Embrace Your Shakti

On July 8th, 2025 I witnessed just how powerful a movement can be when a whole community bands together. That day, the East Palo Alto City Council was discussing an ordinance that would disproportionately affect folks from marginalized communities such as low-income families, green card holders, and those living in multifamily households.

To give some context, if this ordinance were approved, it would require households to pay between 120 and 200 dollars for each street parking permit. And to even qualify, you’d need to show voter registration, proof of residence, and a valid license. Basically, green card holders who can’t register to vote would be denied access to parking. And for low-income families, this would be yet another financial burden added to the pile.

But the community showed up.Over 290 people came in person and about 160 more joined Zoom to give public comments opposing the ordinance. The folks who showed up in person weren’t just there to sit quietly. They chanted, they held signs, they protested. One protest sign in particular really stood out to me. It said: “Gentrification took our homes. Now it wants our streets.” That one line captured so much. It perfectly summed up how gentrification keeps pushing long-time residents out, first from their homes, now from the neighborhoods and streets they’ve called home for generations. And the truth is, this isn’t just an East Palo Alto issue. This is happening in cities all over the country.

Seeing young people, like the high school students from YUCA (Youth United for Community Action), stand up and speak out reminded me how powerful youth voices are. Age doesn’t determine impact, especially when there are elders and community leaders willing to guide and uplift. I saw leaders like Ravneel Chaudhary and Kenia Najar Miranda not only keep morale high but also help folks understand the process, making sure the community knew how to make their voices heard. Because of this collective effort, the ordinance was not approved. Instead, it led to new conversations about how the city can solve parking challenges without harming the very people who live here. On a bigger scale, this moment reminded me:The oppressor only wins when we don’t push back.

And right now, living in Trump’s America, the time to push back is now. We’re watching attacks on the rights of immigrants, low-income folks, disabled people, and SOGIE (Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Expression) communities. But the pushback doesn’t always have to be loud. It’s about figuring out your lane. For some, that’s canvassing. For others, it’s contacting elected officials. Some folks use their voice by sharing their stories, while others help build platforms where those stories can be heard. Because when we move together, even the loudest systems of oppression can be silenced.

It’s normal to feel hopeless sometimes. These are heavy times. But once we sit with that feeling, we have to be open to letting it go and start thinking about how we move forward. And sometimes we’ll have to do that over and over again, and that’s okay. What matters is not letting fear keep us stuck. Even one step forward a day is still progress.