Voices of resistance: No turning back!
Judy Stadtman, campaign coordinator and field director of New Hampshire AFL-CIO, delivered this message to the 3,500 people who jammed the streets of downtown Portsmouth on the day after Donald Trump’s inauguration in a joyous and defiant rally.
Today we are once again reminded that while our slow progress toward justice is meaningful, it is also fragile and inadequate. Like a thin layer of paint that is not yet dry, our progress is too easily scraped away by those who would deny our civil rights and turn back the clock on our advancement. And then we can see with frightening clarity that what lies beneath is darkness and subordination.
But when the tide of change is turning against us, we say NO TURNING BACK.
By “us” I am talking about everyone who believes that women’s rights are human rights. By “us,” I’m including everyone who has a shared vision for a future where all can live free from oppression; free from the betrayal of low wage jobs that shackle us to a lifetime of economic hardship; free from the overbearing political influence of dogmas and institutions that derive their power from hate, fear, violence and domination; and free from all forms of discrimination against people based on the features and nature of our very humanity.
When the surging tide of change is pulling against us, we say, NO TURNING BACK! Today, I want to have a conversation with you about what NO TURNING BACK is going to require from us.
Resistance is not an abstract goal. It is not a lifestyle choice. It is not a fad or fashion. It is not a Facebook meme. Resistance is a calling, a discipline and a practice.
Resistance demands action – the particular type of action that lends itself to the transformation of power within a society. But resistance is not just something that we do; it is who we become through the process of embracing it. You won’t come out of resistance with the same self-image you had when you came in. You will be stronger.
Resistance takes a whole lot of love, and stamina, and focus. Above all, the practice of resistance cannot be effectively performed in isolation. It takes a community. And this is important: don’t confuse resistance and determination with stubbornness. Stubbornness will only keep you mired in ego battles over power and control.
At the heart of resistance is organizing other people who share our values to take collective action. Organizing people to take collective action for the greater good is a social process and takes time. It is also a practice that you can learn.
When I had enough of talking and writing about how desperately women and families in America need social change, I was moved to take action. But first I needed to learn the nuts and bolts of organizing for change. So I looked for models and mentors and teachers. The teachers and trainers are here and they are eager to meet you and help you change the world. Seek them out.
Our coming together today is incredible and uplifting. But it is only powerful if every one of us commits to getting on the bus and taking the long, bumpy, soul-shaking ride of resistance. On this bus ride of resistance, there are signposts. But there is no magical GPS that will tell us how to get from point “A” to point “B.” It is a map we will make by travelling it, together. Each must take the journey in her or his or their own heart, but always in community, never in isolation.
If we stay focused and make a commitment to organize and engage other like-minded, open-hearted souls to join us on the journey of taking action, one great day we will reach our destination. Because there is NO TURNING BACK.