If anyone took notes and would like to share, please do so.
One of the things that Jessica Roach said is that concerned community members should “recognize our own power” instead of dwelling on how political leaders may seem to have power over us. Jessica also said “caring for yourself is an act of political warfare.”
A young Black woman said she fears that her son will become another hashtag and that she could be another ‘say-her-name’ story. She said she didn’t feel safe and didn’t trust the mostly white crowd, and that she was struggling with her anger and her pain. Jessica Roach stopped one or two white persons from immediately attempting to reassure the woman.
Roach walked over to the woman, and said to her, “Do you trust yourself? That’s what matters the most….” Things became quiet and still, as what the young Black woman had sad said hung in the air and sunk in.
Roach had her hand on the woman’s head, and told us, “There is power in letting people feel and express their pain, anger, and frustration, without us jumping in and trying to ‘fix it,’ even if the anger is directed at us.” It was a tense 10 or 15 mins that afterwards seemed to bring the crowd together.
Earlier on during the event, Columbus City Councilwoman Elizabeth Brown said, “We have to hold people accountable at all levels” and that we have to be nimble as engaged community members, in order to weigh in on multiple issues.
Judge Terri Jamison said we need to put people in office at the local level who are in touch with our concerns.
Sonia Manjon, who directs the Barnett Center for Integrated Arts and Enterprise at OSU said youth participation is important.
Nathaniel Angel, an economic opportunity development consultant, said, “The political machine is not going to give you the information you need.”
By Participating in this event, I was reminded that building grassroots power is probably not a matter of preaching a political ideology, but is instead a matter of using a ‘spiritual’ (not necessarily religious) approach of building relationships thru loving kindness.
Thru loving kindness, we can deal honestly with our own and others’ anger, fear, and pain. Being against hate isn’t enough. Promoting love requires working thru anger, fear, and pain. What do you think or feel ?
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