We’ve talked about Valarie Kaur and her Revolutionary Love tour, a much-needed call and plan of action to heal our fractured society. Here are a couple of excerpts from her book, See No Stranger.
“Revolutionary love” is the choice to enter into wonder and labor for others, for our opponents, and for ourselves in order to transform the world around us. It is not a formal code or prescription but an orientation to life that is personal and political and rooted in joy. Loving only ourselves is escapism; loving only our opponents is self-loathing; loving only others is ineffective. All three practices together make love revolutionary, and revolutionary love can only be practiced in community.
Kaur gave a speech on New Year’s Eve, 2016. It is one we can hear again in 2025:
“The future is dark,” I said. “But what if—what if this darkness is not the darkness of the tomb but the darkness of the womb?” What if our America is not dead but a country that is waiting to be born? What if the story of America is one long labor? What if all of our grandfathers and grandmothers are standing behind us now, those who survived occupation and genocide, slavery and Jim Crow, detentions and political assault? What if they are whispering in our ear, ‘You are brave’? What if this is our nation’s greatest transition?”
The crowd erupted in cheers and shouts and cries of “Hallelujah!” Reverend Barber was on his feet, his great bear hands outstretched over me.
“What does the midwife tell us to do?” I cried over the roar.
“Breathe! And then? Push!”