“They tried to bury us, they didn’t know we were seeds.” *
We really wanted to be back in Chicago on Saturday, April 5, to participate in the “Hands Off!” rally at the Daley Center. Instead, we were on a flight back to the US–a flight that finally landed in Boston just shy of Sunday, April 6. When we arrived at our hotel, we were exhausted (travel depletes me), but we were so curious about the rallies that had been held across the country that we turned on the television hoping to find some news. To our disappointment, we saw and heard nothing.
On Sunday, April 6, we got our digital copy of the Chicago Sun-Times, expecting to see coverage of the rally on the front page. Nothing. We scrolled through the pages and finally found a photo and brief story on page 22. Page 22!! We later learned that an estimated 5 million people across the country took to the streets in over 1400 “Hands Off!” rallies across the nation to oppose the Trump/Musk dismantling of the government. Despite the numbers, the media across the country minimized the dissent. The New York Times placed the story on page 18! CNN’s story began with the sentence: “Scores of people took part in protests…” Fox News reported that “Thousands of people gathered across the US.”
Scores? A score is 20 people! Thousands? That was just in Traverse City, Michigan, where 4,000 attended. Why was the media burying the story and minimizing the numbers? Maybe the answer is that peaceful protest doesn’t sell papers or attract viewers. Maybe the answer is that corporate media has been sued by the administration for defamation and threatened with loss of broadcasting licenses and they are running scared. But most likely, the answer is that the owners of the media are part of the oligarchy (such as Jeff Bezos of the Washington Post) who don’t want to fan the flames of discontent. Minimize the dissent, don’t draw attention to the protests, and maybe–hopefully–it will die out.
But the dissent isn’t dying. The resistance is rising and hope for a different future is growing.
On Monday, April 7, Anthony Joel Quezada was sworn in as the newly appointed Alderperson of the 35th Ward in Chicago. That evening, he held a “People’s Inauguration” to celebrate with his supporters. We were privileged to join hundreds (not scores) of our neighbors to congratulate Anthony on his new position.
Anthony Quezada is 29 years old. He is a child of immigrant parents. He has been involved in community organizing and political action since he graduated from Lane Tech High School. He is a bright, articulate, passionate man who is committed to a new kind of governance–a politic rooted in community empowerment and collaborative decision-making. When Anthony took the microphone on Monday night, he didn’t speak about what he was going to accomplish or his legislative agenda. He spoke about what we could–and would–do together to ensure that all voices were heard, all people were treated with dignity, all residents were protected, and all those so frequently excluded were included.
We walked away from the evening full–full of hope as we watched a new generation of visionary leaders take their place. And I heard Mary’s Song welling up in my heart anew: “The Mighty One has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. [The Mighty One] has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.” (Luke 1:52-53)
Amen! Amen! Amen!
The quote at the beginning of this post is often referred to as a Mexican Proverb. However, the origin of the phrase is from Nicaraguan poet, Catholic priest and theologian, Ernesto Cardenal.
Tongue on Fire 