If there’s a list

I want to be on it

Dear Friend,

Recently, I was sharing with Clay that I had heard back from one of our Senators in response to my letter begging for support of a ceasefire in Gaza. My heart breaks for both the Jewish civilians targeted by Hamas and the Palestinian civilians in Gaza who are being terrorized by Israel. My heart breaks for Jewish and Muslim people who experience discrimination around the world and in the US, for the situations getting worse everywhere. I don’t know everything and I don’t have answers other than feeling pretty strongly that I don’t want my tax dollars funding the bombing of refugee camps and other related war crimes. I think I’m informed enough to draw a line there. I hate that it feels radical to say that. It seems pretty straightforward to me. 

Clay kind of chuckled when I shared about the response. All of our national-level representatives are Republicans staunchly against a ceasefire and pro-Israel. He said, “You’re going to be on the list now!” I said, “if there’s a list I want to be on it.”

For a long time I’ve been more on the quietly subversive side. I’ve not felt confident enough or important enough or eloquent enough or informed enough to say a lot as events have unfolded, especially over the last 5 years or so. I posted one little thing on Facebook to say that Black Lives Matter, resharing something from my church that I thought said it better than I could. I’ve written a bit here, said more on the podcast. Most of you probably know where I stand on a lot of issues that can get labeled as political but are really about human rights. I donate to abortion access in a state where I worked and it was restricted. I donated to end money bond in Illinois - which worked by the way. But for a person who uses a lot of words, I have not used enough where it counts.

When I was in the eighth grade, I had an independent study class for World History. I chose to study the period between World War I and World War II in Germany. My primary goal was to try to get a glimpse of understanding as to how Hitler could have risen to power, how the atrocities he led came to be. I had this fundamental understanding that people were, generally, not inherently bad - so how did a bunch of decent people let that happen? I was in eighth grade and our library and the internet were somewhat limited, but it was little by little. It was not speaking up. It was self-preservation in a time of economic distress. It was just trying to get by.

When I was in elementary school, I remember for the first time understanding what slavery was and learning about the civil rights’ movement in the US. Reading about it as much as I could, both impressed with the leaders of the movement and disgusted at my ancestors, at the idea that anyone could treat humans as less than human. My child brain could not compute. 

I think everyone thinks when they read about these historical events that they would have been on the right side of history. It’s easy to say from here where it’s all clear. But statistically, most of us wouldn’t have been. A lot of us won’t be. Because it can feel futile to even raise our voices or protest or call something wrong. We can’t make anything better and we can invite harm on ourselves for being “radical.” But that’s how we all shut up and things just keep getting worse. Convincing small people like me that my voice is insignificant, that I don’t have the right things to say and people are going to be mad at me for it so why even bother.

So be mad. Call me whatever you want. Put me on the damned list. I’m tired of worrying about stepping on toes. I’m tired of listening to the lie that it is radical to think that all human life has equal value. That everyone should have housing and food and healthcare. That people should love who they love, be who they want to be. Caring about people is not radical. Thinking that people different from me are just as valuable as my own family is not radical. Thinking that books should not be banned, that people’s dress should not be regulated is not radical. I refuse to succumb to that notion for another minute.

I don’t have a huge following or a huge platform, but I’ll use whatever I have. Because I can. And if I don’t, and you don’t, we might encounter a day where we can’t. It really isn’t that far-fetched.

So, if you can, join me on the list. Email, call, post, pray - whatever you do don’t be quiet. There are so many issues and so little time, so pick a couple if you need to, but damnit let’s do this. 

If there’s a list of trouble-makers, I want to make enough trouble to be on it.

See you down the road,

Jamie