Equal Justice Society News

Last November's election results were hard for many of us to take. I talk with friends who are veterans in the struggle to create a more equitable world who feel they no longer have the energy to continue working on progressive issues. On January 20, Inauguration Day 2005, I was writing in my journal and thought about how we can stay strong for the remaining 1, 481 days of the Bush regime. I would like to share some of these thoughts with you.

Be conscious of being part of an international movement for peace and justice. This will help with feelings of isolation.
Be clear about the vision we are pursuing and the better world we are creating.
Move our collective agenda forward whenever you can.
Get as much information as you can about what is going on in the world. Do not rely on the mainstream media. Seek alternative media.
Take action. Write letters to the editor. Raise socially conscious children. Donate time and/or money to good causes and institutions.
Be conscious of being part of the resistance to reactionary policies and practices.
Be brave. Speak up. Take risks.
Work with likely and unlikely allies. Moderate Republicans may be closer allies on key issues than Democrats like Zell Miller.
Hold our so-called friends accountable when they attempt to sell out our interests.
Take care of yourself, you friends, and your families.
Nourish yourself physically, spiritually, and emotionally.

These are very difficult times for we who are progressive. I hope to work with my friends Maria Blanco at the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights, Dorothy Ehrlich of the ACLU of Northern California, and Dale Minami, one of the attorneys who succeeded in reversing Fred Korematsu's World War II conviction, on an article describing how progressives survived bad times at other points in our history such as the internment of Japanese-Americans, the McCarthy era, and the collapse of Reconstruction.

We at EJS are delighted to be part of a movement that wants to make the world a better place. We look forward to working with you for years and years. We hope to see you in Los Angeles on April 7-9 at our fourth annual conference New Strategies for Justice: Linking Corporate Law with Progressive Social Movements.

Stay strong!

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