Hope is a discipline that needs to be practiced together

It feels like every week we continue to experience a collective trauma that reminds us of the pain that we inflict on each other. On this Memorial Day Weekend, I want to make sure that we all take the time to grieve, to reflect and remember, not only those who chose a path to sacrifice their lives for freedom, but those whose lives were sacrificed unjustly. There is strength that comes when we remember why we chose to fight, and to believe that there is hope for a better world.

One of the pillars of the Green New Deal Coalition discusses redistributing funds from the systems that continue to perpetuate violence and shifting them towards a care economy. Let us be clear that while having proper mental health services is key to helping mitigate the violence we experience, we can enforce hope by connecting with each other and developing a stronger network of support.

“Hope is a Discipline” states Mariame Kaba, organizer and abolitionist, “hope doesn’t preclude feeling sadness or frustration or anger or any other emotion that makes total sense. Instead, hope chooses to push forward, imagining and participating in a future that is better and fairer than our current reality.”

Lets build out hope together in developing solutions to a Green New Deal that builds out Healthy Communities, ensures Green Union Jobs in a just transition, shifts funds from extractive sources in our society towards a Care Economy, and focuses on Human Rights for All!