There's Room of North Carolina

There is a running joke about whether or not Jesus cooked the fish before serving the many, and that I am not sure of, but what I do know is that if Jesus were to attend a BBQ he would want his hotdog burnt. Growing up I thought burning the hotdog was just a culinary preference, but upon reflection I know there’s something beautiful about waiting for the dog to burn. 

There is something about the wait. 

Waiting for the burn becomes a reminder that while things move slowly, that while they appear to be darkening and becoming seemingly worse, the wait is often a sign that better things are on the way. 

I know you are aware of the recent legislation that passed Congress, legislation that will undoubtedly take this country back and harm and kill millions of people in our communities, but I want to reassure you this moment is not the end of the story. While the US empire crumbles, while autocratic powers wage war against the population, while so many of our fellow citizens tune out and turn away – let me again say, this moment is not the end. 

The presence of inequality is always the opportunity for justice to prevail. 

As the empire falls, let us mourn, cry, and hold our pain. Let us be in our bodies. Let us not turn away from this time and those who need us. Let us not confuse existing under fascism with actual resistance. 

Despite internet claims, rest is not resistance. Being black is not inherently resistance. Being queer is not inherently resistance. Being poor is not inherently resistance. 

Resistance is resistance. 

There is no need to catastrophize because the catastrophe is here. This moment calls for us to act in ways that we haven’t been called to before. To dream and envision what is possible beyond what this country has given us. 

The time is now to truly identify where you will fight – because the option to sit this one out is not an option at all. 

Will you volunteer more?

Will you donate more?

Who can you help house when – not if – it comes to that? 

Are you prepared to literally fight? 

Are you willing to put your body on the line? 

Has your redline been crossed yet?

I cannot answer these questions for you, but I can tell you it is time to answer them now. We have work to do because, before you can consume the deliciousness of the hotdog, it must be burnt by the fire. It must overheat and blister, it must withstand pressure to become something enjoyable. 

Friends, we are enduring the fire right now. We are sweltering, being cooked under intense heat and pressure, and just like a summer hotdog we will come out looking different than when we went in, but we have a chance to be better. 

We have a chance to create something besides oppression. We have an opportunity right now to fight for the world we want to live in. This moment is an occasion to decide what we want to replace this hellscape with. 

Let me be clear: do not confuse my words to mean we deserve this moment, that suffering makes us better, that this time in our lives is pleasurable by any means, because it is not. It is inhuman, unnecessary, and cruel. What I am saying is that we can withstand it and not only withstand, but create in the process. We must be smart, innovative, and cunning. We must care for each other and ourselves in ways that subvert surveillance and the powers hellbent on our oppression. This moment and our community demands it. 

Family, let us commit to being like God and never leaving or forsaking each other. 

Community over everything cannot simply be our slogan right now. It must be our reality, our entire ethos. Something better is coming after this moment, but we must make it ourselves. Nobody is coming to save us. We are the calvary. I pray we’ll all hold each other near while we survive and build to the other side.

I look forward to seeing you on the battlefield that is our life right now.