The Social Justice Movement and the Current Administration: Stakes Is High
“Stakes Is High” is a very popular rap song by rap group De La Soul. Recorded over a decade ago now, the song addresses social issues — and issues in the culture of the music industry — that are alarming, deserving of immediate attention, and paints very stark pictures of where we are in this country. The song, timely, remains evident and important when we consider issues of today and how much more pressure we will experience with the Trump administration.
If we are solely to look at racism, we know we are up against a strong fight when it comes to the continuance of marginalization, policing of Black and brown lives, as well as the overall mistreatment of the BIPOC community in this country. Neo-Nazi groups are committing racial violence increasingly. Hate crimes have been on the rise since Trump has taken office again as our president.
As organizations such as the ACLU document these hate crimes. and as we witness racial violence in the form of police violence in Black and brown communities, we are at a crossroads. It is us against them — the us is stretched to accomplices or allies who have joined the fight for racial justice, economic justice, gender justice, and environmental justice
We social justice warriors are faced with mounting and complex political policies and strategies that have made our work harder.
Sexism is playing out even more in a Trump-dominated political world. Masked and unmasked human rights violations are political appointments where some of these so-called leaders are perpetrators who clearly see this world as a man’s world.
James Brown’s song “It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World” is directly about what is happening in this country. Trump is the evidence of an America attached to 1950s styled sexism where the equity of women was rarely even a thought. Pay equity for instance is still a major issue regarding the issues we are still fighting for in the social justice movement.
What kind of civil world do we want young girls, ladies, and women living in when there are harsh, non-empathetic men controlling politics in this country?
What kinds of roadmaps can we build together to secure equity, equality, and the safety of women in this country?
It is sad to see the aggressive pushback of and policing of the LGBTQ+ community today. Large corporations — especially their CEOs — are smearing or destroying the lives of this community. If administration is to be stopped, we are going to have to become allies or accomplices for the LGBTQ+ community in increasing numbers. Our voices are needed, as well as our actions.
Immediate actions will be taken in regard to environmental controls and movements this country has made some strides in. The administration is going to extremes to roll back greenhouse gas initiatives to strike back at previous administration’s efforts. We will indeed live in a more polluted world after this president’s term is up.
Simply put, we will need unified fronts, louder voices on bullhorns, a commitment from many left leaning or liberal political and social justice organizations, as well as a willingness to go to jail for some of what we are fighting for or believe in. Some of my own social justice work and accomplishments have come fighting for the health of this planet, our cities, and our communities.
Whether you are fighting for the health of the planet, fighting for LGBTQ+ rights, immigrants’ rights, for Black Lives Matter, or reproductive rights and other similar issues, the road ahead is going to be rough. Everything we believe in we will be fighting for, fighting to keep, or fighting to sustain as people who want to be on the right side of justice.
What organizations are you aligning with?
Does your church believe in or practice sanctuary for justice seekers and the like?
Are you a part of networks who share basic items needed for survival?
Who is in your tribe? Meaning who is in your circle you trust, will work with and will defend or help you in your time of need?
All of these questions you and I will need to have definite answers to in the coming weeks and months to live in a more just world where those of us who lean left in our politics and dealings obtain and maintain safety and security. In the past week we have seen lawmakers killed and threatened because of their liberal leanings. The term social justice is a threat to the MAGA movement who are blatantly using Project 2025 to advance their agenda and destroy our democracy.
The social justice movement here in the United States will need protections, we will need to keep our eyes and ears open, and we will have to practice compassionate care to make sure we can advance productive initiatives, laws, and policies. We will need the best of the best and the brightest of the brightest to design a modern social justice movement that is transparent, effective, and provides protections.
Collaborating with social justice movements and leaders in Canada or in Sweden who are in solidarity with the United States pertaining to the current president can help us get there. Finding pathways or opportunities to work with Indigenous people across the country is an effective strategy.
We must keep fighting and be willing to invite allies, accomplices, and partners in the development of a more just world.
Christopher D. Sims
All rights reserved
2025
