Direct action wherever you are, no matter how small
Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove and William J. Barber, II argue this morning for more direct action against our “authoritarian regime that threatens anyone who speaks out.” They plan on bringing Moral Monday protests (if I read them correctly) to U.S. Senate district offices across the South during the recess on Monday, August 18.
Citing the Freedom Riders of the 1960s, the pair write:
Authoritarian regimes always depend on the threat of retribution to instill fear and inspire compliance. Jim Crow was a dehumanizing system that denied the humanity of people with Black skin, but it did not ask most people to put on Klan robes and pledge their allegiance to white supremacy. Jim Crow was an authoritarian regime that insisted segregation was normal and dared anyone to challenge it.
The moral witness of direct actions like the Freedom Rides interrupted everyone in a system that was more fragile than it seemed. It didn’t change the minds of Southern governors or Mississippi jailers, but it did force the masses who’d gone along with the quiet violence of the system to decide whether they really believed it was justified.
This is what direct action does. It exposes the moral bankruptcy of authoritarian regimes. It compels everyday citizens to choose a side in a moral struggle.
So direct action it is:
We’ve checked in with our partners and set a date for August 18. If you’d like to get information about how to join a delegation in your state, please register here.
We do not know how long it will take to achieve an America that works for all of us, but we are committed to moving forward together, not one step back. And we will draw on the best of this nation’s moral traditions to guide us as we find our way to the better future that we know is possible.
Direct action is one of the best moral tools we have. It’s time to use it.
Don’t wait until they start arresting people for peacefully protesting. It’s empowering to engage in even little actions.
Locally, we’re holding several weekly drive-time sign protests around the county. They are essentially pop-up parties meant to “show the flag” of resistance. It feels good to do something publicly and regularly, even if it’s small. The protests lift spirits of passing drivers and build a greater sense of community among the activists. Occasionally, they piss off a few of the right people.
Okay, holding signs is not exactly a master narrative like Drew Westen wrote about in “The Political Brain”: If the master narrative doesn’t alienate about 30 percent of the electorate, it isn’t a good narrative. Or as I paraphrase it, If you’re not pissing ’em off, you’re not doing it right.
But when some dude feels the need to roll down his car window and shout, “Get a life, you loser,” I get to smile and think, “Oh, you have no idea!” Guess we’re doing it right.
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