERVICES. In “additional information we might need,” you can include EAN/UPC 9781682196212 and “the book will be released on December 10, 2024.”

Edited to add: all proceeds will go to Refaat’s remaining family.

UPDATE: see my December 29 post for good news!!!

When I read that message, so many emotions came up. Grief over Refaat’s death, outrage that the genocide continues, and gratitude for this plan to show the besieged Palestinian people that we care. If you’re able, I hope you’ll consider helping this effort by pre-ordering the book. Just yesterday, I wrote about the orchestrated efforts to shut down pro-Palestinian speech and actions. Elevating “If I Must Die” to the bestseller list would be a huge middle finger to those desperately trying to normalize genocide, starvation, destruction, and land theft.

Drop Site also sent a lengthier, more detailed email about Refaat, the targeting of poets and intellectuals, and the ins and outs of the publishing industry’s bestseller “process.” The following is that email:

Today marks one year since Israel assassinated Palestinian writer, poet and educator Refaat Alareer with a targeted airstrike on the second floor apartment where he was taking refuge with extended family. The strike also killed his brother, his brother’s son, his sister and her three children.

Israel’s targeting of poets and intellectuals was not new, but his killing struck a chord around the world, as Refaat had committed his life to the study and practice of the English language, believing it to be a tool of liberation and empowerment. Through his work and his interviews, he gathered a global audience of admirers.

After he was killed, his poem “If I Must Die” became a worldwide viral sensation, a window into the soul of the man who’d been ripped from the world.

On December 10, Refaat will posthumously publish a book, “If I Must Die,” a collection of his poetry and prose, which also includes excerpts of important interviews he gave, compiled by his friend and student Yousef Aljamal.

As a small measure of justice, we want to turn Refaat’s book into what it desperately deserves to be: an international bestseller. We need your help and we have just five days to make it happen.

First, sign this pledge to buy the book this coming Tuesday. We’ll send you an email to remind you to do it that day. Enter your phone number if you want a text reminder too, but it’s not necessary. We won’t sell or share your contact info. The royalties from the book go to Refaat’s family. But more importantly, pre-order it now at bookshop.org or Amazon.

SIGN THE PLEDGE TODAY!

Here’s the background: The publishing industry cares most about the Amazon ranking and the New York Times best seller list. Depending on the day, a book can hit the top of the charts on Amazon with as few as 10,000 copies sold. But they cannot be bulk orders: Anything more than nine probably gets flagged as a bulk order. If you do want to make a bulk order, do it from an independent bookstore online, not from Amazon. (Amazon will certainly flag it as bulk.)

The NYT list is an opaque combination of in-person and online sales from Amazon, big retailers like Barnes and Noble, and indie stores.

Paid pre-orders count toward the rankings.

So here’s what to do: If you can only buy one book, pre-order it either from bookshop.org or Amazon, whichever is your preference. If you can buy three, buy one from each.

Initially, we had urged people to buy it on the date it comes out, and not pre-order, but so many people have pledged that OR Books, which is a small publisher, is now worried it will sell out on Tuesday. The way around that problem is to get your pre-order in now.

If you can throw a few hundred dollars at this effort, buy up to nine from each of those platforms and give them away. (That would cost you about $650.)

If you really want to do a bulk order of more than nine and maximize the chance it gets counted in the rankings, do it through an independent bookstore and not Amazon (which will flag it as a bulk order).

If you buy it from a bookstore in person on Tuesday, ask the manager if they report sales to the bestseller lists. Most stores do, but if they don’t report sales, then your purchase won’t get counted.

The poem “If I Must Die” is addressed to his daughter Shaymaa Refaat Alareer, and is a plea to her and all of us to keep hope for a better world alive. “If I must die/you must live/to tell my story/to tell my story/to sell my things/to buy a piece of cloth/and some strings/(make it white with a long tail)/so that a child, somewhere in Gaza/while looking heaven in the eye/awaiting his dad who left in a blaze—and bid no one farewell/not even to his flesh/not even to himself—sees the kite/my kite you made/flying up above/and thinks for a moment an angel is there/bringing back love.”

He then concludes:

If I must die
let it bring hope
let it be a tale

In April, Israel struck and killed Shaymaa, her husband, and their two-month-old son. It is up to us to let Refaat’s life be a tale. We at Drop Site have nothing to do with his book, which is published by OR Books, but we want to help make it a bestseller. It is, on the one hand, a true masterwork, and a rich and poignant read you will return to again and again.

Yet we want you to purchase it for another reason, too: To let it fly to the top of the rankings like a kite. Seeing Refaat’s book flying there will be a small sign to Palestinians facing genocide that the world has not forgotten them – and it will send a message to his assassins that we haven’t forgotten them either. Nothing can bring back Refaat or his family but this is one small dose of justice we can dole out.

At Drop Site, we’ll be buying 535 copies and distributing them to each member of Congress after they’re sworn-in in January.

If you live in the Washington, DC area and can help be part of the hand-out effort, please email contact@dropsitenews.com with the subject line “I will help hand out Refaat’s book.” (The publisher is giving us a bulk discount, and our readers were tremendously generous to us on Giving Tuesday, so thank you for helping make this happen.)

Collectively, we have the capacity to do this. Let it be a tale.

Sign the pledge! Let it be a tale.

If you’ve read this far, thank you thank you thank you. Free Palestine!

Elk for a Free Palestine

/ Tracy Abell / 4 Comments

Popping in quickly to share this image Zippy captured from our deck yesterday.

Elk! While we’ve seen them in the open space several times over the years we’ve lived here, this was our first sighting from our home. A neighbor said she recently saw about 30 in the open space.

I also wanted to share links to articles from The Intercept that I read today, detailing the increasingly oppressive crackdown on those standing up for Palestinian rights.

The Intercept also wrote about the release of Amnesty International’s new 300-page report that adds the human rights organization to a growing chorus of legal scholars and activists describing Israel’s assault on Palestinians as genocide.

The United States is funding and enabling genocide as they increase police forces around the country and build Cop Cities to train police in how best to bash in our heads. We’re all we’ve got, and it’s imperative we hold onto our shared humanity.

From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free! 

My birthday wish

/ Tracy Abell / 12 Comments

Today is my birthday and while I’m not celebrating with a solo camping trip as I did two years ago, I am heading out to be near water. Zippy’s packing lunch for us now and then we’re going to Clear Creek to sit in the sun as we watch the moving water.

The Boyd Lake State Park shoreline where I ran on my birthday morning, November 25, 2022.

My birthday wish is for anyone reading this to commit an act of kindness, whether on behalf of a friend or family member, neighbor or stranger, or self. It’s hard days on the planet and a little kindness goes a long way. Shared humanity for the win, yo!

May this day bring you smiles, joy, sunshine, and human connection.

