Beekeeping: A Reflection on Community and Hope

I’m at the DSA. I’m at the Labor Council. I’m at the coalition sparked with Indivisible.

On Monday night, I was listening to Shut Up, Dude by Das Racist while checking on my bees—decompressing after helping lead Tacoma’s No Kings People Power protest. That lyric about sister food businesses sharing the same building stuck with me. It mirrors what we’re building in Tacoma: different organizations, different histories, same space. A little messy, but starting to hum in unison.

Bees are brilliant. Structured. Efficient. They’ve taught me about collective labor, communication, and knowing when to pivot. Honestly, they’ve made me a better organizer—and reminded me we’re not meant to do this work alone.

Last Saturday, over 4,000 people gathered in People’s Park, and more than 10,000 mobilized across Pierce County. Over 12 million Americans stood together nationwide in the largest day of action in our nation’s history. We weren’t just reacting—we were organizing. In unity, not uniformity.

Coalition Isn’t Just a Buzzword

I learned the power of coalition in college fighting Big Oil. Later, I helped bargain for better wages with the Washington Federation of State Employees Council 28 during the pandemic. Those weren’t just fights—they were lessons in solidarity. Real organizing isn’t about vibes or branding. It’s built in relationship, trust, and showing up—especially when it’s hard.

Since February, I’ve helped lead six mass mobilizations and supported decarceration efforts statewide. But after March, I got worried. The Trump resistance was burning out—all slogans, no strategy. We needed more than spectacle. We needed durable, authentic coalition.

Tacoma has strong organizers, but we’ve struggled to build broad movements—especially ones that center frontline and working-class voices. Groups like La Resistencia have resisted ICE for years. Their steady work is what we must support—with humility, strategy, and shared risk.

How June 14 Happened

When I reached out to Indivisible Tacoma and the Pierce County Central Labor Council, we tried something different: leading with what we’re for, not just what we’re against. We built a coalition of 20+ groups—labor, activists, faith leaders, racial justice orgs, immigrants’ rights advocates—united by shared purpose.

We didn’t just fill a stage—we centered the people already doing the work. From the Black Panther Party igniting the crowd in the very park where their local movement began, to Tanggol Migrante and Tacoma For All showing us real ways we can "Trump-proof" and protect our communities, this event was rooted in action. Vets for Peace and About FACE stood with us too, reminding us that resistance and service to people can go hand in hand.

Our program ran long—not by accident, but because so much needed to be said by our local leaders. We built this platform to lift up everyone doing the essential work of building justice from the ground up.

I saw people crying, laughing, reconnecting—strangers becoming collaborators. Since then, folks have stopped me across town to say how powerful it felt. It’s truly moving.

We Only Get One Hive

Let’s be real: labor has always been essential to movement-building. June 14 wasn’t just a protest—it was people power, worker power, and shared hope.

Someone whispered, “I saw Republicans there.” Good. We need community. Let’s throw the theater and fake blue-vs-red soup out (sorry, no food waste!).

To beat fascism, we need alignment—not purity tests. We need restorative justice, not just callouts. We need to center Black, Indigenous, and POC leadership—especially from Puyallup and Coast Salish communities—with real heart and real work.

We only have one hive, and right now our Sheriff is still inviting ICE into it.

What the Bees Keep Teaching Me

Organizing is hard. We mess up. We regroup. What matters is that we come back and build again—to make honey together.

My bees get it. They swarm. They lose their queen. They rebuild. Because survival isn’t individual. It’s collective.

And so are we.

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