Joy is subversive. Joy is an essential ingredient in sustaining a successful social justice movement. I know I am supposed to feel joy right now, but I don’t. Fleeting relief might be a more accurate description.

Country singer-songwriter Jason Isbell most accurately described my feelings in his clever tweet last Saturday: “America just got dropped off at rehab.”

The recovery process is difficult, brutally introspective, exhausting – and I would not call it fun. There’s a saying my substance abuse instructor says every class: “Recovery isn’t for people who need it, it’s for people who want it.” And America has got to want it. We have to be willing to heal ourselves and defend each other. The road to reckoning with our nation’s past is long, and it will require authentic humility and sacrifice.

These images were taken from a ‘Defend Democracy’ demonstration (hosted by Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment) downtown LA last Saturday, only a few hours after the Presidential race was called in Biden’s favor. The event felt like place to come together and connect with other human beings in a world that’s been devoid of real human connection for more than 8 months. The full spectrum of leftist politics was on display.

All power to the people.