On life, lately
Today is the eve of the final day to get the October edition of The Raptorial into inboxes. Today is also the eve of Halloween (or the eve of All Hallows Eve). If only it were the playfully ghoulish, costumed and candied, tricking and treating occasion that inspired this month’s title.
Since the last issue, which feels like roughly a millennia ago:
Australians overwhelmingly voted ‘no’ in the referendum proposing the recognition of First Nations people in the Australian Constitution.
We are witnessing genocide in Gaza.
Australia abstained, in a grotesquely on-brand move, from a vote in the UN resolution calling for an ‘immediate, durable and sustainable humanitarian truce’ between Israel and Hamas.
I’m still grappling with how to balance the act of living this one precious life with bearing witness to the horrors and taking action for the collective, but it is increasingly apparent that to live this one precious life well, working towards the freedom of the collective is necessary.
I am probably not alone in saying that this point in time is the most ‘activist’ I have been, although my stance on white supremacy, and being outspoken about it has never wavered.
The common denominator in both the outcome of the referendum and the series of events that cumulatively, over 75 years, have led to the current genocide in Gaza, is white supremacy. Do not be mistaken, white supremacy kills. Whether it is disparities in health outcomes and life expectancy, deaths in custody, violence at the hands of the police or the state, or hate crimes committed by civilians, white supremacy kills. To remain silent and benefit from the privileges of whiteness or white-proximity is to be complicit in the violence necessary to uphold that privilege.
At the time of writing, more than 8,000 people have been murdered in Gaza since October 7, 2023.
Social change
Hope in community
In the midst of the horrors, there has been cause for hope. There is always cause for hope. Paradigms are shifting. People who had never spoken out about injustice are finding their voice. Granted, for some it took weeks to break their silence, but on the whole, it feels like the tides are turning.
The last time it felt like there was a profound shift in the collective consciousness was in June 2020 in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Now, here we are with masses seeing through the state-scripted, corporate-sponsored, mainstream-media-packaged lies. We are not buying the narrative. We are choosing to side with humanity.
#FreePalestine, but how?
Knowing what to do once you are riled up and ready to take action can be overwhelming. I exhaled when I came across the Social Change Ecosystem Map, a valuable framework for a lifelong journey in social change. It was developed by Deepa Iyer, writer, facilitator and activist.
In the FAQ that accompanies her resources, Iyer says, ‘… you can use [the framework] when you need a re-set, when you feel stuck, burned out or confused, or when you don’t know how to begin. I use it often when there is a community crisis and don’t know how to respond. For example, people have been using the framework to figure out their roles during COVID-19, in the struggle for Black liberation, and for post-election response.’
The framework and map are accompanied by a practical guide: Social Change Now: A Guide for Reflection and Connection.
There is a role we can all play to make lasting social change, and that role may vary over the course of a week, month, year, decade or lifetime. Choosing silence and inaction is complicit with the genocide that is unfolding.
Raptorial Writes
A monthly writing prompt
Write to your government representatives calling for a ceasefire and an end to genocide in Gaza:
Portugal (I couldn’t find a Portugal-specific form, so the link goes to Amnesty International)
Then, for good measure, sign Amnesty International’s petition. Once you’re done, share the links on your socials and encourage your connections to get writing too.
Raptorial Bites
A monthly short story book club
This month’s read is The Drone Eats With Me— Diaries From a City Under Fire (2015) by Atef Abu Saif.
You can browse past Raptorial Bites and join conversations at any time — comments remain open on all threads and admittedly, I have some catching up to do.