What would I do if _

In his final Facebook post, Aaron wrote:

“Many of us like to ask ourselves, ‘What would I do if I was alive during slavery? Or the Jim Crow South? Or apartheid? What would I do if my country was committing genocide?’ The answer is, you’re doing it. Right now.”

The video of his incredibly courageous, selfless act of protest is forever etched in my mind. Far from the claims of mental illness, he is articulate and self assured in his desire to see a free Palestine until he is unable to speak.

And still, It’s not the image of the man on fire that I’ve been thinking about for the past 48 hours.?

It’s his final post.

What we are doing right now, is what we would have (likely) done in the face of historical crisis we want to be heroes of.?

Which is to say, most of us lying on the cushioned bed of privilege and apathy, would have done nothing to change the trajectory charted by our oligarchs (and the complicit, and corrupt governments). ?

We would not be at protests.?

We would not be writing to our representatives.?

We would not be talking to our families, friends and colleagues about it.?

We would not change our spending habits to boycott companies openly benefitting from wars.?

We would not ask our employers to put out a statement.?

We would not like and share posts.?

We simply would not, because our reputations and safety are more important than the safety and dignity of others (poor, Black and brown, living in the Global South).?

It’s his final post.?

It makes me wonder what my colleagues would do for those of us that have been labeled as outspoken, as troublemakers for speaking on wars, guns, human rights. Will they simply pack up our belongings and see us out the door without so much as a kind word??

It makes me wonder what my friends would do if Project 2025 comes to fruition and I’m denaturalized. Then, will they show up to protest??

It makes me wonder what my friends would do when a woman we’re close to needs an abortion (as it gets harder and harder to get one across the country). Then will we drive her across the border to Canada at the risk of imprisonment??

As I make mental lists, I feel lucky to have people in my corner that would show up. That do show up. That have been showing up for years, decades.?

The list is not long. ?

All of us need to be on someone else’s list.

If you’re ready to educate yourself and be an active participant in shaping our future - I recommend the following accounts.

Slow Factory

Fred Joseph

Naley

Here4TheKids

Lynae Vanee