The Veterans and Survivors March along the Gulf Coast from Mobile to New Orleans was, indeed, a most stupendous and wondrous event for those of us that partook in it. It has inexorably changed each one of us who participated; it carved in consciousness an awareness that something is changing among those who witnessed it along the way, the vast majority of folks who supported us, the minority of those who were opposed to us. We made a hopeful, heartfelt impact on ourselves and on most of the survivors who witnessed us. Together we survived an ordeal, shared discomforts, were buoyed by the heartfelt joys of the experience, gloriously celebrated in drumming, singing, dancing and deep connection in conversation and fellowship. We created a spiritual bond between us in the commonground of our shared "experience, strength and hope," to borrow a most apt phrase from the 12-step recovery movement.
The real challenge for us now will be to determine together what comes next. Many of us sense that this action is much more than just the March itself last week, that this is the merest, most nascent beginning of a movement among ourselves together with the survivors of the Hurricane to do better than government can do to create rebuilt communities, to engender a renewed spirit of democracy, to birth a nationwide movement more committed to peace and justice among our people.
This is our challenge to ensure that what we accomplished last week during the march is much more than the one protest sign we encountered indicated, a mere "showboat". We must concretely build on the synergistic energy we experienced last week through continued follow-up action to continue to help ourselves and the survivors on the Gulf Coast build, as the old Harry Chapin song intones, "a better place to be."
Some of us have begun discussing the possibilities on Stan Goff's blog Feral Scholar. Join in this discussion and together we shall continue to overcome.
Power to the Peaceful !~!~!
I frankly hope that not repeat disaster from previous hurricanes.
http://www.viewheadlines.com/News/Article.aspx?i=17939&t=Tropical-storm-plus-oil-slick-equals-more-fear-and-uncertainty
Posted by: Maria | Saturday, June 26, 2010 at 05:45 PM