As I sat down to write this column, I could not help but think about the events of the past 2 years. Anchored by COVID-19 and the appalling death toll, we have also suffered the ravages of climate change––devastating floods in some places and raging infernos in others—and the increased recognition that racism is another ongoing pandemic that must be eliminated. When I thought about all these challenges, they felt insurmountable.
But then a poem called “Fight and Flag” came to mind. University of Auckland graduate student Alex Li wrote the poem in 2016 shortly after the June 12 mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida. Rereading it provided me with the wherewithal to tackle the weighty and troubling issues facing us today. Here are a few lines:
I grew up wishing I was born some decades earlier
At the beginning of the 20th century,
Into the “big” times,
The grand times,
When meta-narratives transformed to what we learn
today as history.I wished I had a righteous cause,
An indisputable justice such as
Fighting off the imperial invaders!
A purpose so terribly romantic
Yet so uncomplicated.Times for those fights are long gone.
However, Alex has an epiphany later in the poem: “I don’t know why I thought this wasn’t ‘big’ enough a time.”
One does not have to yearn for a grand past to be a hero—there is much to do in the present. Racism, discrimination, income inequality, educational and health inequities, and transphobia are righteous causes that we must fight against and win. As you will read in this issue of the Monitor on page 2, our Council of Representatives has apologized to communities of color for APA’s role in “promoting, perpetuating, and failing to challenge racism.” Council has also acknowledged the role that racism plays in all aspects of our society and resolved to combat racism and work toward eliminating it from society. There are times when the world needs soldiers and diplomats. Today, the world needs psychologists. Let us all answer the call.
