Heart wrenching realities clashing in bodies like thunder storms colliding.

Sept. 23, 1955 Emmett Till’s murderers walk out of the courts, guilty of acts of horrendous violence and free from any court/government accountability.

Sept. 23, 2020 Breonna Taylor’s murderers walk out of courts guilty of completely unwarranted murder of a woman sleeping in her bed, the person they were after already in police custody, and yet these men walk away free from any court/government accountability.

65 years between the two, our courts are still operating in the same ways where murderers walk free while free folks are locked up for lifetimes. And race is a key factor. These courts do not bring justice for all.

White America — we have to face this. The complexity is that RBG did some amazing things, she stood up for some rights inside this system. And she also voted in ways that upheld these harmful systems. These courts, as is, will not save us. As we see, they do not bring justice for all. We must sit with the complexity, not get lost in heros, and recognize that the people must shift the systems that are constantly killing, exploiting, violating Black and Brown folks (and poor white folks).

And then, as the night starts to break, I learn of a bright light and devoted movement organizer in the South who passed away, Elandria Williams. Their last words to us, from the hospital, were about how essential it is for folks in movement to take care of yourselves. The heartbreak of their young life ended too soon, Breonna’s young life ended too soon, Emmett’s young life ended too soon, the injustice in this world that has so many of us (and even more so for Black women) working at paces that are not healthy for anyone. And the storms fronts keep hitting.

So much love and gentleness to the families of these dear souls who we’ve lost, to those who love them and feel the heartbreak of their departure, to the people on the streets standing up for freedom…

May we be organized, united as much as possible on the march to freedom, and in the trenches in all the different ways for true abolition of slavery and oppression for real in this country. And may those who are grieving have the space to actually grieve.