Moving Forward is a Form of Resistance
Image by Melody Hernandez
The nonprofit sector, like much of the country, has been in a seemingly endless panic state since Inauguration Day. There has been an unprecedented series of presidential decisions that have devastating consequences and we have begun to see the impacts across multiple sectors. Even with numerous judges stepping in to halt individual Executive Orders, the situation is dire. Some community groups – immigrants, LGBTQ+ folks, Black and Brown community members who have faced generations of systemic racism – are scared for their safety. This concern is not unfounded. Stripping away protective measures can and will cause loss of life, loss of freedom, loss of economic security, loss of the very things that the United States of America has been promising us for two and half centuries: The right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
This fear can be immobilizing. Many folks are familiar with the flight-or-fight response where, in the face of danger, there is a natural response to run or to resist. In my experience, the flight response is rare in the grant profession, and that of the nonprofit sector as a whole. As a general rule, we have looked at the state of the world and have chosen to work hard, and fight, to make the world a better place.
The fear response is more complex than those two choices, and flight-or-fight-or-freeze is more accurate. The freeze response is what causes us to become immobilized when threatened and/or in the face of unknowns. This can serve us well in certain times. Like many grant professionals, I usually caution my clients to conserve resources for grant opportunities that are likely to get funded, to move slowly and cautiously and wait for additional information before making an informed decision. We freeze, albeit for a short period of time, until things are more clear or the timing seems right for action. However, during times like this, inaction means we sit idly by and watch as our very rights get stripped away.
There is a fourth fear response: fawn. With the fawn response, there is an attempt to appease the threat by pleasing or accommodating the aggressor. This is worth keeping in mind as we question why people in power who should be standing up to this bullying behavior seem to roll over when we desperately need them to fight for our rights. It is also the motivation behind a growing number of folks who have decided to – very willingly and without even being asked – remove all DEI language from their website, or abandoned plans to pursue federal funding, or deny services to undocumented community members, or other behavior that would have been inconceivable only a few months ago. In his book On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century, Timothy Snyder warns us against the fawn response when he wrote, “Do not obey in advance. Most of the power of authoritarianism is freely given.”
Colleagues, clients, and community members are increasingly ready to fight, but many are at a loss for direction. The problem seems to be outside of our control and some feel like they are not in a position to do much about these mounting problems. To these folks I say, "Moving forward is a form of resistance.” If all of the organizations who believe in diversity, equity, and inclusion withdraw federal applications, the only organizations left in the running will be those lacking these values.
As we move forward in our quest to create a better, more just society with more equity, in celebration of the diversity that makes this nation great and arm-in-arm in solidarity with our partners and community, we become an immovable force. This is how we fight, this is how we resist.
