I sit at a bar (Bua, which means “victory” in Irish) thinking about the 30th anniversary of Bobby Sands. Melodic dubstep in the background.
I’ve never stepped foot on the island—never mind the North—but I feel as if it runs through the blood in my veins. As a socialist, a revolutionary, a republican, I naturally feel an allegiance to Bobby and the strikers. But it’s more than that. A feeling—a historical memory—worthwhile of resurrection. Bobbby was a man of conviction, but also a man moved by humanity. He recognized the need for armed struggle, at the time, but also focused on community building and constructing an alternative—something he called socialism. As an Irish-American, I may be utopian, a wishful thinker, or blind, but no matter what, Bobby Sands and what he stood for has motivated me to take the path less taken, and to fight for a day where the laughter of our children will not just be revenge, but enough—a sign of peace. Peace meaning equality for all.
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