What Does Your Liberation Look Like?

Photo: Femi Matti | Words By Dominique Matti

What does it sound like, feel like—freedom? What does your liberation look like? Is it Anarchy? Is it a reversal of roles?  A shift in the power dynamics? Is it a burning down and a building up? What would you burn? What would you build? What is your long march trudging toward? Does your liberation look like breathing easy? Are there reparations? Are you rolling in riches or have you abolished the treasury? What do you want? Are there police? Are there no police? Are there prisons? Are there no prisons? Who can be jailed? Who can no longer be jailed?

What does your liberation look like? Does it include everyone’s liberation? Is it all inextricably linked? Is it all encompassing? Is it a retreat back to the origins of humanity—an eradication of constructs? Or is it something new entirely? What do you want? Do you know? Can you see it? Tell us. What does your liberation look like? Equality? Balanced hands?  A fair shot?

What goes? What stays? Who goes? Who stays? Where is it? Do you move through the world with light steps? Are you sleeping at night? Is it ease? Work? Sacrifice? Blood-- or an end to the bleeding? Walking around alone at night wearing whatever you want? Getting pulled over without panic? No risk of your family being sent back to the center of a storm? Moving without pieces of paper? Your body, allowed to exist? Your body legal wherever it is? Your body yours? Your body no longer a bulls-eye? Your body not fitting the description? Your body safe? Your body fed? What does it look like? Freedom from or freedom to?  

Are you fighting for what you want or fighting to end what you don’t? When will you know you’ve won? How will your life be different? How will the lives of others be different? What does your liberation look like? Can you see it? Do you know?

Dominique Matti is a 23 year old writer, poet, and mother based in Philly. Her central focus is social justice. Her favorite pastime is drinking copious amounts of coffee.