These are brutal times. It is easy to become discouraged and want to drop out of the struggle for a better world.
It can be helpful to remember the bright souls we have known who refused to be defined by their political era and so gave birth to new possibilities for an age to come.
Living in Texas, I have met some remarkable feminists and womanists. It was probably from these “steel magnolias” that I learned not to let political victory or defeat define us. Like anyone, these champions got discouraged and needed to rest, but they were fully committed to their causes and had each other’s back.
I remember sharing coffee with some of Ann Richards’ pals at the State Capitol. They had given their lives to make conditions better for women, the LGBTQ community, the working poor and the children of Texas. I could not believe how much love and joy they expressed for each other as they danced through some of Texas’ most brutal struggles. The deck was rigged against them, but they seemed unflappable. Their joy came, from not from political victories, but from serving their highest values in a beloved community. For these brave women, despair was energy out of harness.
People who give their lives for their highest values cannot be evaluated in terms of political wins and loses. They are like lanterns burning in the window through humanity’s midnight times. Their faithfulness reminds us of our own best selves.
It is easy to despair as we listen to gloating politicians who believe that might makes them right, but it is no small thing to give our lives as lanterns of love and justice shining in the window through humanity’s midnight hours. If we can remember the fierce and gentle souls who refused to be defined by the struggles of their time, perhaps we can remember the gift we give the world simply by refusing to be anything less than fully human.
(Originally published in May of 2023)