Press Conference and the hardest thing about jail
The first person I see waiting at the doors of the courthouse is my dearest friend and commadre Kevyn! She is holding a CodePINK umbrella in her hot pink shirt, beaming her pride and love for me and the rest of us!
I know she is exhausted, yet she approaches and hugs me and then others. Soon a crowd of our co-Freedom Plaza folks are hugging and welcoming us into the bright daylight of freedom.
Half of the men have also been released. While we are waiting for the other half to be released, Margaret (one of the co-organizers) is looking around getting people - men - to speak.
There is a solid wall of TV cameras along with a phalanx of microphones standing together in the center. Before the rest of our people have been arrested, three of the organizers gather around the microphones beginning the press conference.
Margaret pushes a young male forward to speak first, someone who was not arrested or even part of yesterdays action. I am upset we are not waiting for everyone to be released and we are not putting forth the voices of those arrested.
Finally, everyone is out and Margaret again asks for men to speak. Dr. Cornell West goes to the microphones, surrounded by the three organizers.
We finally get all the arrestees in a circle behind Dr. West and the organizers. Cornell speaks as do several other men.
I hear no one speak of this current Supreme Court giving corporations the right of free speech, as if they were people; and we the people not having the right of free speech on the steps of our very own Supreme Court.
But even more importantly, I am shaking from our privilege and ability to walk into jail, and then to walk out - walk out on our sistahs, our poor, oppressed commadres that may never get out - which is the very hardest thing about going to jail: leaving without my sistahs.
As I debate when I am going to grab the microphone, Margaret motions finally for one womon to come forward. She speaks about the womyn still in jail and I feel so much better. A couple more males speak as the news reporters eyes are glazing over.I go to the microphones to urge everyone to come to Freedom Plaza, in case anyone is still taping.
I know she is exhausted, yet she approaches and hugs me and then others. Soon a crowd of our co-Freedom Plaza folks are hugging and welcoming us into the bright daylight of freedom.
Half of the men have also been released. While we are waiting for the other half to be released, Margaret (one of the co-organizers) is looking around getting people - men - to speak.
There is a solid wall of TV cameras along with a phalanx of microphones standing together in the center. Before the rest of our people have been arrested, three of the organizers gather around the microphones beginning the press conference.
Margaret pushes a young male forward to speak first, someone who was not arrested or even part of yesterdays action. I am upset we are not waiting for everyone to be released and we are not putting forth the voices of those arrested.
Finally, everyone is out and Margaret again asks for men to speak. Dr. Cornell West goes to the microphones, surrounded by the three organizers.
We finally get all the arrestees in a circle behind Dr. West and the organizers. Cornell speaks as do several other men.
I hear no one speak of this current Supreme Court giving corporations the right of free speech, as if they were people; and we the people not having the right of free speech on the steps of our very own Supreme Court.
But even more importantly, I am shaking from our privilege and ability to walk into jail, and then to walk out - walk out on our sistahs, our poor, oppressed commadres that may never get out - which is the very hardest thing about going to jail: leaving without my sistahs.
As I debate when I am going to grab the microphone, Margaret motions finally for one womon to come forward. She speaks about the womyn still in jail and I feel so much better. A couple more males speak as the news reporters eyes are glazing over.I go to the microphones to urge everyone to come to Freedom Plaza, in case anyone is still taping.
posted by Xan @ 2:15 PM
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