Dear friends,
The fears that dominated the national conversation 22 years ago seem remote to me. When I worry about foreign attacks, I think about cyber attacks on critical infrastructure and deep fakes and bots that distort our political conversation.
These days, domestic terrorism and the threats to democracy and the climate chaos are the things that dominate my thinking.
It’s time for some wisdom from Thich Nhat Hanh:
Fear keeps us focused on the past or worried about the future. If we can acknowledge our fear, we can realize that right now we are okay. Our eyes can still see the beautiful sky. Our ears can still hear the voices of our loved ones.
Right now we are okay and that’s why right now is when we must act.
Disruptive climate protests like the one at the US Open are still less common than the climate disruptions that are destroying peoples’ homes and endangering their lives. And still, many are focused on the wrong problem.
The group [Extinction Rebellion] chanted “end fossil fuels,” while others in the crowd booed in response and chanted “kick them out.”
Gauff struck an understanding tone while speaking to reporters after the match, which the 19-year-old won 6-4, 7-5.
“I always speak about preaching about what you feel and what you believe in. It was done in a peaceful way, so I can’t get too mad at it,” she said. “Obviously, I don’t want it to happen when I’m winning up 6-4, 1-0, and I wanted the momentum to keep going,” she added. “But hey, if that’s what they felt they needed to do to get their voices heard, I can’t really get upset at it.”
A group called Extinction Rebellion stated they were behind the protest. One group member explained that the US Open has sponsorships with corporations that contribute to global warming.
As a young person, Coco Gauff knows what it’s like not to be heard. I’m glad she has a big platform now, in part because she knows something about justice.
At the same age Gauff turned pro, Yvonne Lee was breaking down the barriers of segregation. It was 1961. Lee was popular and smart, had been named to the upcoming homecoming court and looked forward to being captain of the basketball team at her all-Black Carver High.
Lee’s classmates encouraged her to go break the color line and her father felt that her combination of academic and athletic talent would help to prove something.
Lee’s granddaughter is more than a tennis star. Gauff’s composure is a model. Right now we are okay. There are bigger concerns than tennis.
It was calming to paint banners in Bushwick yesterday with some young climate activists.
There are other ways to calm yourself while still taking climate action.
Mindful Rebels is composed of interfaith (including secular) meditators who bring fierce compassion to nonviolent direct action. The affinity group seeks to inspire others, build connections, and bring hope. The group has been meditating every week at the headquarters of BlackRock, Citi and Chase, to help executives and employees wake up to the reality of climate breakdown exacerbated by their continued financing of fossil fuels.
Tomorrow, there’s another mass meditation event outside Citibank in Tribeca.
Henry Kravis’s firm, KKR, has invested nearly $15 billion in fossil fuel projects in just the last two years. The Museum of Modern Art has given leadership positions to members of Kravis’s family and has named a gallery after him, while promising to “lead on sustainability.”
The report focuses on three fossil fuel projects that KKR is heavily financially involved in: the Coastal GasLink pipeline in Canada, the Port Arthur Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) project in Texas, and the Cameron LNG project in Louisiana. These projects exemplify environmental racism and are actively harming low-income, Black, brown, and Indigenous people, the report says.
Join a protest at MoMA this Friday to demand that the museum cut ties with Henry Kravis.
On Monday, September 18, the day after the Climate march, there are plans for civil disobedience at Zuccotti Park. The message is “People over Climate Change Profiteers.” You can come out in support even if you plan to avoid arrest.
The agreement seeks to end a pattern of overwhelming police responses that can lead to violent clashes with protesters, injuries on both sides, large-scale arrests and, many times, civil rights lawsuits.
Come to Zuccotti Park on Monday, September 18.
with love,
L