The events that have unfolded over the last week in Minnesota, Louisiana and Texas have been heartbreaking, infuriating and frustrating for all of us at Netroots Nation. Just weeks after the tragedy that unfolded in Orlando, Alton Sterling and Philando Castile were gunned down by police officers. These tragedies were captured on video and replayed over and over, adding to our community’s collective trauma—and, I hope, our resolve.
We hope that this time, maybe, justice will be found for the victims. We hope that this time, maybe, our country’s leaders will finally do something to solve the problems our country faces around systemic racism and gun violence. But it’s hard to maintain that hope when this has happened so many times with the same result.
We’ve been struggling—both individually and as an organization—to know how to respond to these tragedies. I know I’ll never personally experience the discrimination and fear that my black and Latinx brothers and sisters experience daily. I’ve been stopped by the police, but I’ve never feared I wouldn’t survive that encounter. So it’s hard to know what to say, and it hurts to see so many of my friends and colleagues in pain.
I do know this: we have a lot of work to do together over the coming months and years to end our country’s culture of gun violence and dismantle institutional racism. But what is needed right now is healing, and connecting with others can be the best medicine.
We need each other, and we need to work together. Netroots Nation is the largest cross-issue progressive conference for that mutual support. Our hope is that next week is a healing and uplifting space for every single attendee and that we can create a safe place to plan and organize for the work ahead.
Even if you don’t feel personally affected by last week’s events, know that you have an important role to play in loving and supporting your fellow activists. Get to know people you don’t recognize; take time to listen to the experiences of others; and remember that not everyone comes from the same shared knowledge base or social framework.
Whether you’ve been to Netroots Nation every year since 2006 or this is your first one, I hope your experience next week reminds you that we’re stronger together.
Netroots Nation is less than a week away and we still have a lot of preparation to do. We’d love to hear from you if you’ve got ideas about things we can do that would be helpful during these tough and trying times. I can’t promise we’ll be able to deliver on every one, but I can promise we’ll give each idea thoughtful consideration.
Just let us know how we can help.
–Raven Brooks, Executive Director