Embracing a Radical Solidarity this Labor Day
By Victor Narro
For this Labor Day, we have tremendous victories to celebrate. All throughout the country today, workers are rising up for economic justice. We have seen a groundswell in the number of workers, especially young workers, in the fight to organize a union. In many cities and states, unions, worker centers, and other labor advocates are fighting for policies to win workplace justice. There is a major upsurge happening. Labor Day is the time of the year where we celebrate what we have accomplished in the fight for workplace justice, as we prepare for the challenges that lie ahead.
In my new book, The Activist Spirit — Toward a Radical Solidarity, I argue that there a spiritual core within activism from which we can deepen our solidarity through our interconnectedness, our creativity, and our depth of compassion and love for one another. The work for justice is a form of spirituality in and of itself. It is filled with the values attributed to spirituality — love, compassion, empathy for those in need and a lifetime commitment to bring justice into their lives. We tap into this inner core in order to make the struggle for justice more compassionate, fulfilling, caring, and sustainable for all of us. To be an activist for justice is to love humanity and all of creation.
As labor advocates, we have a foundation of spirituality and compassion within ourselves from which we can approach the work together and deepen our solidarity. Each of us is an instrumental creative part of the universe of labor activism, and there is no one role that rises above the others. The spiritual framework that we need to achieve a radical solidarity relies on 1) our interconnectedness with each other, and 2) our embrace of compassion and humility in our work.
The interconnectedness between all of us in the labor movement should become an indispensable part of our work. This is so especially where we find ourselves dispersed in so many different strategies and campaigns, often disconnected from one another. St. Francis of Assisi, the peace activist of the Middle Ages from whom I derive my spirituality, would spend long hours with every member that formed the first band of followers of his teachings. He lived and practiced a daily heart-to-heart connection with them. Similarly in the labor movement, we are all interwoven — ourselves, our lives, the workers we represent and our different organizing and policy campaigns. Francis had the capacity to go deep into someone’s heart and share the joy and sadness of that person. As labor activists, we too have the potential to connect through our hearts and let that connection be the driving force that enables us to struggle together, to strategize together, and to win together. In reaching such a potential of human relationship, we create the spiritual binding force from which we can move forward in radical solidarity with one other.
Thich Nhat Hanh, Vietnamese Buddhist Zen Master, poet, scholar, and human rights activist, in his Fourth Mindfulness Training, Loving Speech and Deep Listening, states that we must be “determined not to spread news that [we] do not know to be certain and not to utter words that can cause division or discord.” He goes on to state that we must “make daily efforts, in [our] speaking and listening, to nourish [our] capacity for understanding, love, joy, and inclusiveness, and gradually transform anger, violence, and fear that lie deep in [our] consciousness.” We must learn to engage in active listening with our heart, which will then enable us to speak through compassion or loving speech, and not anger, frustration or fear. Active listening without passing judgment, is a gift that we can give to each other to enhance our work in the labor movement. When we are really heard, and the other understands our meaning and emotions, we feel valued and respected, a condition necessary for radical solidarity. There is a no more precious gift, to give or receive, than to listen to the words of another. This process of active listening and loving speech will enable us to be mindful of and respect the dignity in every one of us.
The second principle we should strive to embrace is rooted in compassion and humility. Like the principles of non-violence, humility in social justice work is not submission or a state of passiveness; rather, it is a powerful force for change. Francis understood that the biggest threat to humility was the power of our ego. Francis saw humility as the only way to prevent our ego from poisoning our pride.
Just as Francis preached a way of life through the principle of humility, we too must approach our work in the same way. We should exercise humility through acts of compassion as we carry out our tasks in our everyday work — in a campaign, in a picket line, a protest, giving a presentation or workshop, house visits, worker assemblies, visiting policy makers, etc. In whatever activity we engage in as part of our work as labor activists, we should strive to do it through the principle of humility that Francis teaches us. Acting through humility and compassion becomes especially important during the difficult or challenging moments or our work. After all, Francis tells us in his own words: ”We can never know how patient or humble we are when everything is going well with us. But when those who should cooperate with us do exactly the opposite, then we can know. A person has as much patience and humility as he or she has then, and no more.”
Finally, we must bring love into our work. Francis’ way of peacemaking is expressing love in action in the work for justice. Love is fluid throughout our work. We need awareness of love at all times, especially during moments of chaos and crisis. Beyond you and me, love appears. Love “re-members” us as one. Love is endless, it is not finite; you can never give or receive more than enough of it. Love has no limits. In the work for justice, our love for one another is the deepest form of solidarity. It brings us back together, acknowledges and nurtures us. When you love for the act of loving itself, peace will fill your heart, and this will be the same for the other person. Love is the giving and receiving. Francis found love in the present moment. He saw every moment as a pathway to deepen his five senses to be fully present in love. For Francis, love was in his body and in whatever surrounded him at any moment. As labor activists, if we are able to give and receive love, we will be love in action and be loved. Love is doing justice in the world. This Labor Day, let us embrace a radical solidarity through love and compassion for one another, ourselves, our loved ones, and the working class.
Victor Narro is Project Director and Professor of Labor Studies for the UCLA Labor Center. He can also be found on Twitter at @narrovictor and Instagram at victornarro1
To order a copy of Victor’s book, The Activist Spirit — Toward a Radical Solidarity, please go to the following link:
http://hardballpress.com/all-titles.html
