Photo by Amanda Romankiw
Last weekend, while half of Los Angeles was at Coachella, 36,000 people gathered in attendance for Sen. Bernie Sanders’ nationwide “Fighting Oligarchy Tour.” This highly anticipated event had a musician lineup one could only dream of, not to mention the incredible speakers, such as House Representatives Maxwell Frost, Ro Khanna, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Despite the blistering sun beating down on Downtown Los Angeles, attendees remained perseverant as they rallied together against the oligarchic state of the nation. Leading up to Sen. Sanders’ speech, the “Fighting Oligarchy Tour” demonstrated how community and joy are integral to surviving these dark times with speakers from a slew of unions, including UTLA, UAW, among a myriad of others.
Through music and celebration, the crowd spanning generations united to stand up against President Donald Trump’s administrative terror. Headlining the rally were rock icons Joan Baez and Neil Young, artists who have been politically vocal for decades, going back to the Civil Rights movement.
Baez joined Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Maggie Rogers on stage to perform a special duet of Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right.” Baez and Rogers’ sweet vocals amplified the rally’s uplifting message of seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. As the performance came to an end, the crowd wept unbridled cheers of joy as a sense of hope permeated the rally’s atmosphere.
“Take America Back!” Young’s persistent chant echoed through the sound system, stirring up energy throughout the sea of thousands. Following this, he welcomed back Baez and Rogers to electrify the stage with his classic “Rockin’ in the Free World.”
This message is integral to understanding what it takes to overcome what America has become in recent years. Our nation will only descend further into the risk of authoritarian rule if the Democratic Party remains passive in the face of threats to the state of democracy.
“We are living in a moment of extraordinary danger,” Sen. Sanders said during his speech, adding that “how we respond to this moment will not only impact our lives, but will impact the lives of our kids and future generations.”
The Democratic Party must accept that in order to defeat Trump’s regime, risks must be taken and inner-party reform must occur to transform itself into a political powerhouse. No longer can we tolerate establishment Democrats, from Nancy Pelosi to Chuck Schumer, and their willingness to promote corporate interests at the expense of future generations.
Part of Sanders’ and Ocasio-Cortez’s aim in their series of rallies was to better include young people in political spaces. The appearances of Maggie Rogers and Joan Baez were enough to attract third-year African and Middle Eastern studies major James Mastrilli. Mastrilli was especially moved by Baez’s consistency in standing up for what is right. “She was at the March on Washington, dude. And now she’s here— how special is that? She’s 84 and still doing this s—!” Mastrilli said in response to Baez’s performance.
Baez’s and Rogers’ duet was made incredibly profound by forming a bridge between generational differences in the name of fighting against encroaching fascism and oligarchy. Ocasio-Cortez and Sanders implored the audience to abandon the culture wars perpetuated by mainstream media and instead focus on the real fight: the fight against billionaires who give gobs of cash to elected officials in order to exploit workers and protect their own financial interests.
The only way to be unaware of what is at stake is if you are actively avoiding any and all news. As dystopian as this American hellscape is, things can and will get immeasurably worse if proportional action is not taken now. Everything is at stake. It is easy to get discouraged by the ultimate power of corporations, our university’s regents, and all three branches of the federal government;, it is easy to get complacent and resign in defeat. While this is a normal response, wallowing in terror and misery accomplishes absolutely nothing. Active resistance has historically been effective in enacting change. As the rally chanted throughout the day: “When we fight, we win!”We are not here to morally posture. We don’t need your money. We gain nothing from your attention. We only wish to remind those patient enough to read this that your efforts do in fact, matter. Support your local unions, go to town halls, attend rallies, never stop reading, never stop resisting. Above all, build community and foster love.
