4/12/2020 Renewal
Dearest friends and family: As always, I hope this finds you healthy and safe. Our communities are facing terrible strains and losses; my heart is with you. It's tough, at times, to find optimism. Spring reminds us, though, of the promise of renewal. I thought I'd send a few ideas about how we might be able to renew our social commitments in the aftermath of the pandemic experience.
The things we are paying attention to now can guide us. We see how important low-paid workers are to our common health: farmworkers, grocery store clerks, delivery drivers, among others. We see how the huge national gaps in health insurance and in sick leave put us all at risk. We see how mass incarceration of asylum seekers and others creates terrible conditions for contagion. The creative, generous, competent work our teachers do in their classrooms is far more visible now that schools are closed. The disparities of what "home" means - a safe place to shelter, with plenty of room for isolation; a crowded, bustling place with no opportunity to distance; an unsafe place of violence or neglect; a tent or sleeping bag in a doorway or under a bridge - these disparities demand our attention.
And we see how the lack of a coordinated, systemic federal approach creates a patchwork of responses, some states doing better than others, competing with one another for essential equipment and gear.
When we come back together, will we lose sight of these fissures? Or will we renew our commitment to the underlying systemic changes needed to rebuild our communities in more equitable, inclusive, safe, and empowering ways?
We can start now, considering how to ensure that health care (including sick leave) is a human right for everyone. We can start now, learning about supply and distribution chains, and examining how to protect them. We can start now, exploring the lessons of history - the expansion of progressive worker protections in the early part of the 20th century, the addition of major social insurance programs in the Great Depression, the Civil Rights progress of the 1960's. We can start now, recognizing those who have been left out of the economic expansion since the 1980's, and understanding why including everyone in economic and physical health is essential for the survival of the human species.
We can start now, learning about how the health of our bodies, our communities, our economies, and our Mother Earth are inextricably intertwined. We can prepare to insist that this awareness guides the rebuilding that will come, settling for nothing less than radical, progressive, inclusive transformation.
I am reminded of the lyrics of Leonard Cohen, in his song "Anthem:"
There is a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in
Thank you for being part of the light, and part of the journey toward renewal for all of us.
With gratitude, sending wishes for good health for one and all, and love for those who are suffering -
Liz
Some sources to read to help prepare for our renewal:
https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/otm/episodes/on-the-media-blindsided