Like Gail,
what keeps me on the road are the memories I carry with me. Standing Rock was
both equally beautiful and heart-wrenching. There are so many things in the
news that are breaking my heart these days. Between Trump’s election and the
violence I read about day after day, it’s easy to lose hope.
The only
thing that keeps me energized is meeting people. I met Gail when I was losing
perspective at the protest. A few of my friends had been arrested the day
before, and there was a lot of violence involved; these videos were not
released on TV. I knew that things were bad out there and that a lot of people
were getting hurt. However, I had no idea about the severity of the Pipeline’s
police force. I thought, at minimum, the American public was seeing the harsh
reality of what was actually going on via newspapers and TV. This was not the
case.
I was
depressed to the point of inaction when Gail came along. I had no idea how to
move forward, so I slept. And I slept. And I slept. And I slept.
Gail caught
me as I was packing up my bags to leave. I wasn’t able to help anymore, so I
thought I would leave to regain strength and return to the protests again
later. She thought I was striding confidently towards a group gathered on the
field; I really was “striding confidently” towards a few friends to say
goodbye.
Gail was funny and poised and
honest – I saw a version of womanhood that I wanted to be when I grew up. She seemed
timid about getting involved, but her desire to show up anyways reminded me why
I was there: to fight for love. Although I did decide to leave and recalibrate
at a friend’s house in Colorado, I left with a clear mind and full heart. I
knew that I wanted to continue supporting No Dapl in the best way I could, for the
people like Gail, and for the people who took me in on the protest grounds as
we fought for a better world together.
No comments:
Post a Comment