A Very Short Story

I know who needs to hear this the most.

Once upon a time, there was The Axe. 🪓

📸 Image text: “The forest was shrinking but the trees kept voting for the axe, for the axe was clever and convinced the trees that because his handle was made of wood he was one of them.” ― Turkish Proverb

No one votes against their own interest; they have competing interests. That’s a line from a paper I recently co-authored about this very topic. If you’re feeling sad, confused, or angry about the U.S. election results, I strongly encourage you to read the whole thing.

• Act I: Explains exactly how we got to this point in America.

• Act II: Gives you concrete, factual examples of how “the forest has been shrinking” for a long time now. I’m talking about specific names, cases, and tactics used.

• Act III: Published months ago, this part of the paper predicted the future. As one example, my co-author and I literally told folks (in Act III, on Page 3) how and why Latinos and white women would likely vote the way they would. Act III is literally titled: “The Future.” Read it to learn what’s coming next.

• The Finale: You’ll like this part. It’s the end. It’s beautiful, and you get to choose it. We give you 40+ specific recommended policies, action items, and steps you could implement to make things better.

Here’s your copy.

You know what genuinely kind of hurt my feelings? I love you; so, nearly two months ago, for National Voter Registration day, I slipped you an early copy via a Tiny, Private Love Letter update titled, “Why I Co-Authored Three Acts of Justice.”

Real talk? As soon as I hit publish, a shitton of people unsubscribed immediately. For a few days, as more people opened & read the letter in their inboxes, Tiny, Private Love Letter continued hemorrhaging subscribers. Honestly, it kind of broke my heart. Because I was trying to warn everyone. For those of us working in reproductive areas, we know the Dobbs decision was never just about “abortion.” But, I think a lot of people didn’t get that message. So, this time, I’ll be painfully direct. And if people unsubscribe, they do. I’m learning to not take that personally. Besides, new subscribers eager to hear more eventually replaced the earlier people who had opted out.

Moral of the story?

Sometimes people (i.e. “trees”) choose things that will ultimately harm them. You might ask: Why would anyone do that? Well, you might assume the thing that could harm you wouldn’t harm you because it’s like you.

Listen to Black women. 🖤

👉🏾 Black Americans already know white supremacy kills people in America.

👉🏾 Women already know patriarchy cares more about control than actual life.

Perhaps, that’s why early results show approximately 90% of Black American women didn't pick The Axe.

Because we know better.

Spoiler alert. Want to know what else we know? The Axe eventually comes for everyone. Even if it seems The Axe looks like you — or thinks like you — it will ultimately come for you, too.

Don’t believe us? Ask Mike Pence. As a white, conservative, Republican, Christian, straight, Trump-supporting man, The Axe came — with rope for the trees — to get him, too.

Psst! White supremacy and patriarchy are The Axe in today’s parable.

Stop picking The Axe. 🪓