We’re Also Electricity: Why Now, More Than Ever, We Need Each Other

By Lewa Ubunifu

I saw a really great movie this weekend—The Electric State. It’s visually stunning, deeply emotional, and leaves you with that kind of quiet reflection you can’t quite shake. I won’t spoil the ending for you, but I will say it held a truth I’ve been trying to name for a while. Something I’ve felt in my bones, but didn’t know how to say until I heard it spoken on screen.

“Real life ... it’s contact. It’s you and me. We’re flesh and bone, yeah, but we’re also electricity,” Michelle says.“ And when we hug and laugh and hold hands and argue, my particles stay with you and yours stay with me and maybe we stay together forever. But that can’t happen if you close yourself off. It can only happen out here in the real world.”

That part stopped me cold. Because the truth is, I’ve been lonely. Anxious. Wondering what’s next. Wondering if everything we’re fighting for will still exist in five years. Wondering who’s going to hold space for us—especially for Black folks, for our babies, for our teachers, our artists, our voices.

And I know I’m not the only one feeling this way.

Let’s be honest. The world seems to be spiraling. It’s tempting to want to shut everything down, disconnect, isolate, go underground. It’s tempting to say “let me just protect my peace by keeping away from everyone.” But isolation, while sometimes necessary to heal, was never meant to be permanent. We heal in community. We survive together. We are also electricity.

And lately, that electricity feels like it's under attack.

A Storm Is Coming: What We’re Up Against

This past week alone has made it painfully clear how serious the fight is. In case you missed it, here’s what’s happening:

The Supreme Court officially struck down race-conscious college admissions (affirmative action), effectively declaring that race can no longer be considered in higher education. Let that sink in.
The Trump administration is now threatening to withhold federal funds from public schools that continue to use Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) practices. States and school districts are being forced to sign certifications promising not to use DEI at all. If they don’t? No money.
A special investigative team has been created to root out transgender athletes in schools.Instead of protecting kids, this is what they’re focusing on. Erasure.
Trump signed an executive order to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education entirely. If this happens, we’re looking at:
- 500,000 teaching jobs gone.
- Pell Grants removed from 8 million low-income students.
- Vital resources stripped from 25 million disadvantaged students.
In places like Seattle, these cuts are already being felt. Schools are losing funding while being told to stop teaching about race, gender, or inequality.

Educators are under threat.

Our history is under threat.

Our children’s futures are under threat.

History Repeats, Unless We Remember

You don’t have to go too far back to know what this looks like. In 1930, the U.S. passed the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act, slamming the brakes on international trade. Retaliatory tariffs came fast, and the world got smaller and darker. That collapse helped worsen the Great Depression. When you cut off connection—whether it’s between countries or people—things start to decay.

It’s happening again. Tariffs are rising. Borders are tightening. DEI is being framed as the enemy.

The goal is isolation.

And isolation kills.

But You and Me? We’re Also Electricity.

So what do we do?

We resist by connecting.

We resist by loving.

We resist by not giving in to the fear that tells us to hide.

If the world is getting colder, we be the fire. We show up to community events. We reach out to someone we miss. We create art, music, joy. We teach our children what our ancestors knew—that we are the light that never dies.

Michelle was right in The Electric State. Our particles stay with one another.

When we hug, when we argue, when we cry, when we dance—we leave little traces of ourselves.

Even when we’re gone, we’re still here.

And that’s sacred.

So Let’s Make Contact

If you’re reading this and you’re feeling the same thing—loneliness, fear, exhaustion—you’re not alone. You are not broken for feeling the weight of all this. But don’t disappear. Don’t go numb.

Make contact.

Touch someone’s shoulder. Look into someone’s eyes. Share a meal. Start a group chat that doesn’t fall apart. Cry in front of your friend. Laugh loudly in public. Go outside. Show up. Show love. Be real.

Real life is contact.

We are electricity.

And we are still here.

Where Is the United States Headed?

If the current trajectory continues—marked by rising authoritarian tendencies, the dismantling of civil rights protections, suppression of diversity and inclusion, and the rollback of bodily autonomy—we’re heading toward a version of the United States that’s deeply undemocratic, deeply unequal, and frighteningly close to dystopia.

It won’t happen overnight. But piece by piece—like Roe v. Wade being overturned, affirmative action being eliminated, and now entire education departments being threatened—it’s already happening.

What we’re seeing is the slow erosion of the foundational promises of democracy:

Freedom of speech is being challenged when teaching about race, gender, or history is labeled “woke” and banned.
Freedom of religion and separation of church and state are being blurred as Christian nationalist rhetoric shapes policy.
Freedom of body and choice is being taken away from people—especially women, trans folks, and the poor.

