I went to a protest for Gaza today. It's hard for me to have hope these days but I showed up. I marched beside the friends that encouraged me to come and I felt grateful for community.
I was listening to a podcast recently where someone was talking about political action they took when they were shocked that legislation change came out of it. They said they were taught to always show up and fight back, regardless of hope for short-term change.
Regardless of legislation change, people showing up today demonstrated that people care. It was a way of showing care for the people directly affected in Gaza, and it was a way of showing care for people in local communities who are distressed about the genocide. By showing up, I say "this matters to me, too". I say "I'm willing to show up to try to create change". And I saw, in the physical crowd, that thousands of people felt the same.
There were so many children in the crowd. I like imagining who might be at their very first protest. I like imagining that this isn't only about Gaza, but also practice for showing up together, for showing up in the future for other things we care about.
I showed up because friends asked me if I was going, and offered to march together. I want to remember that. I want to build connections that bring me closer to political action, that help me feel excited to show up. Here's to more connection and community for building better futures <3