Block the $20 billion weapons sale to Israel: urgent action needed

/ Tracy Abell / 11 Comments

I’m back again with a request for calls (or emails, if you’re phone-phobic)  to your Senators demanding* asking they support* co-sponsor tomorrow’s vote on the Joint Resolutions of Disapproval. This morning, over 100 protestors went to Capitol Hill (while a large crowd gathered in support outside) to demand Senators stop the $20 billion weapons sale to Israel. Dozens of protestors–faith leaders, plus climate, housing, Indigenous, Jewish, and Palestinian activists–are being arrested. For what? Demanding an end to the U.S. government using our taxes to fund and facilitate genocide. (As I write this, there are currently 7 Senators either co-sponsoring or on record in support of the Joint Resolutions of Disapproval: Bernie Sanders, Peter Welch, Jeff Merkley, Tim Kaine, Brian Schatz, Elizabeth Warren, Chris Van Hollen.)

Image from US Campaign for Palestinian Rights email

Those courageous people are putting their bodies on the line, so let’s amplify their message and call/email our Senators. (You can also call the Capitol Switchboard operator to be connected with the Senate offices at 202. 224. 3121). NOTE: I’ve summarized talking points farther down this post.

Here’s background info from the Adalah Justice Project:

On Wednesday, the Senate is expected to vote on a historic set of bills to block a $20 billion weapons package to Israel. Sen. Bernie Sanders, along with Sens. Merkley and Welch, introduced joint resolutions of disapproval (JRDs) to stop the $20 billion sale. 

This is the first time in U.S. history that the Senate will vote on blocking weapon sales to Israel. 

Over the last month, the Israeli military has launched “a genocide within a genocide” – a campaign of mass slaughter and ethnic cleansing in northern Gaza. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in northern Gaza are being starved. Essential aid like food and medicine hasn’t entered the north in weeks, and the hospitals are under siege.

According to multiple U.S. laws, the U.S. cannot provide weapons to any country that violates internationally recognized human rights or to any country that “prohibits or otherwise restricts, directly or indirectly, the transport or delivery of United States humanitarian assistance.”

Israel is clearly in violation of these laws.

Not sure what else to say when you contact your Senators to demand ask they support co-sponsor the Joint Resolutions of Disapproval? Here are a few suggestions:

  • A June poll shows the majority of citizens are opposed to sending weapons to Israel (61% of all citizens, including 77% of Democrats and nearly 40% of Republicans)
  • Sending weapons to Israel violates U.S. laws regarding the delivery of humanitarian assistance
  • Rather than the billions for genocide and destruction, we desperately need meaningful action to address the climate crisis which is greatly accelerated by this genocidal siege.

PLEASE take two minutes to contact your Senators (also via Capitol Switchboard 202. 224. 3121) to demand ask they support co-sponsor the Joint Resolutions of Disapproval tomorrow.

Thank you in advance for taking action. I’d love to hear how your calls went so please let me know in the comments. Also? Share this info with family and friends to increase our impact. Solidarity! ✊🏾 FREE PALESTINE!

*After posting, I realized I was deviating from the request I’d received and so changed the wording accordingly. Apologies!

URGENT: H.R. 9495 is back–action needed!

/ Tracy Abell / 12 Comments

Happy Monday to all who celebrate.

Last week we scored a win when H.R. 9495 was beaten back. Here’s a quick refresher on this legislation:

The Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act, which would empower the secretary of the Treasury to designate any nonprofit as a “terrorist supporting organization” and revoke its tax-exempt status, is set to go before the Committee on Rules on Monday for a hearing that could tee up the bill for a new floor vote. Note: quote from Noah Hurwitz’s article in The Intercept.

As Rep Lloyd Doggett points out today in this video on the House floor,  this legislation would allow the Trump administration to slap a “terrorist” label on any group it considers an enemy, and strip that organization of its tax-exempt status with NO DUE PROCESS. The immediate targets of this bill are pro-Palestinian orgs but as Doggett points out, it  would also be wielded against groups that harbor refugees, Planned Parenthood, hospitals providing abortions, environmental groups, and private universities that allow anti-Trump demonstrations. I will add that the legislation will most certainly also be weaponized against those fighting the 80 Cop Cities currently being proposed and built around the country. Note: when I wrote Climate Movement Monday: on crushing dissent back in May 2024, there were  “only” 69 Cop Cities. ALL of this is connected (as I wrote here). They are beefing up police forces and weaponizing cops in anticipation of the unrest that will increase under the weight of climate collapse and income inequality. Trump will drop the Democrats’ veneer of civility and unleash holy hell on anyone he deems a threat. H.R. 9495 gives him (and other presidents) incredible power.

The bill was defeated last week because the vote happened under a suspension of rules and required 2/3 to pass. The Republicans are bringing it to another vote on Thursday when it will only require a majority vote. Last week, 52 Democrats voted with the Republicans to give the executive office this authoritarian power to deem enemies “terrorist-supporting.” Here are those 52 Dems:

PLEASE read that list. If your Rep is on it, call them to demand they vote NO this week. If your Rep voted NO last week, call them to thank them and to ask that they vote NO again this week. If you’re not sure whether they voted NO (as a number of them didn’t cast a vote), check here to verify their vote, and then call them to demand a NO vote.

PLEASE also share this info with friends and family so that we can flood the phone lines in opposition to crushing dissent!

Thank you in advance for your engagement on this issue. We’ve got a hard road ahead of us and it’s vital we stand together. Solidarity! ✊🏾

Defend dissent: Oppose H.R. 9495

/ Tracy Abell / 13 Comments

Many are reeling right now at the prospect of four years of blatant authoritarianism. At the risk of rushing the grief process, I feel it’s imperative we don’t waste any opportunities to advocate for positive policy and opportunities to block negative policy while we can. This post is devoted to the latter, specifically H.R. 9495 — the “Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act.”

Please use this letter template to send a quick, personalized message to your Member of Congress asking them to Protect the Right to Dissent and Oppose H.R. 9495. Note: Congress could be voting on H.R. 9495 as early as next week.

What is H.R. 9495? You can read the proposed legislation here. Pay special attention to SEC. 4. Termination of tax-exempt status of terrorist supporting organizations. Basically, if this legislation passes, a President would have the power to label a non-profit organization or activist student group a “terrorist-supporting organization” and then strip it of its non-profit tax status.

What’s the immediate goal? To shut down the student movement for Palestinian human rights by targeting organizations such as Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP).  Right now it’s the student activists, but if it passes, this legislation could be weaponized by any President against any group. “Terrorist” is a handy-dandy label for those who rise up against our government’s policies. I’ve written about the tactics used to silence the courageous students speaking out for Palestinian rights, and hope you will speak out now on the students’ behalf.

The following comes from MPower Action.

The House previously passed a bill (H.R. 6408) that could give any president unprecedented power to target and shut down nonprofits and activist student groups.​ The legislation was intended to strip the tax-exempt status of organizations advocating for Palestinian human rights. The Senate refused to take it up after tens of thousands of our members sent letters to Congress urging opposition.

