October
Before the storm comes the calm. Hope you can take the heat like LeBron.
Nicki Minaj
Pandemic. Forest fires. Hurricanes. Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Breonna Taylor. The ELECTION. News with different causes and implications. They are and should be overwhelming but I have heard many people in my circle of acquaintances who have a BIG stake in social justice say that their lives have been more calm during this period. So I pondered. Is it a comment on their privilege? Well, yes and no. Yes, they might have the privilege from the economic and physical woes that has afflicted many people. Yes, they might have the privilege of being in safe spaces and may not be directly impacted by the Supreme Court decisions and death of black lives. But no, they are not living in an ivory-tower, ignorant of the issues that embattle our nation, our communities who are ravaged by so much that is happening. They understand that there is a BIG picture at stake here and they are readying themselves for the battle. Don’t be fooled. They, or I should say we, are aware that the government has failed to effectively deal with Covid-19; that we have failed in our efforts to thwart climate change; that we will suffer the consequences of the imbalance in the Department of Justice; and that we as a society have failed our black community, our brothers and sisters. First we will start with our votes but we are preparing for what lies ahead - a full-blown campaign to address many of the issues.
Never mistake calm for surrender or inactivity. Sometimes, we need to assess what is happening to better prepare ourselves. I distinctly remember how my father would spend an inordinate amount of time sharpening a knife. He would grab an electric sharpener, then a manual one, and carefully check every angle of a knife before he started butchering the meat. Being an extremely impatient person, I would wonder why he would spend so much time sharpening a knife when he was going to hack away at the meat. It didn’t require precision. But cutting a piece of meat requires more skill than strength. With a sharpened knife, it took half the time for my father to cut the meat in bite sizes for us, his children. He knew that time refining the knife was pivotal for the work ahead. Likewise, it takes time for us to refine the methods to better address the issues that are tearing away at our communities.
Here at Platform, we are slowly sharpening our tools. We are perfecting the Social Justice Warriors leadership training program by holding virtual conversations via the podcast and the think tank. We are also in the process of developing panel discussions on specific needs of the marginalized in our communities. The first topic we will be tackling is domestic violence/intimate partner violence in the margins and if all goes well, we will be expanding the discussion to mental health, internalized racism - racism between people of color, environmental issues, lgbtq acceptance, all of which will be looking at how people in the periphery can find resources. Moreover, in November after the elections, we will start developing virtual Spring workshops. Yes, we are sharpening our knives because effective leadership takes precision and our communities are in dire need of leaders.
Our calm is not because we are resting but because we are preparing slowly and methodically. We may be silent now but just know that we will roar soon. Unlike Lebron, our oppressors will not be able to take the heat we bring on.
Sam
Founder and Director
September 30, 2020