Shutdown: Stand Fast
We can’t stop it all. That’s what elections are for. For now, we do have one lever—the budget process. In this break glass moment, we MUST pull the lever.
I know this is a painful time for many people caught in the middle of this government shutdown. In my ears I hear the clear words of Andrew Young ringing like a bell.
He stood before us at the Underground Railroad Museum in Ohio and told us what led the people to boycott and organize in the Civil Rights era. He said:
“We refused to be party to our own oppression.”
That is how I understand this current moment. If the Dems voted for the full passage of the Big Monstrous Bill they would be party to the oppression of their own families, communities, and voters—plus millions of middle-class and working Americans in red states. The only way to stop this monstrosity is to get in the way!
The Montgomery Bus Boycott called on everyday Americans to dig deep and pull together to win against the White Citizens Council of their day.
Today, the GOP is our proverbial White Citizens Council, but their Big Monstrous Bill is taking aim at all Americans—Black, Brown, white, rich, poor, and in the middle. Cuts to Environmental Care, Healthcare, and Education, as well as the $100 billion increase in ICE militarization of our society will impact all of us. ALL OF US.
We can’t stop it all. That’s what elections are for. For now, we do have one lever—the budget process. In this break glass moment, we MUST pull the lever.
So, I applaud the Democrats’ boycott of the Big Monstrous Bill with one big demand: Restore Healthcare funding! Without that adjustment in an already brutal economy the majority of the nation will left without the most basic safety net. The Dems are getting in the way.
Stand fast, beloveds. We see you. We are with you. We are praying for us all.
No healthcare. No vote.
President and founder of FreedomRoad.us, Lisa Sharon Harper is a writer, podcaster and public theologian. Lisa is author of critically acclaimed book, Fortune: How Race Broke My Family And The World—And How To Repair It All.
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