But now, House Members are attempting to pass a different bill (H.R. 9495) that includes the legislative language of H.R. 6408, which would be disastrous for all of our organizations working towards a lasting ceasefire in Gaza and an end to the occupation.

We can’t let that happen.

Urge your U.S. House Representative: Vote NO on H.R. 9495.

This bill would give future presidents new powers to target and shut down nonprofits and movement groups in the name of security — with virtually no oversight. 

Our communities have seen firsthand the kind of abuses that prosecutors and Presidential administrations can unleash against everyday people of conscience using similar tools. 

We can only imagine the effects that could be unleashed on our nonprofits advocating for Palestinian human rights if a future administration decides to use this expanded power to target us.  

Send a letter to Congress now. 

Thank you for everything you do.

In solidarity,
Yasmine and the team at MPower Action
——————–
It’s Tracy again. The letter template is short and I personalized mine with references to how the Democrats just campaigned on personal freedoms and saving democracy (because my rep is a Dem). Crushing dissent is absolutely anti-democratic.

Thank you for taking action. Solidarity! ✊🏾

We are not alone and we are not powerless

/ Tracy Abell / 6 Comments

My inbox is filled with messages from various organizations and organizers, reaching out to make sure people know they’re not alone and that there’s a path forward. I’ve collected much good stuff here and hope that when you have the energy and focus, you’ll read through it all. Or, maybe do as I am today, read in little spurts.

The piece I’ve seen shared the most online was written two days ago by Daniel Hunter, 10 ways to be prepared and grounded now that Trump has won (title updated today), and is chock-full of wisdom and links, along with roles we all might play in defense of our shared humanity. If nothing else, I hope you check that one out. The subtitle alone contains an important reminder: The key to taking effective action in a Trump world is to avoid perpetuating the autocrat’s goals of fear, isolation, exhaustion and disorientation.

Final harvest of delicata squash that made a surprise appearance in Zippy’s garden. Photo 11.2.24

Jewish Voice for Peace wrote: The world feels impossible, unbearable. There is lots to say about why we are here, and even more to say about how we keep fighting. But in this moment, I want us to remember that we have one another. And with what we are up against, we will need each other more than ever. 

We come from generations of resistance, of defying the impossible cruelty of societies built on domination. The Right fuels itself on our isolation and rose to power on a politics of despair. The antidote, as always, is organizing. Our power lies in our commitment to one another and in our solidarity. We will not allow our communities to be turned against one another or scapegoated. We refuse to be divided.

Organizer Kelly Hayes wrote: We’re going to show up for each other, figure out what we need to learn, skill up, and fight for each other. Because we’re gonna have to. Let’s ground ourselves in our values and our refusal to abandon one another. Remember who you want to be, come what may, and move in the direction of your values. I wrote a book with Mariame Kaba (Let This Radicalize You) about the kind of work that’s ahead of us. It’s there for you if you need it. No matter what happens next, let’s get our learn on and think strategically about the work of collective survival. Isolation incubates fear. Together, we will foster courage and solidarity, and we will fight for each other. I am sending you all so much love right now. Let’s sidestep the kind of squabbling and finger-pointing that will only slow us down and talk about what we need to do and build together. We don’t have time for acrimony. If acknowledging that is a challenge for you, ask yourself what the whole world is worth and engage accordingly.

Kelly’s email included a link to her Movement Memos podcast To Transform Our Trauma, We Must Nurture Movements for Change (transcript included).

Earthjustice wrote Earthjustice is bigger and stronger than we were in January 2017, and we are ready to fight back. We took the threat of Trump’s Project 2025 plan at its word, and we crafted a blueprint of our own. We have over 200 lawyers poised to take Trump to court, and we are already executing our state-based strategy to ensure that he does not block progress in the last years we have left to meet our climate deadlines. Earthjustice won a staggering 85% of the cases we brought against the previous Trump administration. 

Earthjustice is raising money for its Rapid Response Legal Fund and now through December 31, donations will be matched $1 : $1.

I will close with words from Sarah Kendzior, written in 2016:

“Do not accept brutality and cruelty as normal even if it is sanctioned. Protect the vulnerable and encourage the afraid. If you are brave, stand up for others. If you cannot be brave — and it is often hard to be brave — be kind.”

A sunny smile + a cool offer

/ Tracy Abell / 2 Comments

I spotted this sign on my street yesterday and thought it might help soothe some frazzled election nerves.

Confession: that image actually kinda twists my brain as our household used to include a golden retriever we called Packy and then later, a keeshond by the name of Sunny! The sign is like a mashup of our two beloved dogs.

In addition to bringing a smile, I also want to let you know about an opportunity to express your animal love while at the same time helping the people of Gaza. Watercolor painter (and professional cat lady, sociologist (MA, PhD), adjunct lecturer at SUNY), Gyunghee Park, has an amazing offer in support of esims for Gaza:

Donate 10GB to Gaza and I’ll personally send you a 6x6inch portrait of your cat, dog, ferret, hamster, bunny, lizard, etc. for free! Just message me proof of purchase and your address. [Gyunghee can be reached at: Gyunghee.park AT outlook DOT com]

I’ve posted before about esims for Gaza, but here’s the explanation from Connecting Humanity (group of volunteers coordinating gazaesims.com):

Since October 2023
People in Gaza are cut off from the internet by Israeli bombing and blocking. Every photo you see from Gaza since then has come through an eSIM, a virtual SIM card, which connects people to the internet.
eSIMs can save lives and give Gazans a voice to show the genocide in Gaza. Connecting Humanity provide eSIMs to journalists, medical professionals, aid workers, families, people documenting the genocide and children and students who are all using eSIMs to stay connected with the world and each other.
Over 400,000 eSIMs have been donated through Connecting Humanity, without your generosity Gaza would be totally isolated. eSIMs are saving lives and showing the world the genocide.

They are in desperate need of more esims and currently only have the ability to provide them to medical staff, journalists, and students. With your help, they can again provide esims to civilians facing incredible hardship.

How do you do this?

  • Go to gazaesims.com to learn how to purchase and donate esims OR donate money HERE for the purchase and distribution of esims.
  • NOTE: I’ve had the easiest transactions with Nomad. Use discount code NOMADCNG

Just think how wonderful it will be to gaze upon a watercolor rendering of your beloved dog, cat, hamster, turtle, bunny (shh, don’t tell Sunny), or ChiaPet, knowing it was made possible by your generosity and sense of shared humanity. Bonus: The artist Gyunghee Park also accepts commissions at Gyunghee.park AT outlook DOT com so if you like her portrait of your doggie friend, you might also want to get one of your gecko. PLEASE share here if you take Gyunghee up on her offer!

Thank you for reading this far. Keep hydrated and remember to breathe. We’re all in this together. Solidarity!

Literary institutions to authors: don’t speak of Gaza

/ Tracy Abell / 8 Comments

Earlier this week, I highlighted how anti-Zionists in the Jewish community are being  targeted by Jewish institutions, schools and synagogues, for expressing solidarity with Palestinians. It’s a heartbreaking situation that has fractured communities and led to feelings of pain and isolation for those bravely speaking out on behalf of our shared humanity. Unfortunately, that’s not the only community being torn apart over Zionism.

