By St. Sen. JULIE GONZALES
Over the past few weeks since Trump won re-election, I have listened to friends and family members speaking in hushed tones about the unsettling feeling of politics happening to us, instead of with us. In these complicated times, our society has become increasingly individualized, leading to greater isolation.
How should we confront the stark realization that the systems that we need to thrive as Coloradans are crumbling?
From education to healthcare to transportation to democracy itself, the systems that center the priorities of regular people are too often taken for granted, while the rich and well-connected simply rig the rules of the game in order to center themselves, increase their profits, and help out their cronies.
We whisper our fears and concerns to one another, but then quickly change the subject to something else — anything else, really. Perhaps our disagreements spill out in messy ways: we say hurtful things to people we actually care for. We burn bridges. We judge one another for doing too much, or for not doing enough. Or perhaps we stay silent in order to avoid a fight. More and more often, it feels easier to tune out and disconnect, to change the channel, to numb out entirely.
That’s exactly what our opposition wants us to do. Our opposition wants us disconnected, disinterested, and disorganized.
The answer is both simple and transformative: The opposite of disconnection is connection. The opposite of being disorganized, is getting organized.
Our elders in the Chicano movimiento understood this deeply. They instilled in us love of community, family, and our future generations. Today, it is a joy to see multiple generations of leaders work in service of community, in spite of so many obstacles.
It was an honor to be a small part of the multi-generational statewide movement that worked for years to bring the Chicana/o license plate to Colorado.
That movement brought a beautiful and diverse set of artists together to collaborate on the vision and design of the license plate itself.
That movement engaged in deep, critical, and ongoing discussions about the reality of prison labor in Colorado. Those conversations led to valuable discussions with the incarcerated workers who create every single license plate in the state, and inspired us to recommit to building a world where prisons are no longer necessary.
That movement brought the love of my life Benjamin Chavez to the state Capitol to testify about the importance of being Chicano, and about what it means to have your pride be recognized in an official way by the State.
That movement gave my compañero de lucha Rep. Tim Hernández the opportunity to teach an entire Intro to Chicano Studies course to the House Finance legislative committee in such a powerful and persuasive manner that even Republicans ended up voting yes on the bill.
Now that the Chicana/o license plate bill is law, the funds raised will help strengthen and grow this movement by funding Chicano youth education programs across Colorado.
Are there big, daunting challenges that remain? Absolutely.
Our opposition wants us to stay numbed out, disillusioned, and disconnected. It’s our job to continue to organize, to celebrate, to honor our past and present and future. One thing is for certain: nobody will save us but us. And as I look around at the beauty of the movement that led us to this victory, I can’t wait to see what we work on next.
Hacia adelante, y’all. Y gracias.
