to the LEFT

“Be the Change you wish to see in the world” – Anonymous 

“Activism is my rent for living on this planet.” – Alice Walker

These two quotes have been guiding lights for me in my life. When I look at the world around me and the volatile political climate, it fuels something in me.

The working class in this country is being devastated and pushed out of the political discussion. Income inequality and the gap between classes is greater now than during the Gilded Age of the early 20th Century. The growing power of the individuals at the top of the economic sphere is suffocating the voices of everyone else at the bottom. It is clear now that our government is controlled by the interests of the wealthy and giant corporations. 

The planet we live on is neglected and abused. Rivers and streams are being polluted. Oceans are being filled with trash and sea levels are rising. Forests are vanishing. Extreme weather is devastating communities. To put it bluntly, climate change is the most pressing issue we face as a civilization. It is an issue that we must tackle with every will and resource that we have.

We live in a world where, for all of its progressions, people of color are still being marginalized. Our criminal justice system is unfair and unbalanced, divided on the lines of class and race. Wealthier individuals living by a separate set of rules, are given immunity from the consequences of life. People of color and the poor are living under a more harsh and unjust set of rules. Police violence more greatly effecting minority groups.

Voting rights and political participation are under assault. More and more obstacles of having a say in the political process are put into place, election after election. We should be making it easier to vote, not suppressing one of the only ways average people have a say in the kind of society they want to live in. The way campaigns and elections are ran must be reformed and democratized. Large sums of money from wealthy individuals and corporations are drowning our democracy and the voices of everyday citizens.

Anger is a very powerful emotion, but anger can also be counterproductive if not channeled in the right way. Honest discussion and debate are needed and necessary, but petty name calling and personal attacks don’t solve anything. I hope this safe place can become a home for a larger progressive movement, but all are welcome, conservative and progressive alike, to contribute in this discussion. I want to make a difference in the world; to be the change. I want to start a conversation.

For economic equality! For campaign finance reform! For reproductive rights! For climate action! For criminal justice reform! For labor solidarity! This project is but one small step in making all of this possible. One small candle in a sea of darkness. 

Will you join me?

Dale Seufert-Navarro