Writers are also facing the same kinds of pressure from literary institutions. Yesterday, Truthout published the following from author Lisa Ko: “Literary Institutions Are Pressuring Authors to Remain Silent About Gaza.” The article begins with this (emphasis mine):

When writer and disability justice activist Alice Wong received a MacArthur Fellowship earlier this month, she shared a statement about accepting it “amidst the genocide happening in Gaza.” The backlash was swift, with a deluge of posts on X attacking Wong’s character and accusing her of antisemitism.

This conflation of opposition to Israel’s military action with hatred of Jewish people is only one part of a broader wave of political and social repression that is attempting to silence writers speaking out against the war. In the past month alone, authors who have criticized Israel’s ongoing bombardment of Gaza — which is funded largely by the U.S. — have been labeled extremists, been suspended and fired from faculty jobs, and targets of defamation and harassment.

Ko goes on to detail how she received death and rape threats as a result of her expressing concern for the safety of a Muslim woman scheduled to be on an upcoming  Writers Institute festival panel with Ko. However, Writers Institute isn’t the only institution pressuring writers to remain silent in the face of genocide. PEN America holds this mission statement — “PEN America stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect free expression in the United States and worldwide” — and yet feels comfortable pressuring authors to keep their mouths shut in order to be eligible for literary prizes.

A culture that demands certain political allegiances from its writers and artists at the risk of losing career opportunities is one that is antithetical to democratic values, and harkens back to the McCarthy-era Hollywood blacklist that barred writers from employment on suspicions of “subversive” and “un-American” leanings. 

I write for young readers and for many, many years belonged to and volunteered for the largest international organization dedicated to children’s writing and illustration: Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). I cancelled my membership several years ago because of how SCBWI treated a Palestinian woman who questioned SCBWI’s one-sided support for Israel following an attack on Gaza. I’ve never regretted that move, especially since SCBWI, which exists purely on behalf of creators for children, remains silent in the face of a genocide in which children are being shot in the head by snipers. I now belong to Story Sunbirds: a kidlit collective of authors and illustrators who stand up for children with all our hearts. I feel much more comfortable in that community.

Reading Ko’s article made me incredibly sad. Institutions that supposedly exist to uplift voices and create stronger bonds between humans all around the globe are instead using coercion and threats to keep people from speaking out on behalf of fellow humans. Please take a few minutes to read the article: “Literary Institutions Are Pressuring Authors to Remain Silent About Gaza.”

We can’t stop talking about Palestine.

Sunday Confessional: I don’t want either

/ Tracy Abell / 6 Comments

I know I’m not alone in feeling pretty horrified and despondent about the two major presidential candidates, neither of which will use the considerable power of the executive office to address the many crises we face.

Neither candidate cares about Palestinians, but one wants us to believe she does. Except, the longer she goes without stating the obvious–that the U.S. must enact an arms embargo–her concern is revealed to be nothing more than a veneer of compassion.

One candidate is a climate denier. The other says the right words about the climate crisis, yet vows to lead the world’s “most lethal military” (the U.S. military emits more carbon dioxide than entire countries) and fully supports funding and facilitating a nonstop bombing campaign. Sorry, but that seems an awful lot like climate denialism.

Neither candidate is talking about Medicare for All while we face down year five of a global pandemic. Both candidates are trying to out-hate the desperate people showing up at U.S. borders. They both want more cops and more criminalization of people trying to survive in this capitalist hellscape. No matter which one takes office, the brutalization will continue.

To be clear, I loathe that horrible little greed-head. I detest his othering of vulnerable people and his naked desires to further enrich himself and his already-rich fascist friends. But couldn’t we have a candidate who offers more than the fact that she’s not him? Couldn’t we have bold and aggressive policies that will meet people’s material needs (and allow humanity to survive) rather than a Democratic candidate who cares more about peeling off a few Republican votes? (Challenge: name one Republican presidential convention in which Democrats took the stage).

Anyway, those are some of the thoughts bouncing around my head as Zippy and I walk through our neighborhood with its many political signs.

We love this homemade sign aimed directly at the two houses across the street with Tr*mp signs in their yards. 

While I feel visceral disgust for those with Tr*mp signs, I don’t feel a whole lot better about those with Harris signs (except for the above). I get it, the duopoly has put us in a horrible position. But Harris signs bring another kind of despair, forcing an acknowledgment that this country has normalized mass death, disability, and suffering. We’ve never reckoned with the million-plus people who died and the millions of others disabled due to Covid (Biden did so much damage in his four years) and way too many voters are completely happy to overlook the slaughter of Palestinians (fully sponsored by the Democrats). Yet we’re supposed to believe these same voters will “push Harris left” if she’s elected? (They said the same about Biden and I wonder, for example, how many of those who were rightfully outraged by images of children in cages due to Tr*mp’s policies know that Biden also put children in cages and unleashed this at the border?)

The one and only good thing about the Electoral College is that, living in Colorado, I don’t have to agonize about my presidential vote because it doesn’t matter. The state votes blue no matter who, and Harris will win Colorado. Not so in the swing states where there are basic steps Harris could have taken to insure those votes. She chose not to take those steps. I hope people remember that on November 6th.

Genocide there, oppression here

/ Tracy Abell / 8 Comments

Mondays are usually devoted to climate-related content, but today I’m  pivoting to the oppression happening on university campuses here in the U.S. (which, as you know, is frequently touted as the world’s greatest democracy and defender of free speech).

I’ve written before about the oppressive tactics employed against college students around the country who don’t want their tuition and taxes used to fund a genocide of Palestinian people (here, here, and here), and today am linking to a sobering article from Truthout about the ramped-up efforts to crush dissent. ‘s October 13 article, Chalking Bans and ID Checks at Protest Repress Palestine Solidarity on Campus, comes as Israel unleashes horrific violence and destruction on Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon. The United States is enabling all this and universities are playing a huge role in keeping the genocide going. But as Jarmakani points out, it’s not only genocide but also scholasticide.

“…Israel is committing scholasticide in Gaza and throughout Palestine. In Gaza alone, more than 625,000 students have no access to education because 85 percent of schools have been directly hit or damaged, all universities have been destroyed and entire pathways of knowledge and wisdom have been annihilated. Given this context, it is particularly egregious that U.S. universities resume classes this fall more determined than ever to silence and repress speech and action in support of Palestine.”

Rather than spending the summer months meeting their students’ demands for transparency and divestment from weapons manufacturers, the universities spent that time encoding repressive policies to crush dissent.

