BRAVO! to the people, the church groups, the civic groups, the students and the schools, the poets, the musicians and the artists who bare witness to the times, the historians who remind us of our roots and their lessons, the lawyers who clarify the law and fight for justice, and journalists who investigate and speak out. Bravo! to the women who are the stewards of heart for all their joyousness, their spirited defiance and their hope and faith. Bravo! to the man at the Women’s March on Washington who carried a sign saying, “I think it’s time that white men stopped talking and started listening.”

THIS WEEKEND I was proud that in the midst of fear and contention the majority of protesters were peaceful and respectful.

OFF THE CUFF/STRAY THOUGHT Perhaps it would be wise to replace “Love” with “Respect,” which is really what would be more fitting in this context and perhaps serve as a better reminder of honorable behavior and speech.

The work has just begun. Here are some resources as we move on:

• Know Your Rights: Demonstration and Protest, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
• Indivisible: A Practical Guide for Resisting the Trump Agenda, Former congressional staffers reveal best practices for making Congress listen. There’s a lot to ponder – I’ve reread it a few times over the past two weeks – but it’s an excellent and enlightening guide and worth the time and effort.
• Inequity Media, videos that frame the issues and offer informed and measured tips for fighting the good fight, Robert Reich
• American Civil Liberties Union, is taking legal action regarding disclosure of Trump’s tax returns and investigation into possible conflicts of interest et al. There’s an interesting feature –  “Waking Up in Trump’s America” – that details the fears of the most vulnerable among us and also a 7-Point Plan of Action to Take on the Trump Administration.
• The Nation, the most widely read weekly journal of progressive political and cultural news, opinion and analyses.
• 100,000 Poets for Change (100TPC), which has evolved to include peacemakers for change, musicians for change … drummers and mimes and so on …  under its banner. This is a global peace initiative started in 2011. It has grown to include over 500 events in countries around the world on the fourth Saturday of September each year. Other events are held on other occasions. To find events in your area or to start one go to the site.
• 100TPC Global Action Calendar is a place for artists of every ilk to place announcements of upcoming events.
• The BeZine is a space where we hope you’ll delight in learning how much you have in common with “other” peoples. We hope that your visits will help you to love (respect) not fear. We acknowledge that there are enormous theological differences and historical resentments that carve wedges among and within the traditions and ethnic or national groups, but we believe that ultimately self-preservation, common sense, and human solidarity will empower connections and collaboration and overcome division and disorder. The zine is published monthly, generally on the fifteenth. The BeZine sponsores a virtual 100TPC event every year.  This year it will be on September 30. Mark your calendar. The theme for the January issue was “Resist.”

And the last and perhaps most important: REQUIRED READING. The Third Reconstruction: How a Moral Movement Is Overcoming the Politics of Division and Fear by The Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II

In April 2013, Rev. Barber began leading regular “Moral Mondays” civil-rights protests in North Carolina’s state capital, Raleigh. He is credited with bringing together a fusion movement to protest restrictions on voting and to reform state govenement. He is said to be responsible for shepharding in a new era of progressive politics.

The Third Reconstruction is a memoir about how Rev. Barber and his diverse allies (hence the “fusion”) came together to build a coalition. He shares his analysis of race-based inequality along with hopeful message for our United States as it continues to work toward the healing of entrenched racial and economic injustice. Ultimately, The Third Reconstruction is a blueprint for a movement, for  building coalitions and an inspiring call to action from the “twenty-first century’s most effective grassroots organizer.”

© 2017, words, Jamie Dedes, All rights reserved; © 2017, heading photo and signs pictured courtesy of Rev. Stephanie Etzbach-Dale of Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Redwood City, All rights reserved; Rev. Barber photo courtesy of twbuckner under CC BY-SA 2.0 license