I organized a non violent demonstration at the US Consulate General (which is a satellite of the US Embassy) here in Cape Town, South Africa. One of the hardest parts about being stuck in a foreign country is not being able to join my fellow Americans on the streets right now.
Katie and Rayah stayed back at the house just in case a lot of people showed up. Well, only one person showed up, but that is okay. It feels like it's been a few years since I've hit the pavement but the moment my shoes hit the ground I felt a jolt of energy. I knew that I wasn't marching alone. I knew I was marching with tens of thousands of other people around the world.
There are many different strategies when it comes to non violent, direct actions. One of my favorite strategies is creating signs. It's a fun outlet for me because I'm usually pretty fired up about whatever it is that we're protesting and I can't just make one sign. I've made anywhere between 10 and 50 signs for protests before. When I know there is going to be a lot of people at a demonstration I usually start streamlining signs.
My main objective was to let the US Embassy know that Americans in South Africa want justice and reform. Here are a few of my signs.
There are many different strategies when it comes to non violent, direct actions. One of my favorite strategies is creating signs. It's a fun outlet for me because I'm usually pretty fired up about whatever it is that we're protesting and I can't just make one sign. I've made anywhere between 10 and 50 signs for protests before. When I know there is going to be a lot of people at a demonstration I usually start streamlining signs.
My main objective was to let the US Embassy know that Americans in South Africa want justice and reform. Here are a few of my signs.
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About an hour into my march (which was just a big circle) a car pulled up honking it's horn. Low and behold it was Katie and Rayah coming to check in on me and see how things were going. It's amazing how even a little bit of support can increase morale.
The last thing I want to say is please, please, please do some research and find out how you can get involved in the march towards justice. There are so many ways to get involved. The extremists who have resorted to violence, and their partners the (left and right wing) media has been pumping all the images of burning and looting to make Americans feel that it is not safe to peacefully assemble. This is a tactic to discourage you from getting involved. DO NOT LET THEM WIN.
We can do this but we NEED to add our support to the African American community. Peaceful Action is one of the most effective weapons when attempting to achieve political coercion. The isolated incidents of violence is the oppositions attempt to change the narrative from all the legislative victories non violent demonstrators have achieved. WE CAN CHANGE THE NARRATIVE BY HITTING THE STREETS. But it only works if we do so peacefully.
We can do this but we NEED to add our support to the African American community. Peaceful Action is one of the most effective weapons when attempting to achieve political coercion. The isolated incidents of violence is the oppositions attempt to change the narrative from all the legislative victories non violent demonstrators have achieved. WE CAN CHANGE THE NARRATIVE BY HITTING THE STREETS. But it only works if we do so peacefully.
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