Quien Somos? La Revolución! (Who Are We? The Revolution)
Before we dive into the meat of this post, I want you to watch this video.
Now that you've watched it, I want you to feel my words to the depths of your mind, soul, and corazón. Somos la Revolución, and the name of the game is "El Pueblo, Unido, Jamas Sera Vencido (a people, united, will never be divided)." We are revolutionizing how mujeres own their identities, fighting against the working class's pauperization, rooting out systemic racism/white supremacy, fighting for immigrant/women's/LGBTQ+/muslim & other human rights, and so much more. I also want to add this; we are calling out corruption, elitists, and the politricks.
The words of Mon Laferte remind me that wealth doesn't necessarily mean power; people are power. "Regular-Degular-Shmegular" people from the block son poder. The more and more I organize with working-class people, the more I see an awakening of the power they have. And our people are bringing the fight in so many ways. We're taking to the streets, running for office, reporting abuses, voting, and speaking out.
The 2020 elections showed us that people's power is winning over racism, misogyny, homophobia, islamophobia, and all the other stupid ass phobias that create hatred towards groups that have been historically discriminated against. And let's not forget about elitist democrats/Latinx/People of Color that hate being called out on their sh*t. They claim to be down with the revolution, but their actions show their real intentions to keep people pauperized (keep the rich, rich & the poor, poor). En la canción, Laferte says, "Al final todo lo que quiere es plata/Los mismos huevones de siempre/No están ni ahí con la gente/Todo es plata, plata, plata (at the end all they want is money/the same ol'lazy asses/they aren't even there with the people/everything is money, money, money). If you are an establishment rata (like Laferte says in her song), you are going to feel those words. Everything is about money for those individuals...SELF - F*CKING - INTEREST! It's not only the Amazon, Walmart, Tapestry kind of people; it's also those cabrones that climbed to the top on our backs and left us behind.
Still, here's what the rich, sell-out, self-interested, a$$ hats have failed to realize...we're building power, and we're coming for what is ours: equality, equity, inclusion, platform, leadership roles, and anything else we f*cking want. We have lived and survived so much, and we're done accepting scraps. It's in our hands, "Esta generación tiene la revolución/Con el celular tiene más poder que Donald Trump. (This generation has the revolution/With a cellphone they have more power than Donald Trump)." The power is ours for the taking; through social media, blogging, donating to people powered campaigns, and volunteering.
When we vote, we take a step towards the change that we want to see and deserve. When we volunteer or donate to orgs like the Working Families Party / MiJente or campaigns like Tara Wilson's, we are fighting for change. When we show up to call out injustices or share our stories, we are fighting for change.
"Que no le alcanza la pensión/Pero tiene buen corazón (That their pension is not enough/But he has a good heart)." We don't have generational wealth, but we have heart, which drives our moment, movement, and message. So, let me close with this, what are you contributing to the revolution?
(Yalitza Aparicio/Twitter)