Freedom Riders
A TIME Special Report paves the way forward five years after George Floyd.
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In this issue: In a special report from TIME, Kimberlé Crenshaw writes,
…the movement this generation went on to advance gave us not only the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, Medicaid, and other civil rights advances, they also poured a foundation upon which the rights of other marginalized groups could be legally enshrined. These hard-fought victories chipped away at the legacy of slavery and the infrastructure of Jim Crow, while widening the democratic imagination to include indigenous rights, the women’s liberation movement, marriage equality, disability rights, and many others.
It is precisely this intergenerational and cross-issue transfer of ideas that those pushing the anti-woke agenda aim to suppress. The erasure of both symbolic tributes and tangible policy gains in the aftermath of 2020 not only strikes a blow to the objectives of the great reckoning but also is perhaps the most dangerous, radical attempt to reverse course since the massive resistance to the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision.
From The Battle for Our Memory Is the Battle for Our Country
In part, the cycle of divisiveness Crenshaw references is predicated on instigating competition between coalitions with synonymous values and repeatedly forcing the justification of individual and collective value among diverse groups. It’s a predictable distraction. The road ahead mandates the preservation of our moral clarity. It demands our unwillingness to adhere to these prescriptive patterns in the first place. It calls for stories to be our guide.
This weekend, I encourage you to read this collection of poignant essays, reflect on their significance, and, if so moved, share your thoughts in the comments.
Stay the course,
Sam
Sam Reetz, is a filmmaker, performer, and founder at Millennial Ethics, creating narrative solutions to complex issues.
Follow her work on Bluesky, Substack and Instagram.
