Racial #Oppression: Unravel the Whole Damn Cloth

Image: Hand pulling at a string, unravelling the fringe on a cloth.
Image Credit: Cynthia Levin

As I learn more about systemic oppression and racism, I’m rocked again and again by how deep our problems go in America. Here are just four injustices that are top of mind for me:

1. Black women are three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than White women

2. Black men are 2.5 times more likely than white men to be killed by police during their lifetime

3. Black homeownership is declining more dramatically than for any other racial or ethnic group in the United States

4. Black history is being minimized or erased in school curriculum

There are many more, but those pop up for me because of my activism in the areas of maternal/child health, housing, gun violence, as well as my mentorship of high school advocates.

Now that I’m in the college application phase of parenthood, standardized testing is on my mind. When I spoke with a friend in academia about how standardized ACT/SAT tests for college essentially prevent students of color from admission to prestigious schools without being accurate predictors of college success, I kind of threw up my hands saying “I don’t even know what to do about that.” She said, “It’s one more thing you can throw on your list of things you advocate about.” Ack. It’s so frustrating how many THINGS there are. I know there is a danger for me and others for the frustration to get overwhelming to the point of inaction.

I’m urging you NOT to succumb to inaction. Don’t become so frustrated about how you can’t solve everything, that you fail to do something. In the words of a tweet by Ursula Wolfe-Rocca a.k.a. @LadyOfSardines, a teacher and organizer in Portland, OR:

"It can be overwhelming to witness/experience/take in all the injustices of the moment; the good news is that *they're all connected.* So if your little corner of work involves pulling at one of the threads, you're helping to unravel the whole damn cloth."

Image: Tweet by Ursula Wolfe-Rocca

These words are incredibly helpful to me.

Print out that tweet and paste it to your bathroom mirror. Use it as a reminder that you’re with me, I’m with you, and together we’ll make things better if we KEEP GOING.

Allow Yourself to Be Disrupted on MLK Day

Image: MLK Jr. memorial in Washington D.C.
Photo credit: Cynthia Levin

Have you ever been to the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial in Washington D.C.? It's one of the most moving memorials in a city so full of monuments and memorials that you can hardly remember all the people you’re supposed to be remembering. Rather than having some anonymous obelisk or rotunda, MLK Jr.’s figure looms larger than life as he emerges from an imposing block of stone. Surrounded by his own quotes, there is no doubt whose statue you gaze upon. When I look at the face the sculptor gave him, I see determination of a strong organizer and I see a challenge to authority. And maybe, I see a challenge for me to BE a strong organizer who can BE a challenge to authority.

Image: Tying fringe on fleece
blankets is an activity even
kids can do!

Every year, when Martin Luther King Jr. Day rolls around, I wonder if we Americans are paying proper homage to this man with our days of service and charitable acts. On one hand, the tradition of service on this day is wonderfully unique among national holidays. I have to think it would have heartened him to know that thousands of adults and children dedicate time to helping fellow humans instead of just lolling about on a vacation day. I’ve taken part with my own children by sorting non-perishable food for the hungry, making blankets for homeless folks, repairing and cleaning underserved schools, and countless other good works.

And yet, the reason we celebrate his life wasn’t because of his charity, was it? Like any pastor, he probably looked favorably upon any activities helping people in poverty. But the reason we know who he was at all is his dedication to advocacy and non-violent protest.

Martin Luther King Jr. was not an advocate who played it safe. He knew when he went to Birmingham that his actions might land him in jail. That's exactly what happened. He took that imposed time of reflection and cranked out his legendary “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.” If you haven’t read it, it’s a letter written to leaders who criticized his methods as an agitator and his urgency to take disruptive action.

There are so many gems in this letter that I won’t list them all here. But I'll point out that he directed his letter at moderates who were supposed to be on his side, but were so inactive that they played into the system of oppression. If you are ever showed discomfort with Black Lives Matter by not showing up for a protest (that would be me) or insisting that “All Lives Matter,” he was writing to you, too. Read the full letter at this link or even just the passages below and allow yourself to be a bit more disrupted:

“You deplore the demonstrations taking place in Birmingham. But your statement, I am sorry to say, fails to express a similar concern for the conditions that brought about the demonstrations.”

“I must make two honest confessions to you, my Christian and Jewish brothers. First, I must confess that over the past few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen’s Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to “order” than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: “I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action”

When I read his words and think about the conditions he was writing from (“what else can one do when he is alone in a narrow jail cell, other than write long letters, think long thoughts and pray long prayers?”), I think we can all borrow a little inspiration and courage from him to be a bit more disruptive in our country and our communities.

Image: Child standing by MLK memorial quote that says
"Make a career of humanity, commit yourself to the noble
struggle for equal rights. You will make a greater person of
yourself, a greater nation of your country, and a finer 
world to live in." - MLK Jr.

We can’t all be Martin Luther King Jr, but we can strive to be like him and honor his legacy by opening our eyes to what’s around us and using our words to challenge oppression in its many forms. So after you see to your charitable action today, ask yourself, “How can I use my words in this time to fight poverty and oppression?”

Will you take a stand against book banning? Will you oppose a state bill that bans the teaching of accurate Black history? Will you ask legislators for funding for maternal care for low-income mothers? There are so many ways to fight oppression and honor the legacy of Dr. King. Let’s all pick one and commit ourselves to actions, so next MLK Day, we can say that we answered his call.

