In Unity, May We Find Hope
Image was taken by APIAVote at the Unity March 2022.
Just a week ago, Roe v. Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court of the United States. I won’t attempt to go into the details of the seismic and catastrophic impact this decision will bring to our country, as constitutional law is not within my area of expertise. However, something I both recognize and share with many others around is the feeling of overwhelming anxiousness, fear, anguish, despair, and rage.
Ezra Klein wrote in Why We’re Polarized,
“When we participate in politics to solve a problem, we’re participating transactionally. But when we participate in politics to express who we are, that’s a signal that politics has become an identity.”
While watching both opponents and supporters show up to either protest or celebrate SCOTUS on this ruling, I wondered, how did we get here, and what problems are we actually solving by fighting each other? How did we come to such a divisive place and time where our political affiliation is so enmeshed with our identity that it blinds us from seeing each other’s humanity?
As an early-career therapist, I have not yet worked with clients who undergo issues surrounding pregnancy, motherhood, and all the nuances that come with such life events. However, I do believe that the Roe v Wade overturn, along with many other anticipated consequences (e.g., voting rights, LGBTQIA+ rights, affirmative action, business regulation, etc.), that the Supreme Court’s conservative regime will directly impact, will affect Americans’ overall mental health.
My intention isn’t to elicit hopelessness and powerlessness by echoing a negative narrative we have all been exposed to in the media; instead, I hope to offer a space for us all to claim our permission to recognize the bleakness of our current perceived reality. After spending hours under the sun (and I have the tan lines to prove this) at the National Unity March on June 25, 2022, with hundreds of like-minded, hopeful, and inspiring individuals who shared a fervent commitment to building power for the future through unity, what I posted on my Instagram Story the other day couldn’t stand more true. It said,
“When crisis and unrest surround us, it is easy to lose sight of the audacity of hope each and every one of us is entitled to… But remember that in the darkness, we are each other’s light—our humanity is our strength, and our connectedness is our power.”
So dear reader, know that you are not alone. Your sorrow, pain, fear, confusion, and rage are valid, and I am holding space for you. Whether you need more time to process your emotions or feel more than ready to fight, I am right there with you.
“To be truly radical is to make hope possible, rather than despair convincing.”
