This is my opportunity to thank the many people who have found ways to let me know that they are paying attention to what is going on, that you have grave concerns about the impact on our mission of delivering vital federal government services to the people of this great nation, that you have deep empathy for those among us who are being singled out and vilified as an enemy “other,” and that you sometimes feel helpless yourself and do not know how to help.
I’ll reiterate something I’ve said before: bearing witness is a necessary part of the work. Watch the hands not the mouth. If you see something say something. Take notes. Log sequences. Cause and effect. Changing explanations. Altered records and data.
I and many others, I can assure you, are buoyed up knowing you are out there watching, seeing what we’re seeing, looking for ways to help, sharing job leads, offering services to affected people, proposing new products to redirect all of this energy, and passing along just the encouraging word we need to hear at the end of some long, grievous days.
So many ask me what you can do to help. Speak up where it is safe for you to do so. Ask questions. Demand answers. Persist. If you have resources, direct them toward organizations where it will multiply the efforts you care about. If you have time, contribute that to voluntary efforts or advocacy organizations. If life is already too much for you (I get it!) just tell people what you are seeing and don’t allow yourself to be gaslit to your face.
We will get through this with mutual aid, as a community of people with shared values and a positive vision for the future. If we have each other’s backs, we’ve got this.
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