Emergence

This is the longest stretch of time that I have gone without posting since I started this blog in 2023 – almost a year. I have been trying to get my bearings and my thoughts together regarding what I want to say about the world that has unfolded in 2025. In getting my thoughts together, I remembered a post I made on Facebook on January 10, 2021:

Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced. - James Baldwin

As others have articulated, what transpired at the US Capitol - only a mile away from my home - was shocking, but not surprising. Shocking because a mob - fueled by a steady stream of lies - defied law enforcement and breached, damaged, and desecrated the Capitol Building, absolutely convinced they were saving US democracy. Five people died, including a Capitol police officer. Not surprising, however, because this was just the latest manifestation of white supremacist patriarchy doing what it does to maintain power, by any means necessary; the latest remix.

I’ve heard folks saying “this isn’t who we are”; “this isn’t America.” However, if we, as a country, are truly going to advance from this moment, we seriously need to reckon with the hard and uncomfortable truth that this is EXACTLY who the United States of America is and determine whether we’re okay with it continuing to be this way or do the work to make it a more perfect union.

We must not forget that the United States was NEVER founded for women and people of color. It was founded by and for rich white men, on land stolen from the Indigenous they massacred and built via free labor by humans they stole and enslaved for life from the African continent. Given the conditions of the founding and building of the United States, white supremacist patriarchy is in the country’s DNA.

Because of the country’s DNA, there’s always been a faction fighting hard to maintain what they believe is rightfully theirs; conjuring whatever narrative and enemy they can, to ensure others, who do not at all benefit from the same power and privilege they do, join them in the “righteous” cause to save the United States from those they say seek to destroy it.

We also know, however, that while the United States was NOT founded and built for us, our history is marked by incredible movements of Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, LGBTQ, women, white allies, and others, who have pushed our country to live up to the ideals articulated in the Declaration of Independence; to have the same protections outlined in the constitution. While we’ve made progress, we’re nowhere near being a nation where we’re all truly seen and treated equally, let alone equitably, which is another real, hard truth we need to face.

So, what’s next? Will we face our ugly, painful, truths so we can finally achieve real justice and lasting healing? Or, will we ignore, excuse, and condone these actions, yet again? I hope we face our truths because it’s pretty clear that the United States will not survive another remix.

We’re now 8 months into the Make America Great Again (MAGA) remix and it’s hard to see a path forward on justice and liberation amid everything that this current administration is unleashing under the guise of greatness. From shutting down USAID to eliminating federal grants and reducing the federal workforce to putting the nation’s public health in jeopardy to terrorizing people and cities with ICE and the National Guard to seeking to prosecute political opponents to threatening broadcasters and free speech, Trump and his enablers have unleashed a torrent of chaos with no clear end in sight.

As all of this unfolds, certain members of the Supreme Court and Congress – the co-equal branches of US federal government that are supposed to provide checks and balances – are failing to honor their oath to protect and uphold the Constitution and rule of law. With no checks and balances in place, Trump is emboldened and continues to take actions straight out of the authoritarian playbook. As a result, we are experiencing the consequences of a system that was built on the assumption that those in our federal government will earnestly do their part to make the US a more perfect union.

My last post, which was before the US presidential election, highlighted the dangers associated with a lie as old as time – that a hierarchy of human value exists. This lie is often accompanied by a scarcity narrative that there is not enough to go around for everyone. Throw on top this, the steady cultivation of an enemy other, who is constantly being shape-shifted to advance the narrative du jour, and we have the conditions that put us in perpetual survival mode.

In survival mode, we are anchored in fear, which makes us more susceptible to efforts that dehumanize those who look different, love different, speak different, and worship different than we do. And in cases where none of the usual identifiable differences exist, othering based on ideology is brought into the mix. Those who actively engage in dehumanization rationalize its harmful and violent byproducts as the price others must pay to protect "us" against "them", without realizing that they've paid an infinitely higher price in failing to see the shared humanity of their fellow human being.

As someone who believes that our world is abundant with enough to go around for all of us and that all of us have a right to exist in this world, free of harm and violence, I have struggled to locate myself in this moment. I have struggled bearing witness to the breadth and depth of the ideology and narrative being used to create division, justify harm and violence, and erase the inherent dignity and humanity of those branded as other. I have struggled to figure out what I can do, as the multitude and magnitude of threats to humanity’s continued viability accelerate exponentially.

Two books have helped me get my bearings. The first – Hospicing Modernity by Vanessa Machado de Oliveira – helped me shift my perspective vis-à-vis my role in systems change. I am no longer using our current system as the reference point for my actions; a system that was built on the extraction and exploitation of people and planet. A system that is antithetical to life. Doing so constrains my vision of what is possible. Now, I am doing my part to hospice the death of the current system in a way that will clear the way for a system that affirms and sustains life. I am also looking for ways to help mitigate the harms and violence that are default features of the current system.

The second book – Emergent Strategy by adrienne maree brown – is one I keep coming back to, as it reminds me that emergence is life’s natural order. That whatever system sprouts to replace our current one will depend on what we put into it now. So, as the current system dies, what types of actions will contribute to the emergence of a system that affirms and sustains all people and our planet? Here, the focus is on our individual actions, since "what we practice at the small scale sets the patterns for the whole system."  So, I am choosing to practice life-affirming actions, which includes, but is not limited to being present, deepening my relationships, strengthening community, centering joy, and nurturing my mind, body, and soul. In my practice, I am also reminding myself of our interdependence whenever my ego comes in to try and sow doubt and create division.[1]

As I reflect on what led me to finally post, there were multiple factors, including my commitment to be part of the chorus of voices that speaks out against injustice. The tipping point, though, was experiencing people I love and care about sharing dehumanizing narratives and ideology. As many who are in a similar situation, a question that came to my mind is whether I should cut ties. I have decided not to. In staying connected, I know that I need to be mindful and intentional about my boundaries to maintain my well-being. By choosing to stay connected, though, I also know that I keep the door open for the ultimate life force – love – to emerge.

Reflection Questions

1. What individual actions do you take now that affirm and sustain people and planet?

2. What would it look like to ground your actions and decisions based on what would affirm and sustain all people and planet?

[1] I am also revisiting the role that Briyamos can play, so if you haven’t done so already, please subscribe to the mailing list to stay abreast of developments.