In my debut series, the characters fight systemic injustice by starting a literal revolution. Sometimes that’s what it takes.⠀
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Sci-fi has strong roots as protest lit. It gives readers a mirror, allowing us to see societies from different perspectives. Sometimes it shows our future, sometimes our past, and in this case our present.⠀
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Please protest. Please vote. Please donate. Support black voices not only today but next week & next year & forever.⠀
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But most critically: spread the word. Engage in discourse. Foster empathy. Strive to change the hearts & minds of those around you. Some may be incapable of listening, but it’s those you *can* impact that can make all the difference.⠀
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Unfollowing people who don’t agree with you might make you feel less angry, and that’s fair. I’ve done it myself. But please remember, all that does is insulate us. We end up creating our own little pockets of peace & every post in our feed reaffirms our worldview. Then we’re surprised we’re still fighting racism in 2020. Surprised to find fascists in our communities. Surprised when Trump wins the election.⠀
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Change won’t happen overnight, but it will never happen if we pretend conflict doesn’t exist. That’s what leads to situations like we’re in today. Then in 50 years we’ll be back here, surprised again that nothing’s changed.⠀
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I’d apologize for this post being so delayed, but that’s just who I am. It takes me time to internalize things like this outside of my knee-jerk reaction of rage. And the bottom line is, there is no too late. Maybe that’s why fiction writing works so well for me. It’s a long game, just like this will be.⠀
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So please, don’t let the lapsing news cycle lull you back to complacency. Take this momentum & make the fervent, unyielding fight against systemic oppression a default part of who you are.⠀
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Maybe that’s through writing, peaceful protesting, donating, volunteering, supporting black-owned businesses, or using your online presence to uplift & support marginalized voices.⠀
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That’s how societies improve: one person at a time. And how we start to shape the utopias we so often dream of in our sci-fi worlds. Lasting change starts with us.
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