10 Tactics That Power-Holders Employ to Shut the Victims Down

This list was always in my mind during our #WeAreNTA fight. This was put together by Aileen Mioko Smith, the acclaimed environmental justice activist, who, with W. Eugene Smith, documented and fought against mercury pollution in Minamata Bay, which poisoned 30,000 people. (Aileen is still fighting since the issue is still ongoing.) I learned about this list in March 2011, when the Fukushima nuclear disaster happened. It was shared in a news article with a solidarity message to the Fukushima people who found themselves becoming new victims in Japanese society.

When CPS announced a proposal to shut down National Teachers Academy CPS, a thriving majority-black, majority-low-income school, - when I found myself in a situation in which I had no other choice but to fight against the injustice-, I revisited the list and was shocked. CPS and Rahm's tactics were precisely the same as the list from Minamata, regardless of the difference of time, place, and the issue in question. Since I came to be in charge of documenting and communication, tactic #7, "Exhaust victims. Make them give up." especially resonated with me, and all I was thinking about was how not to make us exhausted. I continued reminding myself that although the fight was serious and hard, it had to be fun. Marching, rallying, and protesting must have some festivity elements, and otherwise, we would not have been able to keep going. I don't know how successfully I did, but I tried to be funny and cheerful. Using lots of emojis in communication was one of those attempts I tried.

It was like a dream, almost surreal, that we could invite Ms. Aileen to NTA, and introduce her to John Pointer, Audrey Johnson, Teneka Horton-Brooks, and many more people in the #WeAreNTA community. She talked about Minamata poisoning and its victims' fight in Laura Gluckman's class. Watching that it immediately clicked with 7th graders, and listening to their engaging discussion was so moving, and I was almost crying at one point.

Yuki Miyamoto, I cannot thank you enough for giving this unforgettable opportunity to me and the NTA community. The photo exhibition of Minamata photography by W. Eugene Smith and Aileen Mioko Smith is ongoing until the end of November at DePaul Library (2350 N. Kenmore). Everyone is highly encouraged to visit.