#2: Waking Up to Potential
"While we may not be seeing the stories we need in pop culture, people everywhere are embodying these transformative values more and more in their everyday work."
One of the most difficult parts of being present in 2020 is holding simultaneously the reality of destruction, as well as the deep potential of what can come. It’s a tumultuous time of things being upended, both things that are fruitful, and those that are ruinous. I’ve been thinking a lot recently about some wisdom Rev. angel Kyodo williams shared in an interview, “What is dying, I think, is the willingness to be in denial...and when it happens in enough of us, in a short enough period of time at the same time, then you have a tipping point.” Now is a good time to assess what you are waking up to and the role you can play in this tipping point.
We cannot go back to how things were. Nor should we. That has become abundantly clear. The pandemic is stretching onwards. Our planet will only continue to warm for many years. What do our long term solutions look like? We have to transition to prolonged vision. But where do we find these ideas? In a recent article by Kendra Pierre-Louis’ she points out how, “right now, the stories that many of us are telling about ourselves are hurting us.” The only mainstream cultural piece that shows us how people “can live in equilibrium with their environment” is Black Panther.
While we may not be seeing the stories we need in pop culture, people everywhere are embodying these transformative values more and more in their everyday work. We see it in acts of solidarity, as well as when we embrace our diversity. We see it in projects that build communities and sustain circular practices. We see it when we honor partnerships instead of patriarchal systems.
Things may seem rather bleak right now, but to bring back Rev. angel Kyodo williams, “if we let ourselves feel this, we will be better for it. We will wake up and reach out and finally tap into our love for one another and our planet.”
Watch
The organization The Leap has released a powerful new animated short film that showcases a hopeful and invigorating message about how we can use 2020 as a turning point for something better.
Our Basket
(A curated list of stories to inspire)
Crisis Resilience: This September was the hottest ever on record, and it brought with it a horrific stream of disasters on top of the COVID crisis. As things drag on, communities are exploring and implementing more strategies to protect each other. Indigenous women in Costa Rica set up a food swapping system through WhatsApp. “As long as we have the support to continue this work, we’ll give it our all” - farmworkers in California are creating their own systems of care especially during the wildfires. It’s true that women are often disproportionately impacted by disasters and in Bangladesh, there’s been extreme floods with ⅓ of the country underwater. A local women’s group did lots of grassroot relief, and set up a “The Wall of Humanity” where people can leave their surplus. You can also watch this video about a community fridge project that was set up in Fiji. Lebanon has been struggling with many compound crises, and people there are growing flourishing gardens wherever they can.
(From youth-led climate strike in Peru. September 2020)
Youth leading the way: A source of ongoing hope is the brilliant leadership of young people. Check out this conversation with young feminists around the world who are re-imagining a holistic approach to activism. “As an ecofeminist, I fight to co-construct with others a future of care.”Fridays for Future and other youth groups held a day of action with over 3100 events, spotlighting the climate justice demands of youth in the most affected countries. Despite repression, young activists in Belarus, Hong Kong, Lebanon and Thailand are not giving up - their resistance continues, and they are building solidarity with one another. And then there’s young designers who are questioning practices of creation and generating more advances in a healthy circular economy.
Out with the old: It’s a great time to examine what from the past can be left behind. The toppling of colonial/racist statues continues (and is even being immortalized in stamp form). The Mellon Foundation wants to get behind this movement, and is allocating $250 million to reimagine monuments. And another old bastion, ExxonMobil, which not long ago was once the most profitable corporation in the world, is now worth less than a renewable energy company. Shout out to the people of Barbadoswho announced plans to remove the British monarch as their head of state. In response, people have pushed a petition to make Rihanna the new head of state. In Greece, long-awaited guilty verdicts for leaders of the Golden Dawn fascist party have shown that it is possible to challenge the Far Right politics sowing division across that country and so many others. Another archaic system that needs to go is the debt held by so many countries in the global south - and thankfully there’s a global week of action addressing this.
Revitalize: Many indigenous systems should and can be resurfaced and honored for the deep wisdom they bring. In Fiji, the traditional sailing vessel, the Uto ni Yalo, was used to bring rebuilding equipment for families who were impacted by an earlier cyclone. Traditional housing and architecture design is also seeing a beautiful revival - from Niger to Denmark. The W̱SÁNEĆ and Hul’q’umi’num First Nations are restoring ancient clam gardens. Something that definitely needs revitalizing are stories of ways that communities have effectively lived in harmony with their natural surroundings.
Don’t Miss Out: The Global Feminist Framework for Climate Justice is jam packed with transformative ideas. The All We Can Save book club is a great place to discuss more brilliant ideas on building a better world.
Thelma Young-Lutunatabua is the Editor of Radical Reimagining
Global editorial support provided by: Rebecca Solnit, Brianna Fruean, Louise Hazan, Nathalia Clark, Zeph Repollo, Lerato Ngakane, Rukiya Khamis
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