Uprisings, Strikes, and Elections
It’s May 18th. An election day here in Philadelphia. The 41st anniversary of the Gwangju Uprising in Korea. A general strike is being waged in Israel, as the state is bombing hospitals, schools, shelters, and homes in Gaza. In Burma, there has been continuous protest and general strikes against the coup that seized power in February. Nurses apparently are refusing to treat generals.
This is all on my mind as I go to vote, as I get the GOTV texts and calls. I go to vote then scroll through news of genocide and oppression on social media. I’m not saying don’t vote. And I’m not saying there aren’t material differences between Krasner and Vega, the FOP puppet candidate, that will impact thousands of lives in Philly. I guess what I’m saying is that our fight for liberation goes beyond the voting booth and continues tomorrow regardless of who wins tonight.
I’ve written about Gwangju before and how our fight for abolition is deeply connected to anti-imperialism. That we’re working to elect a prosecutor weighs heavy on me today. Maybe I just needed to write something to make space for that feeling.