I think it’s safe to say that quite a few of us are aware of the need to take action to influence our future society well above and beyond voting in November (if the election is actually held and viable). But we’re all trying to survive the pandemic, too – so the traditional actions one associates with change coming as the result of mass protest are not available to us right now. But that doesn’t mean that we are without options. Many groups are organizing in their communities, nationally, and internationally. I’m going to post links to some of the organizations I’m aware of here on a new Covid-19 Working Class Resources page that I can add resources to as I discover them or am contacted by their organizers.
I also want to encourage everyone to read during quarantine. If you are just starting to explore outside of the two-party system and are trying to gain an understanding of imperialism, colonizing, and why the US has only been at peace for 16 years of the 242 years it has existed, please pick up a copy of Joel Andreas’ Addicted To War: Why The US Can’t Kick Militarism and read it. If you want to talk about it with others, I’ve set up discussion space here on the website. But you should absolutely read it ASAP, because it will help you to make sense of our present conditions, and inform you on your future political choices.
I’m currently reading Frantz Fanon’s Wretched Of The Earth. While thinking about it, I wrote this recently on my Facebook page:
I have been working for many years to confront feelings of shame that I have been reluctant to process, regarding many social injustices, and my own privilege in contrast.
That is part of being a revolutionary. So when you feel shame over the existence of social injustice and recognition of your own privilege despite that injustice, don’t ignore it. Use it. You need that to help inform the decolonization and revolution inside of your own mind, which enables you to then put those decolonizing and revolutionary actions out into the world.
Reading Wretched is forcing me to confront ideas in myself that, if I were not already keenly aware of what it is like to deprogram from a cult, it would be easy to feel slighted over, because those ideas often seem “natural” or like they are actually representative of your own self-informed beliefs. But I know that what I am confronting is the indoctrination and propaganda of the Establishment ruling class, so while I am willing to be accountable for my own thoughts and actions, I also do not allow myself to become reactionary to the information I’m learning. It is important as we decolonize, dismantle and abolish oppressive elements from our society that we do not let our ego take control. It is important to reflect on both the systemic implications and the role we personally play in those, so we can do better moving forward. Please consider this as you learn new information that forces you to re-examine your own beliefs and understanding of the world around us. Consider how we all need one another, that that our collective empathy and care for one another is so vital in these times.
Now, onto some more valuable resources!
Jane McAlevey, a seasoned worker organizer, was interviewed on The Jimmy Dore Show recently, and I highly recommend checking out the videos regarding strikes and actions during a pandemic. Rolling targeted strikes will be key, and we need worker solidarity – even if it is inconvenient or risky – because there is power in numbers, and the working class needs to show ours to the ruling class. We outnumber them, and as a united front, we can change the world to make it more livable for not just current generations, but for future descendants. Please check these videos and her books out. I’m reading one of her books after I finish with Wretched.
You can check out Jane’s site for a bevy of resources, too.
There is so much we can do to help one another in the short-term, as well as building long-term goals and efforts to force a world that serves the working class and our ecosystem, instead of the avarice of billionaires. We have lots of reason for hope – provided we band together, in a united front of working class solidarity. I’ll be updating the new Covid-19 Organizing Page in the coming days, and if you have resources that you believe belong on it, please reach out!