Beyond Trauma, Beyond Trump

Clare Wilderson

Tending a fire for a sweat in Standing Rock, ND at the home of one of the direct descendants of the great Lakota Chief Sitting Bull, I couldn't help but contemplate the many layers of trauma and resistance that have been permeating the US this past fractious year. For so many in left and progressive circles, the tumult can be quickly summed up by simply saying "Trump."

For those searching, however, for a deeper understanding of both the causes and cures of our current moment in history, we must look far beyond Trump to find our way out of this time of injustice and violence. Centering our work around Trump and his circle may not only prove ineffective in dealing with these symptoms of a society in crisis; it may lead us to worsen the divides that got us here.

Traditional indigenous elders, who have once again emerged as inspiring leaders, remind us of the true meaning of Lakota: Allies of the Spirit. In our efforts to organize beyond our traumas and travails, we would do well to take their lead and learn how to become better allies.

Just as Brecht asserted that in dark times there will still be singing, we would do well to celebrate victories when they do take place. We have a lot to learn from the people of Puerto Rico, who have been exuberant about the long-term successful campaign to release political prisoner Oscar Lopez Rivera. The jubilation at the granting of his clemency was for the man himself but also based on the pride of a nation that stood up; support for Oscar came from every political party and religious perspective, including Republican-oriented Pentecostal congregations and a call for release from the Pope himself.

There is no doubt that great differences still exist, even regarding approaches towards decolonization. But there was little shaming or sectarianism in a movement which focused on areas of agreement, and on speaking with one voice for the freedom of their countryman.

There is much to be learned from the decentralized Movement for Black Lives (MBL), with a particular need for allies to accept that beyond the sanctity of life itself, Black Leadership matters. The inherent problems of not accepting such leadership should be obvious; when supporters from non-oppressed groups plunge into solidarity work without an appreciation for or sensitivity to people's history and self-determination, racist, patriarchal, and other divisive practices seep into our attempts at support.

While we need to build groups and communities where all people are welcomed and appreciated, the decades-old call for whites to stand up for racial justice in our own communities has too often been unheeded or misunderstood. The MBL platform outlines clear ways in which ending the war on Black people, working for reparations, strategies for investment-divestment and economic justice, and struggles for community control and political power can be waged using different tactics for different folks.

Finally, we would do well to reflect on the fact that a President Pence might be considerably worse than a President Trump, with extremely similar or even more draconian policies, more carefully packaged in a less outrageous exterior. Pence would be better able to unite a now fractured GOP around a hard-right agenda, using subtler and thus more dangerous methods of repression.

We would do well to also remember that neoliberal corporate executives are not true voices of the 99 percent—and that their reasons for opposing Trump, or for supporting aggressive polices against Russia, are not ones we should unite around. The US left has failed in part because instead of boldly imagining and building loving alternative structures, we tear ourselves apart making priority lists of the things we oppose.

As allies of the spirit, let us stand with Standing Rock, the MBL, our Puerto Rican colleagues, and so many others; let us not, as one Native brother noted, just stand on indigenous land, or stand at the front of other's demonstrations. Together, let us build new strategies, refusing to choose between Martin and Malcolm and the false...