Resistance is Slow and Steady

I'm good at seeing a problem and working hard to fix it, get the job done, feel good about my work, and move on. I'm good at getting others excited to make a difference with a short concerted effort. I've always struggled with long, slow-moving, work. I've struggled with follow-through when there are other things calling for my attention. I'm often impatient.

Resistance in the face of oppression, hatred, the slow moving and latent racism that put DJT in the White House, requires steadfastness. What I'm feeling lately is that my impatience is a reflection of my privilege as a white, middle-class, straight man. I have always had the privilege of doing whatever gives me energy, whatever excites me, whatever seems fun. Even the activism I do is ego-centered, I have the privilege of being an urban farmer working for social justice through food justice.

I need a community of people that understands the necessity of selfless activism in the face of all that we are facing as a country. I need others to remind me that we will press on. I need people of color to remind me that they've been in this struggle for centuries, not months, and that they know how to resist oppression. I need to follow, not lead. I need people who want to follow the oppressed, seeing them as our leaders. I need people of privilege to join me, not get frustrated when things are very slow, and get in line behind those who are suffering the worst of white America's injustice.

Resistance is slow and steady.