At the close of the year, we can all reflect on our desires for change in our communities, the world, and our own lives, giving us the space to stretch our intentions and imaginations beyond the boundaries enforced by social conventions and oppressions. Such work is particularly relevant this year. Christmas celebrations have been canceled in the Palestinian city of Bethlehem due to the U.S.-Israeli genocide in Gaza. This Hanukkah, Jewish activists in the U.S. are having their identities questioned and attacked for daring to oppose the Israeli military campaign. And weeks before Kwanzaa, Black activists are being attacked by their supposed allies for having the nerve to denounce genocide, as well.
Three years after the largest social movement in U.S. history, an unprecedented groundswell of opposition to the U.S. empire is confronting one of the most shocking atrocities in recent memory. May this holiday season be a time to reflect on our role in the struggle for liberation, to hold close to our visions for justice and to make the commitments necessary to see them through. Below, we share some ARD reader wishes for 2024.
“I wish for all people to have their basic needs met, be acknowledged, respected, cared for, and loved, in a way that each of us wants for ourselves.”
– Liz
“An end to Israeli-imposed apartheid in Palestine is top of mind for me these days. The information I’ve learned regarding this conflict has renewed my hope and interest in seeing a world where indigenous voices are the leaders. I wish for our sustainable survival and the key to this is dismantling colonial and capitalist interests in our country and around the world. On a more local scale, I wish to know my neighbors and build a culture of interdependence and mutual aid rather than the rugged individualism that keeps us isolated in our own struggles.”
– Sabrina
“For the planet, I wish for basic income for everyone to eradicate poverty, and radically reduce the huge disparity we see between those struggling with nothing vs those with surplus wealth that they don’t know what to do with it. This would give power back to people struggling, majorly reducing or eliminating the need for unnecessary/unhelpful/unimpactful bureaucratic government schemes (middle men) and instead giving money directly.”
– Adwoa
“That we all continue to collectively encourage and support one another. That those of us who live in privilege continue to have those hard conversations with our loved ones, to continue to create space and lift the voices of those who are marginalized within our organizations and to stand up to and against those who would turn a blind eye to oppression.”
– Francesca
“That everyone can thrive to the point where it feels natural to move slowly and leisurely, instead of people having to react with urgency for survival.”
– Kenzie
“Justice and true peace: sustainable communities where everyone can thrive because everyone has access to housing, fresh healthy food and water, and medical care. Where prison systems and criminalization of people moving have ended, replaced by prevention, transformative justice, and the free movement of people. Where it is not necessary to work to live because people are provided with a universal basic income, and where there are few barriers to work for those who wish to work (paid or unpaid). Where domestic labor and the planet are valued.”
– Maia
“Educate masses of people to choose collective liberation – I want every individual no matter their background or education to be kind to others, let go of judgements and give everyone the benefit of the doubt and see others as equals.”
– Sabrina
“I would like to never see BMI in a doctor’s office. And I would like doctors to stop requiring weight loss in order to access healthcare.”
– Quinn
“Land Back, rematriating the land, a FREE PALESTINE FROM THE RIVER TO THE SEA with the right of return for all Palestinian refugees, transformative practices that allow us to work through conflict together better, stronger connection to Spirit and our more than human relatives, and decolonizing our minds and institutions.”
– Saira
“For govs of the world to stop turning to arms and profit and instead turn to community, particularly climate justice and land back to indigenous peoples globally. My best friend just had a baby and my wish is that the world she’ll grow up in will be significantly better, fairer, and safer for all peoples in it than it is now.”
– Gemma
“My wish is for this momentum of liberation to continue. I believe a liberated future is possible when the voices, solutions, and stories of the most marginalized are centered. I wish for a liberation that truly dismantles the status quo of power, and instead opens up to the power of the imagination to build a new world.”
– Marisa
“I wish for the symbiotic dehumanizing of capitalism and whiteness to be replaced with the humanity of social care and justice, and for corresponding cultural shifts that turn away from fixating on money and power and toward collaborative well-being for individuals, communities, and the planet.”
– David
“My wish is for us to start growing stronger communities and networks of care and support outside of the government so that we can learn, dream, and build together and feel a sense of security that our neighbors have our backs. I think mutual aid can be a stronger tool in future organizing!”
– Amy
“I hope I live to see this country implement a governing authority that truly prioritizes people over profit, that divests funding from the military and instead focuses on uplifting our communities through housing and education, I wish to see a country that comes together to side with the oppressed, and not the oppressor. I’m tired of seeing my tax dollars put to work against my values and ideologies. May whatever higher power exists forgive us for the hurt we’ve brought into this world, and guide us in a journey of healing ourselves and those around us.”
– Jasmine