By Rev. Dr. Doe West
I am working daily to encourage all those around me to be sure they:
register to vote!
double check that they are on the voting rolls!
get to the polls on November 6th and victoriously vote!
Does my faith in this process mean I am somehow ignorant of or immune to the malevolent undercurrent seeping up around us, imparting a sense of hopelessness regarding our efforts, imposing a sinking feeling that our votes won’t count, and enshrouding us in fears that ruthless threats to our human rights, our futures, our planet, can never be overcome?
Absolutely not. In fact, it is my acute awareness and painful personal emotions each day that compel me to continue fighting the good fight every day at every opportunity.
Why? What good will it do?
The hard truth is that any individual’s personal struggle for peace and social justice may not be enough to turn the tide tomorrow or bring hopes and dreams to full fruition this year, or next, but it is also true that every single action taken by every single person does matter. And when people join hands and work together, they can make history and create better futures.
How do I know that?
It is October 2018 and …
- We are fighting against voter suppression. That means that we WON voting rights!
- We can connect with protestors we meet at marches across the nation.
- We have specific names and locations of candidates who stood with us and on whom we can rely again to carry the fight from the inside out.
- We have more diversity in our ranks in regard to gender, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and other group identifiers in the candidates who take action for the causes in which we believe!
- The alt right and radical right are coming out in daylight in public arenas where they show their colors and spew their hatred, making the need to take action against their self-serving agendas obvious to more and more people.
- We have blogs such as engaging peace to which we can turn for affirmation and for connection with a community of people who are unified at the head/heart/spirit level and who will offer support when any of us stumble or lag or are hit by the fear that it is NOT worth it. Be part of this community. Write to engaging peace about your efforts on behalf of a fairer government, a safer future, a better world.
I know myself well enough to understand that like Maya Angelou, who spoke for us all when she said, “I RISE,” and like Michelle Obama who spoke for us all when she said “As they go low, we go high,” and as I tell you right now… it matters. More than you may see or feel or understand. But every single success we have had and gain that we have achieved has been created by every woman, man, and child before us who took action – even when, at times, they also asked “Why? What good will it do?”
The answer is clear. Persevering is the only way to go, the only way forward. So rise to higher ground with me today …and take action!