✊🏾 We Marched Then. We Rise Now.

By Goddess Arike | Founder of Unbound & Undone

They met in churches. They gathered in community halls. They made sandwiches in kitchens and printed flyers on mimeograph machines. They trained children how to face down dogs with dignity, and how to kneel without flinching when the billy clubs came.

This was strategy, not sentiment.

The Civil Rights Movement was not just Black and white photos of marching feet—it was an organized, tactical resistance against the American empire's illusion of liberty. It wasn’t a trend. It wasn’t a hashtag. It was a movement forged in the fires of righteous fury and cooled in the discipline of planning.

So why do we act surprised when history loops back with teeth sharper than before?

Today, we are once again told to stay silent while the powerful trample the powerless. We are once again watching the military get deployed—not for a natural disaster, not for a foreign threat, but for us. For Americans. Protesters. Survivors. Students. Mothers. Queer folk. The poor. The undocumented. The grieving.

We are in a state of emergency, and yet some of y’all are waiting for someone to come save you. Let me be plain: There is no cavalry. We are the cavalry.

🕯 What Did They Do Then?

• They met at churches, community centers, and private homes to strategize and pray—not to vibe.

• They created bail funds, ride shares, and communication trees.

• They printed and distributed pamphlets, not just tweets.

• They trained. They practiced. They didn’t just hope the cops wouldn’t beat them—they prepared to be beaten and still return standing.

They didn’t leave it to chance. They didn’t rely on vibes. And they sure as hell didn’t protest at night without knowing where everyone would regroup if scattered.

🧠 What Must We Do Now?

1. Organize Locally: Find a local church, mosque, temple, or center willing to host pre-march briefings and community defense plans.

2. Establish Runners & Communicators: Use walkie talkies, not just Signal. Paper maps still work when the towers are jammed.

3. Designate Safe Houses: If someone is in danger, where do they go? Who’s going to shelter them?

4. Prep Supplies: Water. Snacks. ID. Cash. A written emergency contact. Mask and goggles.

5. Know the Law, and Know They Might Break It Anyway: Have numbers for bail funds. Have legal observers. Film everything—but also know when not to, especially for undocumented or trans folks who are targeted harder.

6. Be Willing to Say No to Chaos: If it’s nightfall and you’re surrounded by rage, not strategy—go home. There is no glory in dying for optics.

💣 A Warning and A Truth

Trump has already activated National Guard troops. California Governor Gavin Newsom warned that 500 active military personnel may be used against protestors. The Secretary of Defense is publicly fantasizing about sending Marines onto American soil. You think this is still politics? This is war by other means.

You don’t fight fascism with hope. You fight it with structure. Systems. Sharp minds. Boundaries. Guts. Unity. That’s how they survived Selma. That’s how we’ll survive this moment.

💬 Final Word

If you’re reading this, you're part of something ancient and holy: the struggle to be free. But don’t mistake passion for preparation.

We marched then. We rise now. But this time? We bring the blueprint with us.