![]() The abundance of triviality is as hypnotic as it is repulsive.īut there are times when social media is anything but trivial. There are knee-jerk, ill-informed reactions to, well, everything. There’s all manner of self-promotion and relentless affirmation. On the one hand, it offers an endless parade of ephemera from the daily lives of friends, family and strangers - discussions of a fondness for yogurt, a picture of a barista’s decoration in latté foam, descriptions of excellent meals, pictures of pets and small children or maybe an abandoned easy chair on a crowded street corner. I was reminded that change sometimes does begin with one person who raises her voice.Īnd there I was, last night, watching a YouTube livefeed of a state Senate filibuster, something I never thought I would do. I read the articles and commentaries she shared and began to understand what was at stake not just for women in Texas but for all American women. Luther was so committed, though, and so full of passion and good information, that I started to care. At times, I thought, “I do not have the energy to care about this.” I’ll be honest - at first, I was completely clueless about what was happening in Texas. I don’t know her personally but we became connected online some time ago. Luther ( a Texas activist who has been sharing information about SB 5 for weeks. The reason I knew anything about what was going on in Texas was thanks to the efforts and boundless energy of Jessica W. That, however, is not where this story begins. It awoke something in me I hadn’t realized had gone dormant.Īnd why were so many of us watching this amazing set of events happen on a YouTube stream? Because none of the major news networks, not one, carried or covered the last hours of the filibuster. The gap between old and new media yawned ever wider. It was a sound of women fighting for their reproductive freedom in the only way they could: with their voices. Davis’ efforts, the impassioned crowd in the gallery began shouting and cheering, letting the senator know she did not stand alone. Near midnight, after some intense and partisan efforts to derail Sen. Davis’ flawless hair, several hours into her ferocious stand. For some levity, I couldn’t help remarking on Sen. On Twitter, people were able to offer support, however symbolic, for Sen. The filibuster was a gripping spectacle that kept me rapt for hours. Interested people from around the country, nay, the world, were able to watch this filibuster and the political maneuverings of those who tried to stop it, via a livestream on YouTube - one watched, at times by more than 180,000 people. Wendy Davis of Texas stood for nearly 13 hours without food or drink, without rest, without leaning, without the ability to use the restroom, to filibuster Senate Bill 5 (SB 5), a legislative measure that would have closed 37 of the 42 abortion clinics in Texas, the largest state in the contiguous United States.
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