Marissa Johnson: a generation of activists who believe in disruption

[F4lconF16]

33. Here's what I said in another post:

I would love for sitting officials to be protested more often. My goddess, just imagine the change that could be effected if we all went and camped out on the front lawns of each of our state and local representatives--just imagine how much they would freak out, and how much they might listen. It would be a beautiful thing. I am all for protesting sitting candidates.

But for the moment, most people aren't willing to engage to that extent, and the protests of currently elected officials has only done so much. And this is why I am loving what BLM has done to Sanders so far.

They're forcing us to have the conversation yet again--and that will do far more to effect change than will simply continuing the current protests (of which there are many--remember the media ignores them). They are engaging white progressives, and that is a big, big deal. The current silence on the part of many white liberals is the most harmful thing to the BLM movement, in my opinion. Blacks can and will fight to gain their freedom and their rights like they have in the past, and they will win in the long run as they have in the past, but for a true change in our society--one that doesn't leave us in much the same position we started in--we need to engage everyone. At least in my experience in Seattle, white liberals are talking more about BLM than I've ever heard before.

The other thing that they've already managed to do, that will be one of the most important things they can do, is change Sander's perspective. He may not be that powerful as president--indeed, he's stated that he will need the support of the people to be effective. As a leftist, I'm convinced that he has no power other than that of his ability to communicate the issues we face to the masses using his bully pulpit. The establishment will run him into the ground pretty much no matter what he does, but he can at least talk to us. And that's why its so important for him to realize now that racial issues (and social justice issues as a whole) need to be not just a part of his movement, but the core part, and the foremost part. These protests have just begun to achieve that.