Just so you know what’s about to happen: And this is MAD long.

a. The GOP is gonna weaponize Charlie Kirk with MILLIONS to do a few things.

b. Every day, they will try to distort reality by repeating the Big Lie over and over. Consider their social media presence as a combo of bots and humans who’ll wear you down. That’s why each time you see them lying, you MUST speak the truth. That Charlie Kirk was a white supremacist, misogynist, and homophobe.

c. They will get pedantic with their denials. Don’t fall for that trap. They’re bad-faith posters, so no matter how much evidence you present, they’d still say you’re right.

d. Beware of posters saying that we need to respect all opinions. That lays the ground for odious opinions to breathe. It’s not that you can’t debate bad opinions, but they don’t want debate, they want a permission structure to put out racism, misogyny, or homophobia without consequences. We ain’t got time for that shit.

e. Watch as mainstream media mainstreams Kirk. Why? Because, as I said before Kirk was shot, white folks have an endless supply of benefit of the doubt even for the worst.

f. They will find every Black stooge to cape for Kirk as ‘proof’ that he wasn’t a racist. Some will be blackfaced bots, others real skinfolks, not kinfolks negroes. Tell the truth on their pages.

g. They’re gonna fundraise like HELL for the midterms based upon the deification. By the time the midterms are over, Kirk will appear to be Jesus himself.

h. The Trump administration is gonna continue to use Kirk as the Big Lie to attack ‘leftist’ institutions. Don’t think that’s some white kid with a ratty beard, that means BLACK PEOPLE. Watch as they continue their destruction of the Black presence in this country by trying to undermine Black institutions: the Black Church, NAACP, and the Divine Nine. This isn’t a time for folks to be weak or in the shadows. It requires a community response. These MFs ain’t omnipotent.

i. The GOP will conflate their lie to try to trap people: If you criticize Kirk, you are for murder. Don’t let them get away with it. One can feel murder is immoral because all murder is immoral. But murder doesn’t mitigate the actual life lived by Kirk, and Kirk was a white supremacist, misogynist, and homophobe.

Okay, that’s what they’re gonna do. But they’re not all-powerful. Remember that fascism is about the PROJECTION of power as much as it is the actual use of it. But they ARE dangerous. Here’s what you do:

a. Don’t look to others. Figure out what you can do to fight back. It might be an email to a Congressional member. You might consider organizing a Sunday group where everyone does one thing. Think, and then DO.

b. Do not underestimate the power of MOCKERY. The crucial thing that white supremacists want to do is waste your time, as Toni Morrison once said. If they can post racist pics and get you to be angry, then they win. But if you mock them for not having an education, or repeating third grade for ten years straight, they get made. Bullies don’t have a sense of humor.

c. Demonstrate your intelligence, not as a counter to their racist ideas, which plays into their hand. If you do run down your CV, always do it by telling them that they’re not worthy to sit at the table with you. They can’t imagine Black folks who don’t use them as a metric for who gets to decide who is qualified or not. For example: “Of course you like Kirk. He’s a community college dropout who speaks to his low ceiling. So yeah, you being dumb enough to enjoy his racism isn’t mindblowing, champ.”

d. Less talk, more action. Find a Black institution and join it…tomorrow. Not next week. Tomorrow. Pay the dues. Get in there and get to work.

e. Always know that freedom and democracy win over authoritarians. Doesn’t mean people don’t die, or get hurt, or get psychologically damaged. But remember, you have the truth on your side, and the truth is the reason why they have to delusionally lie to craft an Earth Two. Don’t let them make you weary, crazy, or apathetic. If you feel that, it’s natural, but don’t succumb to it. Because that’s the only way they win.

You can keep any strategy, you do a simple one: A to B, done. Not A to B to C to D. Always drive toward a simple task that anyone can do, even if they don’t know the backstory of the WHY.

This is gonna be a tough next 14 months, but if there’s anything I’d bet on, it’s the resilience of Black folks. If you ever wore one of those shirts talking about our ancestors, then it’s time to bow your back and remember that we’re built of Black women and Black men who stared racists in the face, fought for each other, and crafted a world where we could thrive.

I leave you with photos of two of my heroes: I first read the Autobiography of Malcolm X at 13 years old, and it was my blueprint for how to navigate this world as a Black man.

Angela Davis was the first Black person, as a six-year-old, whom I asked my Mom, Who is that. She was captivating, and even though I couldn’t understand the issues at the time, she’s never disappointed me.

Time for us to return the favor and be the Black History Month that we read about in school.

Oh, and you could join TheMetaphorClub.com to get away from the algorithm, but that’s another conversation.