A quick and boring thread about long and short term solutions, and why they are both important.

Some musings as we gather our momentum for (ongoing) marathon.

I was a graduate student at an ivy league institution. Having spent my prior experience mostly at community college and state college, it was a whole new system. When I arrived we had one senior woman on the faculty.

Everyone knew that was a problem.

Because they were a private institution, and because there was a particular program they were eligible for, they were able to recruit two more junior women to hire.

This seems positive.

Both of them were recruited from other institutions. Both those jobs got re-filled - with white men.

The hiring between then and now... has not shown big pattern changes.

This made me mostly just EXTREMELY ANGRY for a while. And sitting where I am now, I hold onto that anger and frustration with one hand. And with the other hand I hold on to - What do we do to *stop* repeating the fuckery.

Because my anger doesn't fix it. Sometimes it helps fuel me past the point of collapse (oh hey, this morning). Sometimes it burns my hands and no one else cares.

The answer is much more complex and long term and difficult and... I'm excited that it looks like we might have the energy and focus, in this moment, to crash into the systems that enforce racism. School. Hiring. Capitalism. All of those tangled up pieces that lead to here.

As one person it is totally overwhelming. And let's be clear -- a lot of people that are very fired up right now are going to fall back. Because sustained execution of change is hard. But I currently am drawing hope from the prison abolition movement.

Have you all seen the amazing work, the culmination of decades of work, that is so ready for this moment? Doors that were walls are suddenly opening and it is like... This is why you do the long term work.

I don't have a right answer. Everyone is going to pick pieces that resonant w/them - In departments, we can try to get access to the information, find the places to wedge the sticks, figure out the different ways students, staff, researchers, faculty can shake loose what's stuck.

There is groundwork that has been laid down in some places - and we should run with it. And we will be angry. Not just today.

But for all of us what I wish is this - an intentionality behind our anger that helps us burn it down, not burn us up.

Build your networks. Some folks you deploy for their power. Some people have your back in a fight. Some people surprise you. But none of us do it alone. Parts will be unexpectedly fast - so push even if you aren't sure there is a door.

Sometimes doors are facades, not openings. Sometimes the thing that seemed THE MOST OBVIOUS AND EASY THING... just.. isn't.

Anyway. I'm grateful to be in this moment. Take care of each other, and yourself. The gears might be rusty, but things are moving.