The Division Within Our Own Movements

The Pattern of Every Revolution

Look at history. Every movement that succeeded—every revolution that actually changed the structure of power—had one thing in common:

Unity across difference.

The labor movement. The civil rights movement. The disability rights movement. The Indigenous sovereignty movements.

They didn't succeed because one group fought alone.

They succeeded because communities recognized: Your fight is my fight. Your liberation is bound up with mine.

This is not sentiment. This is strategy.

This is how power shifts.

Where We Are Now

Right now, in the United States, we're facing coordinated attacks on multiple fronts:

Immigrants and refugees being hunted

Indigenous people watching their land stolen again

Black communities facing militarized policing

People with disabilities losing healthcare, autonomy, dignity

Women losing bodily autonomy

LGBTQ+ people losing legal protections

Workers losing rights fought for over a century

And here's what those in power know:

If we stand together, we win.

So their strategy is simple: divide us.

Make immigrants think it's about jobs.

Make white workers think it's about race.

Make Christians think it's about religion.

Make everyone think it's Democrat vs. Republican.

It's not.

It's oligarchs vs. the rest of us.

It always has been.

The Division Within Our Own Movements

But here's what breaks my heart:

We're dividing ourselves.

I watch advocacy organizations—people trying to do good—silence the very communities they claim to serve.

I've seen it happen:

Black and Indigenous voices speak up in white-led organizations

Posts get taken down

Comments get deleted

Suggestions ignored

Lived experience dismissed

I've watched:

People start "initiatives" with 2-3 friends

Claim to speak for communities they've never lived in

Refuse to listen to people who've done this work for decades

Operate from what I call "God complex" or "Savior complex"

Think they know better than those who've walked the journey

I've witnessed:

Protests organized without accessibility

Rallies held in locations people with disabilities cannot reach

Actions planned without input from the communities most impacted

"Inclusive" movements that exclude the majority they claim to represent

This is not unity.

This is performance.

And it will not win.

We Need Each Other

Let me be clear:

I'm grateful for everyone stepping up right now.

We need people activated. We need energy. We need action.

But we also need humility.

We need to listen to:

People who've been organizing for 30, 40, 50 years

Communities who've survived what's coming because they've lived it before

People with disabilities who know what access means

Black organizers who know what sustainable resistance looks like

Indigenous leaders who've been fighting colonization for 500+ years

People who've lived what you're trying to prevent

Their knowledge is not disposable.

Their experience is not optional.

Their voices are not negotiable.

Beyond the Two-Party Trap

And please—please—let's stop pretending this is about Democrats vs. Republicans.

Yes, one party is actively pursuing fascism. Yes, we need to vote strategically.

But let's not fool ourselves:

The two-party system is part of the problem.

Right wing, left wing—same bird.

The root issue is not which party holds power.

The root issue is the concentration of power itself.

The root issue is oligarchy.

The root issue is a system designed to keep us fighting each other instead of them.

So yes, vote. Strategically. Practically.

But don't stop there.

Because putting different people in the same corrupt system will not save us.

We need to change the system itself.

And that requires unity.

What Unity Actually Looks Like

Real unity doesn't mean we all agree on everything.

Real unity doesn't mean we ignore difference.

Real unity means:

1. Communication

Talking with each other, not at each other

Listening to lived experience

Centering those most impacted

Making space for disagreement

Finding common ground

2. Collaboration

Building together across organizations

Sharing resources

Amplifying each other's work

Recognizing we need each other

No more turf wars

3. Coordination

Strategic alignment

Unified messaging when it matters

Complementary actions

Mutual support

One movement, many fronts

4. Accessibility

Physical access (locations people can reach)

Economic access (actions people can afford)

Digital access (information people can receive)

Linguistic access (communication in multiple languages)

Everyone can participate or it's not a movement

5. Diversity

Across race, ethnicity, nationality

Across class, education, geography

Across age, ability, experience

Across belief systems

All of us or none of us

The Conditioning We Must Break

We've been programmed to divide.