Image: Book cover

Buy an autographed copy of "From Changing Diapers to Changing the World: Why Moms Make Great Advocates and How to Get Started" at my website www.changyit.com or order it from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or any independent bookstore!

Write a "Welcome to Congress" Letter to the Editor

Image: Cynthia smiling in front of the U.S. Capitol building

Start the 2023 session with a positive attitude of partnership and cooperation! 

Did you know we have 82 new lawmakers in U.S. Congress this year? According to the Washington Post, 12 of them have no government experience at all. With 75 new members in the House and seven new senators, we have no time to lose in bringing them up to speed on all the important issues they'll be voting on this term. 

But how do we do this when they aren't quite ready to talk to us? I was lucky to get through the U.S. Capitol Switchboard (‭1-800-826-3688‬) to discover my own new Senator Eric Schmitt from Missouri is still in a temporary office and hasn't yet hired a tax aide nor a foreign policy aide. Even if they haven’t fully staffed their offices, we can still begin building relationships with them by using local media to urge them to focus on your issues. The quickest way to do this is to write letters to the editor (LTEs). If you get them published, you can send them links to your letters over social media, mail your published pieces to their office later when they settle in, and hopefully bring a nice stack of media to your first meeting to show you mean business.

Tips for a "Welcome to Congress" LTE

• Reference something in their resume that might show common ground with your issue. For instance, Senator Schmitt founded Habitat for Humanity chapter in college, so I could tie that to our American housing crisis.

• Concentrate on educating them on your general issue(s). Since Congress must re-introduce all bills, you won’t have specific bill numbers to reference.

• Acknowledge their new role has many expanded responsibilities. No new member of Congress can know everything about all issues. Make this letter a reminder that you are a resource for them as well.

• Don't come out swinging. You have very little to gain by starting a relationship with insults. Even if you don't agree with their campaign positions, set yourself apart from the crowd by modelling the positive, mature tone of respect you would like to see from them. Even if your relationship sours later, it shouldn't be because of you!

Sample Text for LTEs

Image: RESULTS.org Action Alert website

Not sure what to say about your issue? You can use a template from an organization like RESULTS and just alter the language to use the member's new job as a "hook" for the beginning of your letter. You can also refer to my "Advocacy Made Easy: Writing a Letter to the Editor" blog about writing letters to the editor for general instructions.

Here’s a sample of one I submitted last week that used an article about Senator Schmitt's replacement getting sworn into Schmitt's old state position:

Schmitt Should Support Tuberculosis Policy 

Even as Andrew Bailey takes over as our new attorney general (“Andrew Bailey sworn in as Missouri’s third attorney general in five years,” January 3), Senator Eric Schmitt is setting up his office in Washington D.C. Like many state officials who move to the federal level, Schmitt will need help from constituents to become familiar with many life-or-death global issues he may never have considered before.

One of those issues is the spread of tuberculosis (TB), the pandemic that already existed before COVID-19. Despite headway in reducing global TB cases over the last decade, COVID-19 diverted TB resources. Now, TB cases and deaths are rising. 1.6 million people worldwide died of TB in 2021.

The End TB Now Act would help regain progress. It requires the U.S. to target TB resources to countries and populations who need it most. It would foster more public-private partnerships in the TB fight and increase accountability. 

Congress had the opportunity to easily pass this bipartisan legislation but did not get it done. That cannot happen again.

I urge Senators Hawley and Schmitt to make the End TB Now Act a top priority in 2023. Lives literally depend on it.

Be Patient, But Don't Stop

Arriving as a new member of Congress is a bit like drinking from a fire hose. Be patient with our newbies, but don't let precious time go by without reaching out to them. Instead, focus on standing out as an advocate by building a reputation of being a persistent advocate, a cooperative ally, and a prolific media writer. Good luck!

Image: Meme of a person holding a running fire hose to their face.

Update: Published Letter in Joplin Globe

I'm happy to say that the Joplin Globe newspaper published one of my letters just a few days after I posted this blog. Here it is so you can see another example of my letters, how they differ, and what is similar.

New members of Congress should support global health 

I wish to congratulate U.S. Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Missouri, and U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Missouri, as they formally take their new positions in Washington D.C. (Globe, Jan. 6).

Like many state officials who move to the federal level, they will need help from constituents to become familiar with many life-or-death global issues they may never have considered before.

Two of those issues are the tuberculosis pandemic and immunizations against childhood diseases such as measles. The world lost headway with vaccines and TB control when COVID-19 caused disruption in health resources around the world.

Now, TB cases and deaths from the disease are rising, and 1.6 million people worldwide died of TB in 2021. Approximately 25 million children (about the population of Texas) missed routine immunizations in 2021, per WHO and UNICEF.

Catching up is going to take an enormous effort.

I urge our new members of Congress and those previously in office, such as U.S. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, to meet with constituents and act decisively to support global health in 2023.

Lives literally depend on it.

Image: Book cover

Buy an autographed copy of "From Changing Diapers to Changing the World: Why Moms Make Great Advocates and How to Get Started" at my website www.changyit.com or order it from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or any independent bookstore!