Editor’s Note: On this page are photos taken primarily by Tribuno del Pueblo and the People’s Tribune reporters and photographers of some of the many issues and groups who protested for justice at the March on the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago in August.
Those of us who have a history of being on the front lines knew this moment was coming and we’re telling ourselves it is not the time to fatigue out! We know either way it lands, that it’s in our laps and we need all boots on the ground. Especially since the Citizens United decision by the Supreme Court, we have been fighting corporatism with the knowledge we have gathered that the oligarch uses the properties of fascism to remain in their class war so the rich get richer and we get poorer. They use the suffering of all living things to conquer and divide. They even use their God.
Human beings are hurting, animals are disappearing, our planet is dying, and for many of us, our empathetic distress for humanity is at an all time high. We cannot retreat. So where do we go from here when the stakes are either a path of demise or one of growth?
Yes, it is this serious. Look around you. Our world is in the dires.
Do not let anyone tell you it does not matter to our well being who is our president or who controls the House and Senate. It does matter to us frontliners what strategies we have to prepare to keep pushing forward. Our collective, dedicated work has given us a solid foot in the door to make progress on issues with those elected officials who align with the good of the people while also working overtime pushing against the greed of the destructionists who shut the door in our face, threatening us with military actions if we practice our constitutional rights, including our right to protest. Our movements must keep growing and we must stay engaged at all levels of justice for the survival of all living things.
With all the thousands of organizations doing the good work, join one. Do a little or plunge right in. Do not just vote, but actively keep our elected officials accountable, something we have not done a very good job at for way too long. Be open to being creative in organizing and not be stuck in a formula that does not work anymore. Call those out who are in it for their own agenda and not the collective. We do not have time to waste placating ego or money to fill their coffers. Instead, approach those in the trenches who wear an earnest heart and support them with learned kindness and a wealth of wisdom. If you feel you are heading for a burnout, start mentoring others who will pick up the sword and charge forward and keep them lifted up to fight the good fight. Every action has meaning. Every spark of energy moves us forward.
Thank you all who work so hard for justice and stand up against oppression.
Georgia de la Garza, who is from the beautiful Shawnee Forest of Southern Illinois, has served on the front lines as an organizer for social justice for many years. De la Garza has fought for Indigenous rights, Environmental Justice, Labor and Women’s rights on national and global fronts. She serves on the editorial board of the People’s Tribune.
