Waking ourselves for the benefit of all.
More Recent Legacies
In this section of your study, we encourage you to think about patterns of resistance within your family line, and/or the cultural group (or groups) that your family comes from. We’ve shared a few examples and stories to illustrate the fact that anywhere oppression and exploitation occur there are always people who resist it: on their own behalf as well as on the behalf of others (including other groups of people as well as the natural or nonhuman world). As always, the resources below are in no way meant to be exhaustive.
-
Remembering the US soldiers who refused orders to murder Native Americans at Sand Creek (10-15 min read). Content warning: this story includes descriptions of and reference to the horrific violence of the Sand Creek massacre.
-
Grimké Sisters (5 min read)
-
Emma Goldman - Read introductory section (3 min) and consider reading other sections on this page, as you have time or interest.
-
In Freedom Seder, Jews And African-Americans Built A Tradition Together (5-7 min read; embedded video optional)
-
Harlan County, U.S.A. (1976) (3 min trailer)
-
Harvy Milk (5-7 min read)
After looking over this short list of stories, what comes up? What stories do you know of – about social movements, and/or individuals who stood out in these movements, who sacrificed and championed justice and equity in the face of oppression or exploitation?
There is no need to limit your reflections to race related struggles – you might consider Judi Barri, or members of ACT UP!, or the protests against the war in Vietnam War, or other, more recent, mobilizations against imperialism, endless war, climate change, immigration, or any other area of social struggle.
You might also consider counter-cultural movements, such as the punk scene (which often expresses a working class politics); the creative, courageous expressions of gender and sexuality among LGBTQ people (a form of self determination that flies in the face of mainstream expectations, often at personal risk); or the mountain music and culture of Appalachian communities (often shaped by direct resistance to capitalist exploitation).
Consider that anywhere exploitation and oppression exist, there are people who oppose it, and that throughout history and up to the current day, many of these people are white (or were the ancestors of those who today are classified as white).
-
What relationship might you have – or want to have – with these movements and/or courageous leaders?
-
Do you feel differently about “white folks” (or even yourself) knowing that leadership for genuine justice and equity can be found, throughout history, among our ranks – despite the purpose of our social classification as white?