By race. By class. By geography. By party. By religion. By ability. By immigration status.

These divisions serve power.

They do not serve us.

We need to dig deep and examine:

What we've been taught to believe about "those people"

Who benefits from our division

What we're afraid of losing if we unite

What we could gain if we stopped fighting each other and started fighting together

This requires spiritual work. Emotional work. Hard work.

But it's the only work that matters.

Because without it, we'll keep repeating the same pattern:

Organize. Divide. Fail. Repeat.

It Takes All of Us

Here's what I know after decades in this work:

No single community can win alone.

Not immigrants. Not Black folks. Not Indigenous people. Not people with disabilities. Not LGBTQ+ people. Not workers. Not women.

Not any of us.

Only all of us.

When miners fought for labor rights, they needed community support.

When Black Americans fought for civil rights, they needed multi-racial coalition.

When people with disabilities fought for ADA, they needed allies across movements.

Every victory in history came from unity.

Every defeat came from division.

This is the pattern.

This is the lesson.

This is what we must learn now.

The Moment We're In

Right now, there are forces actively working to divide this country.

They want us fighting each other.

They want us blaming immigrants for job loss (instead of corporate greed).

They want us blaming Black communities for crime (instead of systemic poverty).

They want us blaming "the other party" (instead of oligarchy itself).

They want us divided.

Because they know:

If we unified, we would win.

So the question is:

Will we give them what they want?

Or will we do what our ancestors did?

Stand together. Across difference. Unified in purpose.

Communication. Collaboration. Coordination.

All of us.

A Personal Plea

I've done this work for decades.

I've organized. I've advocated. I've documented. I've fought.

And I've watched movements rise and fall.

The ones that succeeded understood something fundamental:

Your liberation and mine are intertwined.

When they come for you, they will come for me.

When they attack your community, they attack us all.

We cannot afford to see this as separate fights.

This is one fight.

Against oligarchy.

Against fascism.

Against the concentration of power in the hands of the few.

For equity. For justice. For dignity. For all of us.

What I'm Asking

If you're organizing:

Listen to the communities you claim to serve.

Don't just speak for them—amplify their voices.

Don't just decide for them—build with them.

Don't just help them—follow their leadership.

If you're privileged:

Use your privilege in service of those without it.

Step back when you need to step back.

Step up when you're asked to step up.

Check your God complex at the door.

If you're in white-led organizations:

Make space for BIPOC leadership.

Not just representation—actual power.

Not just input—actual decision-making.

Or don't claim to be inclusive.

If you're planning actions:

Make them accessible.

Physical accessibility for people with disabilities.

Economic accessibility for working people.

Geographic accessibility for rural communities.

Everyone can participate or it's not a movement for everyone.

If you're new to this:

Listen more than you speak.

Learn from those who've been here.

Bring your energy, your resources, your commitment.

But also bring humility.

The Work Ahead

This is going to be hard.

Building unity across difference is always hard.

It requires:

Patience

Humility

Willingness to be wrong

Willingness to change

Willingness to put ego aside

Willingness to put the collective above the individual

But it's the only way.

History shows us this.

Our ancestors showed us this.

The pattern is clear:

Unity wins.

Division loses.

Always.

We Are at a Crossroads

We can continue fragmenting—advocacy orgs competing, communities divided, movements siloed.

Or we can remember the lesson of every successful revolution:

We win together or we lose apart.

I know which path I'm choosing.

I'm choosing unity.

Not because it's easy.

Not because I agree with everyone.

Not because difference doesn't exist.

But because it's the only way forward.

Will you join me?

Communication. Collaboration. Coordination.

Across all aisles.

All organizations.

All communities.

All people standing against injustice.

This is not optional.

This is survival.

Let's build something together.

Let's learn from history.

Let's honor our ancestors who showed us the way.

Let's stand unified.

Because when we do:

We cannot be broken.