Solidarity does not necessarily need to be cohesive, but it is a movement of togetherness. It is a wave of inclusion that brings together our unique strands of decolonisation into one diverse body moving towards liberation. It is not the overlapping conditions of oppression and catastrophe that drive us together; instead, it is our steadfast journey to end it. 

This is a moment for solidarity.

The election of Donald Trump will have significant ramifications for human rights worldwide, particularly for the places our partners call home. Confident in their genocidal plans with Trump’s victory, Israel announced that Palestinians would not be able to return to their homes in Northern Gaza. Trump seems poised to give Israel a blank check. For Latin America and Colombia, the policies and actions of Trump’s previous administration, coupled with his campaign rhetoric, have already left a lasting impact on the lives of so many across the hemisphere, emboldening authoritarian leaders who silenced critics and weakened judicial independence. In the U.S., immigrants are living under the threat of mass deportation in what seems to be a move to embolden white supremacy. In Iraqi Kurdistan, the fear is whether Trump will allow Turkey to continue and increase its incursion and bombing of the Kurdish territory. One thing is sure: the U.S. President has much control over millions of people’s lives worldwide. Unfortunately, historically, the decisions of these presidents have only been to enrich the centre of the empire. 

This is a moment for resistance. 

But this is not a fight we face alone. For close to forty years, we have partnered with creative, courageous and steadfast human rights defenders worldwide who have committed their lives to the good of their people and the progress of humanity. This partnership, characterised by radical love, will continue and be expressed in radical resistance. Oppressive powers not only work to dispossess us, occupy us, and divide us, but they also blind us not to recognise one another. bell hooks calls us “back to love” to bear witness to the danger surrounding us. I encourage you to find your space of solidarity to love and resist radically. You are not alone.

I invite you to resistance.

Educate, agitate, organise!