If the only way you can win support for your cause is to hide your history, limit access to books and ideas, and silence your critics, then your 'cause' is without merit. If open dialog and truthful communication can destroy your plans, then they deserve to be destroyed.

I thought I heard somebody say something about merit... #IKYFL TikTok video by Kevin Myles

I thought I heard someone say something about 'Merit'...

www.tiktok.com/@kcmyles1969...

Activist fam, ask yourself.. when was the last time you attended a community meeting when you weren't going in with a presentation on what you wanted the community to do in support of YOUR effort or idea?

How can we amplify the voices of the community if we aren't really listening to their voices

.. it's funny how the incoming administration very publicly pushed their anti-diversity views and plans, yet Byron and Tim and 'nem still thought they were getting hired for somethin...

#addtoblacksky

We ALL need to be accountable now. If we've EVER received a dollar from the community for being an activist, RIGHT NOW is our opportunity to go deliver that 'return on investment'.

In truth, there is no political candidate that we could elect to any office in the Country who could solve or even address all of the needs and concerns of our community.

"Waiting for the next election cycle" is not an adequate response to black and brown employees who are locked out of opportunities for promotions.
"Waiting for the next election cycle" is not an adequate response to grieving families stricken by gun violence.

"Waiting for the next election cycle" is not an adequate response to a failing school.
"Waiting for the next election cycle" is not an adequate response to overpriced & under-serviced housing units.
"Waiting for the next election cycle" is not an adequate response to uresolved environmental crises

Pinning all of our hopes and investing all of our time, effort, and resources into partisan political campaigns is really like a form of escapism. It allows us to lay claim to the mantle of the movement without doing movement work.

We are going to have to collectively begin to reinvest "time" and "presence" if we want to build momentum. We can't make substantive social change with 'effort-free activism' and 'meme-based movements'. We have to be willing to show up.

I could post a picture of a can of soup on Facebook and get 1,000 impressions and 200 quick likes, but whenever I post anything that is movement related, the post's reach is limited so that only people who visit my page directly are able to see it.

Community Organizing needs to go back to basics. We will never build a successful movement via social media when we can't see or control the algorithms that determine who's even able to see and/or read our content.

It's troubling to see how difficult it can be for small black nonprofits to obtain the capacity funding they need to grow. While non-black nonprofits are often able to secure funding that's totally contingent upon having the same black people and organizations help meet their deliverables..

It's time for Social Justice orgs to begin having some very strategic conversations: Like, how do we fight for Environmental Justice if EPA standards are eliminated and/or remediation funding is repurposed elsewhere?

It's time for Social Justice orgs to begin having some very strategic conversations: Like, how can parents and communities advocate for better educational outcomes of the Dept of Ed is dismantled and/or National standards are removed?

It's time for Social Justice orgs to begin having some very strategic conversations: Like, how can organizations push for Police reform if the Justice Department shifts away from pattern and practice investigations and stops enforcing consent decrees?