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Hope Is Not Naive: Rebecca Solnit on Backlash, Power, and Political Memory

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Part of the Series Movement Memos Truthout is an indispensable resource for activists, movement leaders and workers everywhere. Please make this work possible with a quick donation. “One of the greatest cures for despair and depression is to do something, and to do something with the people who care,” says Rebecca Solnit. In this episode of Movement Memos, host Kelly Hayes talks with Solnit about ...
Rebecca Solnit’s discussion offers a compelling framework for understanding the dynamics of social progress and backlash. At its core, her argument is a steelman for the power of historical memory: by recognizing how far society has come, activists can better contextualize current struggles and resist the pull of despair. This narrative is strengthened by her personal anecdotes, such as her canonization by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, which grounds her theoretical points in lived experie...