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No Justice and No Peace: A Critique of Current Social Change Politics
by Selina Musuta and Darby Hickey
Anarchist People of Color
November 1, 2005
As two people actively involved in movements for social justice, we are constantly discussing and critiquing what we see happening in the name of “changing the world”. Having resided in DC for several years, though not originally “from” the city, we have a particular perspective on the current culture of the mass mobilization for social change. Additionally, as two individuals living at the intersections of race, class, gender, sexuality, nationality, citizenship, and more we struggle to understand what paths can be charted to a future that will liberate every part of us.
“No more handcuffs – Enough!
No more stereotypes – Enough!
No more miseducation – Enough!
No more gentrification – Enough!”
-- Head-Roc, local DC hip-hop artist
If you have ever heard those lyrics, and you live in DC, then you will understand the frustration and urgency that will echo throughout this article. For many people who don't live in the District, when they think of DC, they are really thinking about Washington. Washington is the place where the president sometimes lives, where Congress makes decisions about our lives, where museums are free, and sterile government buildings declare downtown as their home. But DC is where life is. DC is colored, full of tension, conflicted. It is neglected and loved. It is resisting and conforming all at the same time. That is the DC we know and struggle with. However as national protests increase in this city, it seems that instead of the plight of DC coming to the limelight, it is rendered even more invisible. Instead Washington DC becomes a site of protest, a tourist attraction, and the residents of this schizophrenic city are a backdrop in a perpetual political drama.
