On Participation in the Movement for
Black and Collective Liberation “The truth is, no one of us can be free until everybody is free.” Maya Angelou
Hey, welcome to the revolution! Across the United States, the spontaneous protests
and gatherings in our cities and towns are not only a re-
sponse to a single death or racist event. They represent a much larger, longer struggle.
uprooting a status quo that is rotten to the core.
Black and Collective Liberation is less about getting
rid of something and more about re-imagining everything. There is no time more urgent than now.
So how can you help?
First, engage in action. Our bodies on the street make
Generations of people have fought for the right to
a difference at every level of governance: city, county,
In this moment of crisis and opportunity, we can
write letters, vote and help others register, support BIQT-
simply exist.
choose Black and Collective Liberation: to right past
wrongs in the present, and secure a tomorrow in which
Black and Brown children will grow up safe, pursue their
passions and gifts, and make their extraordinary, joyous contributions. None are free until all are free.
I invite you to join me in dedicating your strength,
commitment, power and heart to follow Black leaders and accomplish Black and Collective Liberation.
The supremacist vision of “liberty” is a twisted freedom
— to steal, exploit, murder — to destroy without restraint.
Individuals act today without fear of tomorrow’s justice, all for the sake of access to unlimited power and profit.
state and national. Attend meetings, educate yourself,
POC-owned businesses,** talk to your friends, bosses, and representatives, and ask them to do more. Center
the most vulnerable: Black and Indigenous people, women and femmes, children, elders, the poor, immigrants, disabled and folks who are sick and struggling.
When we support each other in our communities, we
solve our own problems.
Second, take responsibility. If someone graces you
with feedback, take the time to explore how internalized
supremacy might be affecting your thoughts, words, and actions. Let go of perfection, you will make mistakes
along the way. Address the
White Nationalism
garner the support of poor white folks. Just
like the KKK was funded
by, and took orders from the Knights of the White
Camellia,* the “haves” use
whiteness and the unlikely possibility of joining the
powerful few, to divide the natural solidarity of the “have-nots.”
Institutionalized systems
of oppression work together to deliberately repress
and exploit people based
on race: from drug and tax
law, to education vouchers, unfair housing practices, police and incarceration.
Black leaders’ calls to #De-
fund and #Abolish are about 14
Nancy Shanteau
allows elite, rich men to
problem in your behavior, and keep fighting.
Third, bring your per-
sistence. This movement
is generations old, and we may not see its end in our lifetime. We fight anyway,
for a country that achieves
our ideals, elected officials who represent the vast
majority of us and better
SCAN ME!
is the lineage bearer for Skills for Change Coaching, an approach to making life changes for individuals
seeking power-informed radical embodiment theory
and practice. Co-author of Access to Power: a Radical Approach for Changing Your Life, she leads online
courses such as Live Your Relationship Values and Cooperative Communication. Nancy identifies as
white, multi-ethnic, pansexual, aromantic, relationship anarchist and as a settler living in unceded Nisenan
territory. Find her on Patreon at https://www.patreon. com/nancyshanteau and on her website at http:// www.nancyshanteau.com.
lives for all.
There is no time more
important than now to
stand up against tyranny
and show up for democracy. Together we can -- and will -- change everything.
Citations: * Christopher Long, “KNIGHTS OF THE WHITE CAMELLIA”, Handbook of Texas Online ** BIQTPOC: Black, Indigenous, Queer, Trans, People of Color
Nancy Shanteau (she/her)