Alongside outright bans on encampments at virtually every university come a coordinated set of campus policies, including mask bans, mandatory ID policies, bans on chalking, new protest guidelines and even curricula and syllabi review, all of which promise to severely undermine academic freedom and free speech. On some campuses, as in the California State University system, these restrictions are enacted through “Time, Place, and Manner” policies, which — while they claim to be “content-neutral” — are clearly a direct response to the student movements that transformed campuses last spring, as they explicitly prohibit “vandalism, property damage, trespass, [and] occupation of a building or facility.”

The California State University system restrictions feel personal to me as I was a student at several of those campuses. Shame on them.

Jarmakani continues:

Even more chilling is the fact that these policies seem to presumptively assume that “unlawful discrimination, harassment, and defamation” are the goal of the prohibited activities, specifying that they are “not protected by the First Amendment,” and setting them up for punitive action, even though the right to protest is a central pillar of the First Amendment. Of course, no university should tolerate discrimination, harassment and defamation on its campus, but amid a new “red scare” driven by contrived charges of antisemitism, in which outside Israel advocacy groups weaponize Title VI to argue that criticism of Israel constitutes discrimination and harassment, we must be clear that the actual purpose of such policies is to penalize pro-Palestine speech.

A writer I admire recently wrote on a private forum that they worry that within a year or two, open discussion of Israel will be censored under law. That doesn’t feel like an exaggeration.

I highly recommend reading the entire article which is filled with links to examples of the many egregious practices aimed at crushing students’ voices. I’ll close with the final two paragraphs (emphasis mine):

Student encampments were examples of principled protest, nonviolent civil disobedience, collective education and political resistance; they intentionally cultivated spaces of popular education, mutual aid and collective care. Through this ethic, their demands for divestment not only invigorate the movement for Palestinian liberation — they make urgent connections among U.S. imperialism through the war on terror, Israel’s genocidal assault on Gaza, and deadly policing practices in the U.S., all through the lens of weapons manufacturers. We must not let them be silenced.

In the face of ongoing genocide in Gaza and devastating attacks on Lebanon, I take solace in the communal forms of knowledge and practice that activate and sustain us. The actual S.O.S. urgently before us does not call for the securitized response of militarization and repression; it demands our urgent commitment to life and collective liberation.

Thank you for reading this far. I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments. Until next time . . . solidarity! ✊🏾

Climate change: we’re the cause but we can also be the solution

/ Tracy Abell / 6 Comments

It’s a Wednesday, but I’m offering what would usually be a Climate Movement Monday post because the synchronicity of the two elements contained here was just too perfect to pass up. Below, I offer information on hurricanes and then a quick action.

As Hurricane Milton bears down on Florida while millions struggle to recover from Helene (mutual aid links here), I received two connected emails. The first, from HEATED which is billed as “a newsletter for people who are pissed off about the climate crisis,” was their latest article titled “How fossil fuels mutated Milton: Climate scientists tell HEATED the historic storm represents “the profound irresponsibility and culpability” of polluters.”

I highly recommend reading the entire piece which begins: For scientists who study the effects of climate change, the scariest thing about Hurricane Milton is not simply its historic strength. It’s the fact that Milton grew so strong so quickly—mutating from a pipsqueak into a monster. 

screen grab from a news broadcast

Milton’s rapid intensification from a tropical storm to a Category 5 hurricane left meteorologists speechless, with one veteran NBC6 Miami scientist tearing up on air. On X, hurricane scientists described Milton’s sudden explosion as “unprecedented,” “terrifying,” and “jaw-dropping,” as the storm’s wind speeds grew from 60 mph to over 180 mph in only 36 hours—one of the fastest intensifications on record.

A similarly rapid hurricane intensification happened just weeks earlier with Hurricane Helene, which transformed from a relatively weak tropical storm into a historic Category 4 hurricane within two days.

The article goes on to quote climate scientist Michael Mann who points the finger at the fossil fuel industry which is responsible for 76 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. “ExxonMobil’s own scientists warned that continued fossil fuel burning would lead to “potentially catastrophic events,” Mann said. That those catastrophes are playing out today represents “the profound irresponsibility and culpability of a fossil fuel industry that knowingly hid evidence of the tremendous danger of their product—not just danger to individuals … but danger to humanity and the planet. A whole higher category of crime.”

The article continues, including an explanation of how warmer sea temperatures contribute to the strength and size of tropical storms. Then the article ends with this quote from hurricane scientist Andra Garner (emphasis mine):

“The bad news here is that we know that human-caused climate change is driving these kinds of extremes to be more deadly,” said Garner. “But the good news is that we are the cause, and so we can also be the solution.”

That bears repeating: We are the cause of climate change which means we can also be the solution.

Right after reading that HEATED article, I returned to my inbox to find an email from Stand.earth. That email opened with: “Exciting news! Late last month, Philadelphia, PA, became the latest city to join the growing chorus of municipal and sub-national governments to officially call for a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty. Not only is Philadelphia one of the largest cities in North America, it’s also located in Pennsylvania, a state dominated by fracking. It’s proof that our movement is even reaching areas where the fossil fuel industry is most powerful.”

The email then offers a link to send a message to your local city council, asking for them to call for a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty. What are the principles of such a treaty?

  1. Non-proliferation: Stop building out the problem by ending the expansion of coal, oil and gas production
  2. A fair phase-out: An equitable plan for the wind down of existing fossil fuel production, where nations with the capacity and historical responsibility for emissions transition fastest, providing support to others around the world
  3. Just transition: Fast-track the adoption of renewable energy and economic diversification away from fossil fuels so that no worker, community or country is left behind

Please take a minute to urge your city to join the call for a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty and start working on the just transition in your community.

It was SO easy to send a message to all my city council members and mayor. I personalized (and shortened) the letter to make my point which I must say felt extra personal since one of those council members lives right down the street from me. We’ve seen horrific climate policy on the federal level and the Democrat’s presidential nominee, Kamala Harris, now contradicts her earlier campaign vow to ban fracking, but local communities offer a greater chance for citizens to make an impact. Please take a moment to reach out to your city council to let them know how you feel about the role of fossil fuels in these catastrophic hurricanes which are destroying lives and property.

Thank you for reading this far! I appreciate you being here. Solidarity! ✊🏾

You are invited

/ Tracy Abell / 2 Comments

I discovered Norwegian artist Tiril Valeur through Mariame Kaba‘s newsletter and wanted to share because (1) I love this anti-genocide sentiment and want everyone to take it to heart and (2) the artist-activist has created additional powerful pieces you can access here. Beautiful art that refuses to keep quiet is needed more than ever as the U.S. enables genocide and regional war.

Free Palestine! Free Sudan! Free Congo! Free all oppressed people! ✊🏽

Updated mutual aid links (Helene)

/ Tracy Abell / 5 Comments

Yesterday I shared links to lists of mutual aid groups that are helping in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. Those lists are a bit unwieldy to navigate so I wanted to update with this great list put together by Appalachian Voices and 7 Directions of Service.

Thank you in advance for any help you can offer!
General

Climate Movement Monday: mutual aid after Hurricane Helene

/ Tracy Abell / 13 Comments

EDITED WITH UPDATE: Please see my 10.1.24 post with easy-to-navigate lists of mutual aid groups!