If We Keep Going Down This Road…

If we keep going down this road, here's what I believe could happen:

National collapse of public education. If the Department of Education is dismantled and DEI banned, schools in low-income areas—especially Black and brown communities—will lose essential funding, and education will become even more segregated and unequal. Our children will be denied the right to a quality, truthful education.
More government control over bodies. The overturning of Roe v. Wade was not the end—it was the beginning. We’ll likely see more restrictions on birth control, gender-affirming care, and reproductive health. People could be criminalized simply for being who they are.
Authoritarian rise masked as "freedom". Under the guise of “protecting children” or “restoring traditional values,” laws will continue to target vulnerable communities. Surveillance will increase. Dissent will be punished. And people will either fall in line—or be forced underground.
Widening inequality and civil unrest. Economic disparity will get worse. Programs for the poor and working class will be slashed. Anger and hopelessness will grow, especially among youth. Communities will fracture. And unless there’s a movement of real solidarity, it will become harder to come back from.
Cultural erasure and historical amnesia. By banning DEI and rewriting history, the next generation may never learn the full truth of America’s past. If you control the story, you control the future. And Gilead isn’t fiction—it’s a warning.

But Let Me Tell You This, Too:

There is still hope. Real, grounded, hard-won hope.Because even in The Handmaid’s Tale, even in Gilead, there was an underground. There were resisters. There were people who refused to forget who they were.

That’s who we have to be now.

If you’re reading this and you feel that chill of fear—you’re awake. That’s good. Stay awake.

But also: build. Connect. Plant joy. Teach truth. Protect our children. Hold each other.

The systems may be broken, but we are not.

And as long as we remember that we are flesh, bone, and electricity—they can’t unmake us.

Nothing Just Happens

The Book of Revelation portrays a series of prophetic visions concerning the end times, depicting periods of tribulation, divine judgments, and the ultimate triumph of good over evil. It speaks of events such as the rise of oppressive regimes, symbolized by beasts waging war against God's people (Revelation 13:7), and culminates in the establishment of a new heaven and a new earth, where suffering ceases and God dwells among humanity (Revelation 21:1-4). Amidst these forewarnings, Jesus offers reassurance about anxiety and fear, urging us not to worry about our lives, emphasizing God's provision and care: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?" (Matthew 6:25). He encourages seeking God's kingdom first, promising that our needs will be met (Matthew 6:33), and reminds us to focus on the present, as "each day has enough trouble of its own" (Matthew 6:34). Additionally, the Apostle Paul advises, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6-7). These scriptures collectively encourage trust in divine providence and finding peace through faith, even amidst tumultuous times.

A Prayer for Strength, Comfort, and Divine Protection

Dear Lord Jesus,

I come before You humbled, yet hopeful, calling on Your name in these turbulent times. Thank You for being our Rock, our Redeemer, and our Restorer. Lord, I lift up myself to You. You know every part of my heart—my fears, my worries, my dreams, and my burdens. Wrap Your arms around me and remind me that I am never alone. Fill every broken place with Your healing presence.

I pray for my family—those I hold close, and those You’ve entrusted to me. Surround each of them with Your divine protection. Strengthen their hearts, guide their steps, and fill them with peace that surpasses all understanding. Let no weapon formed against them prosper. Make their paths straight, and keep them anchored in You.

I lift up my children—those born from me and those You’ve placed under my care. Lord, let their futures not be defined by fear, but by faith. Fill them with boldness, resilience, and wisdom. Guard their minds from lies and confusion. Send Your warring angels to fight on their behalf, Your ministering angels to comfort them, Your guardian angels to protect them, and Your messengering angels to bring divine direction.

I pray for my city and my county. Lord, breathe life back into every corner that feels forgotten. Raise up righteous leaders. Uproot injustice. Let Your light shine through the darkness, and let love, equity, and truth reign. Let revival start in our hearts and spread throughout our neighborhoods.

And Father, I pray for everyone reading this blog post. You know what each person is going through. You see their silent tears, their daily battles, their silent prayers. Comfort them. Strengthen them. Surround them with Your angelic host. Fill them to overflowing with the Holy Spirit. Give them discernment in every choice, every conversation, and every path they walk.

Show them how deeply and fiercely You love them. Let them feel Your embrace when the world feels cold. Let them hear Your voice over the noise. Strengthen their faith, even when it shakes. Teach them to trust You, even when it’s hard. Anoint their tongues so they speak life, power, and truth. Anoint the crowns of their heads—let their thoughts be covered in divine wisdom, knowledge, and understanding.

God, we need You now more than ever. And we know You are not far. You are near to the brokenhearted. You fight for the oppressed. You light the way in the darkest night.

I seal all of this in the blood of Jesus.

In Jesus' name, I pray.

Amen.

We’re Also Electricity: Why Now, More Than Ever, We Need Each Other