Someone asked me how I’m showing up to resist and defy the traumatic chaos seeping out of the White House.
Fair question, my friend.
So I’ve had pneumonia, still do. That’s dampened my capacity to engage in critical thinking activities, but I am on the mend. I’m trying to continue mending by not moving too fast back into my typical pace. You might call it self-care. I’m experiencing some personal grief over the impending anniversaries of the deaths of both of my parents in February, as well as my wedding anniversary amidst my ongoing personal crisis.
Still, I recognize that showing up is not optional so I’ve taken a few steps that might help you do the same.
First, I’ve continued to actively use social media to amplify important content and engage its creators. My BlueSky account grew from under 1k to over 4k in two weeks. My Facebook page for this blog grew by 5k followers. My Instagram grew by 31% to nearly 16k followers. Safe to say that people are looking for content.
Ironic, this bloggers Threads account is not growing?
My approach is simple. I use Feedly and BufferApp to find, assess, and share content from many, many sources across all of my socials. I mix up straight news with editorial content and a lot of cat/baby farm animal stuff. My feeds are full of content creators who are not necessarily mainstream – I look for BIPOC, disabled, and LGBTQ creators. I also search for Indigenous creators from around the world, lots of history for context, and international perspectives. Then I go micro and promote content about the powerful responses in our local communities.
I also reshare (with attribution, of course) a lot. I interact. I know that amplifying matters. I create content, too.
These are amazing stories, creations, and reminders.
This goes back to the 2014 killing of Michael Brown. The people I followed were blunt – allies should share, amplify, ensure visibility. So that’s when I began actively heeding their request.
Another thing that I do is post messages to my friends and followers. Not ridiculous calls for unity or tolerance of the intolerable. I remind people I see them, I hear them. I urge them to keep moving forward. It is okay if they don’t feel hopeful. It is important that I encourage them to continue onward. I don’t have much hope most days, but my sense of obligation to try is strong.
So this is how I’m showing up today. I’m consuming news, editorials, artistic responses, and more. I often weep and rage, sometimes stare with disbelief. But then the beautiful content creators fill our worlds with inspiration, laughter, even hope. They coexist and together, they will save us.
Once I’m fully recovered, I imagine things will change. I don’t know what that will look like and that’s okay. Showing up can look different on different days.
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