Welcome back to another Movement Monday in which we discuss all things climate with a focus on frontline communities. In order to protect my health, I’ve been on a  self-imposed media break from the many horrors of our current reality (and I acknowledge my privilege in being able to avoid those horrors!), so don’t have any new insights into the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. I will, however, share this from Bill McKibben’s newsletter which I did read:

Were it happening just in one place, a compassionate world could figure out how to offer effective relief. But it’s happening in so many places. The same day that Helene slammed into the Gulf, Hurricane John crashed into the Mexican state of Guerrero, dropping nearly 40 inches of rain and causing deadly and devastating floods in many places including Acapulco, which is still a shambles from Hurricane Otis last year. In Nepal this afternoon at least 148 people are dead and many still missing in the Kathmandu Valley. Just this month, as one comprehensive twitter thread documented, we’ve seen massive flooding in Turkey, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Marseilles, Milan, India, Wales, Guatemala, Morocco, Algeria, Vietnam, Croatia, Nigeria, Thailand, Greece, Romania, Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, with the Danube hitting new heights across Central Europe. 

Make no mistake, we are in climate collapse. And yet, the powers-that-be still pretend it’s not happening. Last week, Zippy received an email survey from one of Colorado’s senators (Michael Bennet), asking Zippy to name his priority issues. That survey did NOT even include climate (or Gaza or Lebanon and the corresponding billions of dollars and weapons to Israel). Clearly, the electeds are completely happy to drive humanity to extinction.

Which is why today’s post is devoted to mutual aid groups working on the ground to help those impacted by Hurricane Helene.  Also, with some overlap, here’s another mutual aid list. What is mutual aid? Per Global Giving: Mutual aid is about cooperating to serve community members. Mutual aid creates networks of care and generosity to meet the immediate needs of our neighbors. It also addresses the root causes of challenges we face and demands transformative change.  

Mutual aid is a powerful way to give because it helps build community and create people power. People trust those who’ve helped them in hard times and are more likely to join later efforts to push for beneficial change in their communities. Mutual aid builds on the present and for the future.

Helene impacted Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia. There are many needs right now and so I again offer this list of mutual aid groups and this list.

I hope you’ll join me in helping the people of Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia. Any amount is appreciated! Thank you in advance for your humanity.

Please take care of yourselves. Solidarity! ✊🏽

Climate Movement Monday: turning the fossil fuel narrative on its head

/ Tracy Abell / 4 Comments

Welcome back to Movement Mondays in which we discuss all things climate. Today I’m returning to Not Too Late: Changing the Climate Story from Despair to Possibility (edited by Rebecca Solnit & Thelma Young Lutunatabua) in order to offer my readers another lens to look at our climate reality while also imagining a better world.

At the start of the chapter “Different Ways of Measuring: On Renunciation and Abundance” (a conversation between Solnit and Lutunatabua), there’s this quote from Dr. Elizabeth Sawin:

“It is some very effective marketing that has convinced so many of us that getting off of fossil fuels is a sacrifice as opposed to a money-saving, peace-promoting, water-protecting, health-improving, technological leap forward.”

This jumped out at me because whenever I (foolishly) read comments about various climate actions (and it doesn’t matter if it’s folks politely demanding better of their government or Climate Defiance interrupting fossil fuel executives as they’re being celebrated), there are always people who ridicule the activists for imagining a world without fossil fuels. Those naysayers insist the many negative consequences  we’re experiencing in real-time are a given and that there’s no way forward that doesn’t include fossil fuels. A frequent commenter “gotcha” is “Did you drive your car to that action?” which reveals a complete lack of imagination in regards to our woefully inadequate public transportation, connected biking routes, etc.

Directly following Sawin’s quote, Solnit eloquently presents a different perspective that I’d love to copy and paste in reply to those cynical comments.

What if the climate crisis requires us to give up the things we don’t love and the things that makes us poorer, not richer? What if we have to give up the foul contamination around fossil-fuel extraction, the heavy metals people inhale when coal is burned around them, the oil refineries that contaminate the communities of color around them from the Gulf of Mexico to California? What if the people of Richmond in my own home region, the Bay Area, didn’t have emergency alerts where they were supposed to seal their homes because of a refinery leak? What if the incidence of asthma in kids went way down, and we stopped losing almost nine million people a year to pollution worldwide? What if that moment when the pandemic shut down so much fossil-fuel burning that people in parts of northern India saw the Himalayas for the first time in decades became permanent?   

I don’t know about you, but reading those words expanded my mind and heart, while reaffirming my belief in a better world. Kicking our fossil fuel addiction won’t set us back, but will instead liberate us to live healthier, happier lives.

If you’re interested, here’s an article about the visible Himalayas, including grateful social media posts:  Peaks of Himalayas visible from parts of India for first time in decades as pollution drops amid lockdown. And if these quotations resonated with you and you’re interested in reading more, Not Too Late is available through Haymarket Books and is currently offered at a discount.

Thank you for reading this far and please know I welcome all thoughts and comments below (spoiler: no, I did not drive my car to this post). Until next time, solidarity! ✊🏽

You should have joy and pleasure

/ Tracy Abell / 7 Comments

When reading this week’s newsletter “Organizing My Thoughts” from Kelly Hayes this morning, a quote jumped out at me. It came via the linked piece from Lewis Raven Wallace “The Right Wants Us to Submit to Nihilism. Here Is Where I’m Searching for Hope.”

“You should have joy and pleasure from being on the right side of history,” [ . . ], “not anguish and despair. Let the other people have that.”

My first yellow leaves of the season. Golden Gate Canyon State Park. August 30, 2024

Wallace continues with this:
Joy is not just icing on the cake or the purview of the privileged. It is an exercise in hope that has always been rigorously practiced by people facing impossible situations of oppression. Laughter, pleasure and small acts of connection are precisely where we find our power — and the soul fuel that makes it possible to go on.

Anyway, that sentiment helped me a lot today–helped me remember who and what I am–and I wanted to share in case it could help someone here. Let’s hold onto our shared humanity and refuse to let the horrors and ugliness turn us into shells of ourselves. Let’s rejoice in nature and each other, and laugh as much as possible.

The fear-based, mean-spirited people can keep all that ugly for themselves.

Thankful Thursday: shared humanity

/ Tracy Abell / 10 Comments

This beautiful begonia bloom was waiting for me this morning when I arrived at a neighbor’s to water their plants.

The delicate bloom rested on the concrete below the pot, looking perfect as could be. It felt like a gift and I brought it home.

And now I offer this beautiful flower to those I’m grateful to be in community with, the people whose hearts are also broken on behalf of the Palestinians facing horror after horror as the United States arms and gives political cover to Israel’s genocide. This begonia bloom is also for those experiencing further outrage and heartache on behalf of the Lebanese who suffered two terrorist attacks this week as Israel carried out its long-range plan that involved a shell company in Hungary which built electronic devices laced with explosives to be detonated at a later date. That later date was this week. Dozens, including children, are dead, and thousands are maimed as a result of electronic devices literally exploding in their faces.

