I’ve been avoiding talking about the upcoming election in my online spaces.
Not because I don’t have anything to say, but rather because I want to be sure that whatever I say is adding to the conversation, and moving the needle forward.
But, as we draw closer to this year’s presidential election (we’re less than two weeks out) I feel like I have to speak up.
Note – I’m talking specifically about the election here in the US but this message applies to anyone who lives
in a country that offers its citizens the power to vote.
I want to start this letter by saying that I do believe in the power of a collective vision, and I dream of a world where true democracy can exist.
I also need to say that I spent a few years in my early twenties very jaded about the voting process, and I’m not proud to say that my privilege made space for me to opt out of voting in past elections.
But in 2016 I knew I had to make a change.
And now, four years later, I feel like we’re being faced with what feels like a similar choice.
We are being asked to choose between a racist, sexual predator who lies about anything and everything to make themselves look ‘good’…
And an old school, old money, Police apologist who seems more concerned with fortifying an oppressive capitalist system than protecting the people.
Either way… I know that we aren’t going to get someone who will create a political environment that is radical enough for the world I’m committed to building.
But that doesn’t mean I am not going to vote.
I see voting as a practice in harm reduction.
When we cast a vote, we aren’t voting for someone who will make all our political dreams come true.
The politicians will never be the knight in shining armor we’ve been waiting for.
Instead, when we cast a vote, we must elect someone who is least likely to prevent us from doing our radical work.
The current administration is stirring up the old racist roots of this country, it’s denying scientific evidence about climate change and global health, and it’s setting the stage for a coup in the coming election.
In the podcast Octavia’s Parables, hosted by adrienne maree brown and Toshi Reagon, they talk about how we can’t wait for the perfect politician to help us build our political home.
They remind us that building that sense of belonging is up to us, we have to gather with the people who are willing to work with us towards a more just future.
We have to vote for the candidate who is least likely to harm the people we are moving with into the future and least likely to slow our advancement towards a feminist, anti-oppressive, abolitionist culture.
I’m not going to tell you who to vote for, that’s not my place.
But I am going to ask you to think about the kind of future you want for the people of the land you live on, and to vote accordingly.
It’s up to us to create the culture and the communities that we want to live in, and while it’s quite clear that we can’t count on the government to save us, we do need to do our part to elect officials who aren’t going to get in the way of the world we are building.
Thank you for being a part of this community, I’m grateful to be building with you!
Love + Liberation
Lauren Elizabeth