“THE RESISTANCE”
Caroline and I were privileged to be among the 30,000+ people who marched through Atlanta on Saturday and gathered at Liberty Plaza across the street from the Capitol to join in the “Hands Off” protest against the Trumpster tricks and his move to crush history and dissent. As we got on MARTA at the East Lake station, we were glad to see longtime friends gathering too. When the MARTA train pulled into the station, it was almost full, burgeoning with protesters going down to the rally. We saw that repeated at the next stations. It was reminiscent of our going to the Obama inauguration in 2009. We got on the Red line at Siver Springs at 5:30 AM, and as we came to various train stops, people were pouring in to go to the inauguration in 20 degree weather. One big difference, though – at the 2009 gathering, there was excitement and hope and joy. Yesterday, there was excitement that so many people were showing up, but we were fueled mostly by anger, disgust and determination.
There were many great speakers at the “Hands Off” rally. Some made the contrast between wanting to tell the Trumpsters to keep their hands off the hard-earned rights that we have, while urging us at the same time to be “hands on” in engaging and resisting the movement to repress, oppress, and suppress that the Trumpster is leading. As I wrote in an earlier blog about Lenten practices, we are called to engage, to resist, and to work to regain the vision of justice and equity in our culture. If you don’t remember those practices, go back to the March 3rd Blog on “Lent and Trumpism” to review them.
As the speakers wove their stories of anger and determined resistance, one thread stood out to me. Andrea Young, director of the ACLU of Georgia, spoke of who we should be listening to. She also added this line: “And of course I will not be listening to or bowing down to a white man who grew up in South Africa under apartheid.” And, yes, Elon Musk did grow up in the apartheid regime, and with that background, he is rooted in the white supremacy that he and the Trumpster are trying to restore in its inglorious dimensions.
There was energy, passion, longing, and deep anger in those who marched and rallied and spoke yesterday. It looks like this was repeated all over the country, with estimates of 5 million people turning throughout the country. And, we will need that energy and passion to be able to provide resistance to the Trumpster’s move to reinstate white, male supremacy in every corner of the USA. He has the power, and he is using it as much like a king as we will let him.
It was heartening to see so many people, so many different ages, so many different skin colors, so many different orientations – the “Hands Off” rally was good for that. As Caroline noted, there were older folks like us who had clearly been marching for a long while, and there middle and high school students and other younger folk who were just starting out their marching career. Caroline remembered that her first march was against the Vietnam War in downtown Atlanta in May, 1970, after the USA had invaded Laos and Cambodia. My first march was in the fall of 1966, when I marched against the Vietnam War while I was a junior in college. That next spring I would help to organize a march against Gammons Steakhouse because they would not admit a Black student from Southwestern. So, think back in your own life – what was your first march for justice? If you’ve never been on a march, why not? This, especially, is the time to do it! We must all find ways to resist this current administration and its anti-democratic work. It is time to speak up and act up before that too becomes illegal.