For all who refuse to normalize death and destruction, who refuse to harden their hearts against people halfway around the world, I’m grateful for your shared humanity. Thank you.

Edited to add: I meant to also share the begonia gift with those sickened and heartsick on behalf of the Haitian immigrants being demonized and terrorized by people using the “othering” playbook to advance their fascist goals. I’m grateful to all who refuse to remain silent in the face of that hateful demagoguery.

Climate Movement Monday: the war on Gaza

/ Tracy Abell / 4 Comments

Welcome back to Movement Mondays in which I highlight a climate-related issue and offer suggestions for taking action. It’s been a while since I posted one of these and that’s due to a sense of overwhelm and futility. But I’m rousing myself today because the U.S. military is one of the major (if not the major) driver of climate change and because today is Day 346 of the war on Gaza. I’m hoping that people who might have remained silent thus far regarding the ongoing genocide of Palestinian people might be motivated to take action if they realize what the many tons of bombs supplied by the U.S. are doing to the environment, effects that will impact everyone on this planet.

Per “The Gaza war is an environmental catastrophe,” an article published September 5, 2024, in +972 Magazine, Gaza’s future was already precarious with the specter of “Ever-worsening shortages of water and electricity. Catastrophic flooding in dense urban areas. Food insecurity exacerbated by drastic temperature increases, reduction in overall rainfall, and the long-term impact of toxic chemicals.” Those predictions were made two years ago and now, after nearly one year of the U.S. enabling and providing cover for Israel’s campaign of death and destruction, that threat has radically accelerated.

“…environmental degradation in Gaza has worsened exponentially: as Israel’s bombardment destroys infrastructure, an inordinate amount of toxic dust has been released into the air, and wastewater management has entirely collapsed due to the shortage of fuel. 

By April, the destruction of buildings throughout the Gaza Strip had produced an estimated 37 million tons of debris. As buildings are damaged or collapse, they release clouds of noxious smoke, toxic dust, and fumes into the environment.”

As someone who recently lost a beloved family member to cancer as a result of him working several blocks away from the World Trade Center, the thought of this ongoing assault sickens me. Can you imagine 346 days of this where you live?

Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike in Gaza, seen from the Israeli side of the fence encaging the Strip, January 7, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Beside the genocidal depravity of all these bombs, “It is projected that the current war already yielded a minimum of 900,000 tons of toxic waste. These pollutants — which include radioactive and carcinogenic materials, heavy metals, pesticides, and other chemicals, emitted both through the use of military munitions and in the destruction of buildings — persist in the environment, posing a threat to all forms of life, including animals and vegetation. They contaminate soil, air, and water sources, endangering ecosystems.” [emphasis mine]

I encourage you to read the article in its entirety as Dr. Mariam Abd El Hay, a researcher in social dynamics and the environmental impacts of conflicts and a Palestinian citizen of Israel from the city of Tira, answers questions posed by +972 Magazine.

So what can we do? I fully admit that what the global pro-Palestinian coalition has been doing for the past 11+ months hasn’t brought about a ceasefire and aid for Palestinians, but that doesn’t mean we should stop agitating. I continue to contact my electeds to voice my outrage for their continued support for genocide. Today I focused on this document from the Ministry of Health in Gaza.

I used that Tweet as a script which helped me focus my rage at their complicity. Fourteen pages of dead children younger than one year of age! 

To contact your electeds, go HERE for your Representative and HERE for your two Senators. HERE for Biden and HERE for Harris.

In addition to referencing the 649-page document of (documented) dead Palestinians and/or the climate impacts of this U.S.-sponsored genocide, what else might you say to your electeds (particularly if they’re Democrats)?

  • Don’t threaten me with the end of democracy when poll after poll shows the vast majority of voters DO NOT want billions in aid and weapons sent to Israel to commit genocide. What you’re doing is NOT democracy.
  • The poliovirus, which we eradicated, is now present in Gaza’s wastewater. Worse, Israeli soldiers are hindering the delivery of polio vaccine to Palestinians.
  • Humanitarian aid workers are being murdered. As of September 12, 220 UNRWA aid workers have been killed. 
  • Know how to get an immediate ceasefire? Halt all weapons and aid to Israel!
  • There are anti-genocide candidates on the November ballot and I won’t be voting for anyone who doesn’t fully support an arms embargo, immediate ceasefire, and aid to Palestinians.
  • Edited to add: You’re no better than a climate denier if you continue to support this war on Gaza. And that goes for if you support fracking and brag about how much oil production is happening under the Biden administration. You can’t call climate change an existential threat and then push policies that accelerate the climate crisis.

And if you’re unwilling to bang your head against the entrenched political duopoly, you could donate to Municipality of Gaza (water and sewage treatment), UNRWA, esims for Gaza, or vetted fundraising campaigns for families in Gaza via Gaza funds.

Okay, I’ll stop here. It feels gross to frame this genocide in terms of what it’s doing to the climate, but because climate change is a global issue that affects every single one of us, I’m hoping more people will speak out on behalf of Palestinians. And to anyone who continues to scroll on past any mention of what’s happening in Gaza and the West Bank, shame. We need to regain our sense of shared humanity.

Thank you for reading this far. Solidarity! ✊🏽

EDITED TO ADD: Drop Site News is hosting a live screening of the documentary “The Night Won’t End” tomorrow (Tuesday) at 8 p.m. ET. The film tells the story of three Palestinian families in Gaza fighting to survive the genocidal onslaught. Go HERE to subscribe for free and gain access to the screening.

Thankful Thursday: people who reach out

/ Tracy Abell / 2 Comments

Over the years, I’ve had friends from my distant past find me via this site which is always a happy surprise. And strangers have reached out after reading something I posted. For example, after writing about Aaron Bushnell on Memorial Day, a friend of his wrote to me. Their message touched me deeply and I wrote back to thank them for taking the time to contact me in solidarity.

But I’m not always successful in responding to people and so today I’m using this space to let LR know that I received their message. Thank you! I tried to respond via the email provided but there’s an error with that address and it doesn’t go through. I did an online search and was able to find an edu email address for you, and sent my message there. Because I haven’t heard anything back, I’m  wondering if that’s also a bad address. PLEASE, if you see this, use the contact form again and leave a different return address. I very much appreciated your message and would like to converse some more!

May 29, 2019

Solidarity!

