Our Protest, Something Made in Connectedness
Something to join, something to take pride in
Everyday, we embark upon a journey. As we commute to work and school, or even just around the block to the grocery store, we begin our days traversing our landscape and absorbing all of the messages it holds. We are swayed by feelings its sights and sounds stir in our souls.
It’s extraordinary that now, intertwined with the pavement, greenery, houses, cars, and flittering birds, we have added signs of political protest as part of our vernacular. Not only is it common to see bumper stickers and flying flags, but we might not be all too surprised to see crowds standing on corners with posters and bullhorns. On any given day, we might see passionate sidewalk chalk messages, a cleverly cutting mural on a downtown building, or people locking arms at a Tesla dealership.
And if we are living in a place where these sights are not present, we can’t help but see them filling up our news and social media scenes. We’d be hard pressed to find a corner of the world where America’s political unrest doesn’t intrude third spaces in the form of heated conversations. This administration’s policies are disrupting too many peoples’ lives to be left out of the ether, exposed and ready to be defended or denounced.
With every one of these phenomena, our landscape is rapidly changing into a patchwork pattern of dissent. We are spontaneously remaking it at rapid speed. It’s not a planned remodel, but it is an overhaul. It is actually quite normal now that everywhere we look, we are reminded that ‘this is not normal.’
It is remarkable.
Think of the politicians coming home to these sights, struggling to chalk it all up to paid protest. Think of the people who have never considered themselves political but now find themselves relating closely to the messages on signs carried by folks down the street. Think of the kids who grow up seeing these sights out the carpool window, understanding that part of being American is participating in peaceful protest, or at least engaging with political discourse.
And as our collective consciousness evolves through our new environment, there is not one expert shaping its course. There is not one leader who has control of it. We might be in awe of the way our small acts come together to create something palpable and powerful.
I’m leaving you today with words from an artist who is in the habit of creating public displays that have the same effect. Dr. Judy Baca has created many beautiful works of art which are designed to include a wide array of perspectives and modes of resident participation. One of these is the Great Wall of Los Angeles, a mural that stretches over a half a mile along the LA River and depicts the city’s less-told histories, featuring minorities, women, and children.
Like today’s protest landscape, it is an ongoing visual and experiential challenge to the status quo. Many unique and creative voices chip in to correct false and incomplete narratives, presented by those in formal positions of power. When I heard how Dr. Baca viewed this project, I was struck by how it resonates with what the public is now creating all across America:
“It’s humbling because you really recognize that this isn’t the story you can create on your own. It’s really the story…all of our stories. And so it’s a collaborative experience. It’s something made in connectedness. Connected to the people we are making it for, connected to the people who are producing it, connected to the neighborhoods that it lives in, and connected to our country.” -Dr. Judy Baca
Together, we are constructing something big, something meaningful to share with the world. Powerful because of its ability to nimbly change in the face of opposition and to jump at new opportunities to showcase injustice. Growing in capacity as more and more people join in.
Even as we might individually feel small or weak, we can look around and take in all the ways we are creating a new civic world with each brave word. We can remember the ways we were pulled in to take action, and understand that our presence may be a stepping stone that allows someone else to do the same. We may realize that each time we step out to petition for a just and caring world, we are doing something that creates it.
We may realize that our job, big as it is, may not be as daunting as it seems. Dr. Baca may again hit a nerve with her wisdom:
“The distance between dreaming and making real is really very small.” -Dr. Judy Baca
In this mindset, I wish you strength and joy as you go out and enjoy the coming of spring, in this beautiful new landscape we are all a part of making.
With love and hope for the future,
Stephanie
What sights, sounds and feelings are showcasing political discontent and protest where you are?
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Love this: “We may realize that our job, big as it is, may not be as daunting as it seems.”
Achingly beautiful; I needed this shot of hope. Thank you. I've subscribed.