Building Resilience and Power

Wow. What a long, eventful weekend. I feel like it was practically nonstop from Friday through Monday.

Early Friday morning, I was out the door at 6 AM to catch my Lyft. Then it was off to my gate to catch my flight. During the flight, I continued listening to Someone You Can Build a Nest In. All I had to eat was two small bags of Sun chips provided by the stewardesses. I got an awesome picture shortly after the plane began its descent into the airport.

Once I landed, I found out that the public transit to the hotel was minute longer than taking the Lyft, and $3.50 compared to $20 for the ride share. It was a little confusing trying to configure the MARTA system, but 8 stops from the Airport, I arrived at the Peach Tree Station, and via a sky mall crossed over to the Marriott.

I had a little trouble checking in, as the wanted the credit card the room was booked with; but the room was booked via the ACLU card. After getting ahold of staff and three times through the line, I wound up in front of another concierge who didn’t require the authorization form to be filled out and just handed me the card keys.

Meanwhile, I had missed the start of the tour at the Old Ebenezer Baptist Church, checked my bags in with the bell hop, and headed downstairs to catch the bus. Unfortunately, the next bus wasn’t planning to leave until 4:30 PM, so I caught a Lyft. Arriving at the Old Ebenezer Baptist Church, I found the doors locked, and eventually joined a tour group in front of the ones my affiliate was attending.

We had an awesome tour guide that told us about the neighborhood where Martin Luther King, Jr lived as a child, including the fire station where they played with firefighters, and the four classes of homes on Peach Street where kids of different lived close to one another. Near the bottom of the hill were the shotgun shacks that the mill workers lived in, then the middle class homes, some of which required no black people to live on the main floor, and finally the Queen Ann Homes farther up the hill.

We couldn’t enter Martin’s house because it is under renovation, but we walked past some row houses to see the home from behind. We got a lot of historical back story, including Martin’s original career aspiration to be a doctor or a lawyer, before he eventually followed his family heritage into the ministry. We also visited the visitor center, the memorial, and the reflection pool.

At that time, I joined the members of my affiliate and attended a panel at the Ebenezer Baptist Church, which included several distinguished panelists including Ambassador and former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young, who told of how LBJ didn’t have enough power to pass the Voting Rights Act. After he repeatedly told Martin, “I don’t have the power,” Martin would start replying to Andrew, “We’ve got to get him power.” With the SLC on the verge of bankruptcy, and running on optimism, Martin and Andrew joined the March to Selma in support of voting rights. When the nation saw how brutally the marchers and a journalist were beaten at the Pettis Bridge, there was a public outcry to “do something,” thereby giving LBJ the power he needed to pass the Voting Rights Act of 1965, dismantling specific forms of racial disenfranchisement. If it weren't for the courage of the people that marched that day, the courage of the journalist who filmed the brutality, the people who demanded that we "do something," and the president who did, we would have faced the same voter suppression tactics for far longer. This is why the Supreme Court's rollback of voter suppression tactics is so bad. Democracy needs enfranchisement, and the right to dissent. Anything else is authoritative fascism, and must be resisted.

After the reception, our group went out for Dinner at Ray’s BBQ. I got back, retrieved my bags, and headed up to my room for the night. Somehow I read the number wrong, and tried to enter the wrong room first, but I was finally able to settle in for the night.

The next couple of days were nonstop panels, including one on the value of supporting free speech cases, even though we may not be supportive of the organization denied the speech. I firmly believe that “I may disagree with what you are saying, but I will defend your right to say it.” The foundation of democracy, liberalism, and progressivism is built upon the right of dissent and the ability to express it. Furthermore, speech that is suppressed represents viewpoints unheard and untested, which can become explosive when released, or oppressive when suppressed. Rationality means always keeping an open eye and ear for what we may be missing, and leads to better decision making.

Other panels I attended included one on how to recruit and retain an effective board (I took some notes there to bring to our next meeting), the new protest policy, and how to work constructively with conflict. On my panel about Trans Justice, I talked about building coalitions, supporting our marginalized youth, and building power within the trans community, helping grow grassroots advocates who will become enough of a presence that legislators will start standing up to legislative bullies who want them to harm their family and their friends. In the end, it’s about building resilience. I was honored when the ACLU National Executive Director Anthony Romero sweetly shook my hand, and said, “Thank you.” I also have incredible gratitude for Utah affiliate Executive Director, Britney Nystrom, who supplied me with notes for the meeting.

After the close of the conference, I joined my Utah affiliate friends to visit the world Famous Mary’s Tea Room, which is what restaurants that were open and run by women just after World War II were called. On the wall were photos of many of the well-known people who have visited the restaurant, including President Jimmy Carter, and a host of other celebrities.

Yesterday, I made my way back. I finished Someone You Can Build a Nest In, before I left, spending some time in the lobby before I made my way back to the airport, where I read Black Panther Red Wolf. I only made it about 70% of the way through the book, so I still have a little ways to go. I almost missed my Lyft back from the airport until I went searching for the driver and he found me. I definitely made sure he got a bit more of a tip. I always try to tip my drivers, because when Danilynn could no longer drive trucks, that’s how she made money, and I know how hard it can be. In July, when I go to the programming conference, I'll be using long-term parking, since that turns out to be cheaper than the ride share services. Someday, perhaps, we'll have a decent 24-hour public transit system that I can use to get from my home to the Salt Lake City Airport and back.

Tasting the air on the ground after I got off the plane, especially in contrast to Georgia's climate, I am reminded about how bad the air here is. You're not supposed to be able to taste the air or the water