On this Labor Day

/ Tracy Abell / 4 Comments

Labor Day is dedicated to workers uniting, using their collective strength to demand changes in work policy to include respect, safety, health care, livable wages, shorter hours, sick time, etc. Sadly, the fierce and strategic labor organizer, Jane McAlevey, died at age 59 in July. Jane had an incredible impact on organized labor and you can read some tributes here.  She published a number of books and this is what I wrote in my reading log after finishing A Collective Bargain: Unions, Organizing, and the Fight for Democracy (2020):

“This book fired me up! There’s so much we can accomplish if we stand together. I wish I had a job where I could organize a union. Biggest takeaway: even in states w all GOP elected (WV), the teachers & school workers won huge demands via strike!” No matter if you’re in the work place or not, I highly recommend reading this inspirational book because Jane makes it clear that people power is the way forward in every single challenge we face. People standing shoulder-to-shoulder as we demand better for people and planet.

 

I believe Jane would be thrilled by some of the powerful collective actions happening right now:

Lastly, PLEASE take 2 minutes to personalize comments in support of United Farm Workers who labor in the fields to bring food to our tables. They work in all sorts of extreme weather, including in dangerously high temperatures. The comment period is now open for Federal Heat Safety Regulations and I hope you’ll join me in advocating for training, shade, cool water, and paid rest breaks for the workers. You can do that HERE.

I’ll close this Labor Day post with some wise words from  Mother Jones:

  • “Pray for the dead and fight like hell for the living.”
  • “The first thing is to raise hell,” says I. “That’s always the first thing to do when you’re faced with an injustice and you feel powerless. That’s what I do in my fight for the working class.”
  • “Our present civilization is one of brute force. We hope to make it a civilization of justice and love.”

Thank you for reading this far. Happy Labor Day!
Solidarity! ✊🏽

Twofer Tuesday: Sarah Kendzior + Great Blue Herons

/ Tracy Abell / 4 Comments

Today I offer a majestic Great Blue Heron I had the honor of seeing last April, along with a link to Sarah Kendzior’s latest essay which, in addition to featuring sobering insights about our political reality, references a Great Blue Heron.

Lake Hasty on the evening of April 3, 2024

 

I’ve never met Sarah, but she feels like a kindred spirit. Sarah also escapes to nature when the world overwhelms and her heart aches. Tomorrow I’m heading off solo in our campervan to spend a few days in nature where I will revel in the flora and fauna. I hope to capture other images that will ground me and bring calm each time I look at them, visual mental health talismans on-call for whenever I’m in need.

I’m grateful for my privilege that makes it possible to escape into nature, and I wish the same for everyone everywhere. Someone in Sarah’s comments posted a very apt Wendell Berry poem which I’ll include here:

The Peace of Wild Things
When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

Again, here is the link to Sarah Kendzior’s piece: Birds of a Feather

I’ll note that I’ve been reading Sarah’s work for the past few months and today, finally, upgraded to a paid subscription. Her eloquence and humanity are always on display, but Birds of a Feather hit me especially hard (in a good way).

Wishing everyone a good week that, I hope, includes some interactions with the natural world.

The speech the Dems refused at the convention

/ Tracy Abell / 5 Comments

Journalist Noah Lanard just published a piece in Mother Jones, outlining how the Democratic National Convention has refused to allow any Palestinian to address the convention. This despite the “…thirty uncommitted delegates at the DNC representing the hundreds of thousands who voted uncommitted in lieu of supporting President Joe Biden’s primary campaign. They have been calling for a ceasefire and a halt to arms transfers to Israel while in Chicago.”

The Uncommitted Movement put forth a list of possible Palestinian speakers and offered to have the chosen speaker’s speech vetted and edited by the Harris campaign. State Rep. Ruwa Romman (Georgia) was considered a strong choice since she’s a Democratic representative in a swing state.

Romman called herself a safe, last resort. “If an elected official in a swing state who is Palestinian cannot make it on that stage nobody else can,” she told Mother Jones.

Democrats’ cowardice runs very deep because not only are they not allowing a Palestinian on the stage, they were comfortable giving speech-time to a Republican from Georgia.

Here is the speech Romman was not allowed to give:

My name is Ruwa Romman, and I’m honored to be the first Palestinian elected to public office in the great state of Georgia and the first Palestinian to ever speak at the Democratic National Convention. My story begins in a small village near Jerusalem, called Suba, where my dad’s family is from. My mom’s roots trace back to Al Khalil, or Hebron. My parents, born in Jordan, brought us to Georgia when I was eight, where I now live with my wonderful husband and our sweet pets.

Growing up, my grandfather and I shared a special bond. He was my partner in mischief—whether it was sneaking me sweets from the bodega or slipping a $20 into my pocket with that familiar wink and smile. He was my rock, but he passed away a few years ago, never seeing Suba or any part of Palestine again. Not a day goes by that I don’t miss him.

This past year has been especially hard. As we’ve been moral witnesses to the massacres in Gaza, I’ve thought of him, wondering if this was the pain he knew too well. When we watched Palestinians displaced from one end of the Gaza Strip to the other I wanted to ask him how he found the strength to walk all those miles decades ago and leave everything behind. 

But in this pain, I’ve also witnessed something profound—a beautiful, multifaith, multiracial, and multigenerational coalition rising from despair within our Democratic Party. For 320 days, we’ve stood together, demanding to enforce our laws on friend and foe alike to reach a ceasefire, end the killing of Palestinians, free all the Israeli and Palestinian hostages, and to begin the difficult work of building a path to collective peace and safety. That’s why we are here—members of this Democratic Party committed to equal rights and dignity for all. What we do here echoes around the world.

They’ll say this is how it’s always been, that nothing can change. But remember Fannie Lou Hamer—shunned for her courage, yet she paved the way for an integrated Democratic Party. Her legacy lives on, and it’s her example we follow.

But we can’t do it alone. This historic moment is full of promise, but only if we stand together. Our party’s greatest strength has always been our ability to unite. Some see that as a weakness, but it’s time we flex that strength. 

Let’s commit to each other, to electing Vice President Harris and defeating Donald Trump who uses my identity as a Palestinian as a slur. Let’s fight for the policies long overdue—from restoring access to abortions to ensuring a living wage, to demanding an end to reckless war and a ceasefire in Gaza. To those who doubt us, to the cynics and the naysayers, I say, yes we can—yes we can be a Democratic Party that prioritizes funding our schools and hospitals, not for endless wars. That fights for an America that belongs to all of us—Black, brown, and white, Jews and Palestinians, all of us, like my grandfather taught me, together.

Again, here’s the link to the entire article.

I haven’t watched any of the convention, but apparently a former Trump press secretary and a border control agent were allowed to speak. The Dems are very eager to lurch rightward as they plug their ears and la-la-la their way past the tens of thousands of protestors outside the convention, demonstrating for an arms embargo and immediate ceasefire. Children are literally having their heads blown off by bombs, made and supplied to Israel by the U.S., but the Dems can’t be bothered with acting on behalf of the majority of people in this country who do not want their taxes funding a genocide.

I’d like to believe the Dems will reflect on this when they lose untold numbers of much-needed votes in November. However, I’ve been around long enough to know it’s never, ever the candidate’s fault. The blame will be placed on voters who couldn’t bring themselves to vote for the blood-soaked candidates busy enabling the most horrific atrocities of our lifetime.

Shame on them.