“Wakanda your vision, like turn into an Octavia Butler:” Remembering how to imagine amidst these “unprecedented times”

There is no liminal moment quite like the transition from one year to the next – a boundary that we straddle between what has been and what will be. The shift from 2024 to 2025 has brought a swirl of pensive moods and an overwhelming sense of uncertainty, particularly in matters of justice and equity. Reflection and resolution seem almost ubiquitous at this time. As we observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we are reminded of the transformative power of dreaming big –  dreams that challenge us to envision a world beyond the confines of what we know, to imagine what seems impossible, and to believe in the power of dreaming things into being. 

To me, reflection and forward-thinking are quite complementary, particularly as we envision a new year. It is a time to acknowledge successes and failures whilst leaning into our ability to envision what might lie ahead and hope that there are opportunities for fresh starts and possibilities. Yet, “unprecedented” has become the defining word of this social and political era, particularly because retrospective thinking does not seem to inspire a path forward and the future consumes us with trepidation. Even still, we must hold tight to Martin Luther King Jr.’s enduring truth: “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter.”

And again, we find ourselves living in “unprecedented” times. 

On a personal level, I’ve  reflected on how “unprecedented” feels like an identity crisis. As a woman – a woman of color – I watched my existence, my very being, being voted against during the presidential election. While some can afford to “not like politics,” that privilege is not mine.  That I could even receive a text message that said “I love you even if the world doesn’t seem to” speaks volumes about the times we’re in. 

On a political level, “unprecedented” is the reality that as of today a convicted felon will hold political office – someone who has openly championed bigotry, proven inadequate as a leader, and ultimately reinforced that human dignity is not a right in America. 

On a moral level, “unprecedented” is the state of humanity, or lack thereof. We’ve witnessed celebrations and idolizations of murder, a reflection of a healthcare system so broken, so inequitable, that rage has been redirected toward individuals, making death a grotesque form of catharsis. To this, MLK reminds us: “The first principle of value that we need to rediscover is this: that all reality hinges on moral foundations.” 

In November, before the election, I wrote: “In the words of Audre Lorde, ‘It is our dreams that point the way to freedom.’ So, what does it look like to not just critique the reality of inequity it stands today, but to envision, coalesce, and rally around rhetoric, strategies, and programs that we are getting right?” 

Two months later, I realize it is not a lack of dreaming that holds us back, but the way we’ve allowed the status quo to confine our dreams. We have let these “unprecedented times” stymie our ability to imagine, to which Alia Stevenson, nINA Director, would say “when I say envision, I mean Wakanda your vision, like turn into an Octavia Butler and imagine what could be if we weren’t programmed in the matrix.” 

Instead of succumbing to hopelessness, let us find peace and satisfaction in the things that we can control or influence. As MLK so wisely said, “we must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” Small, cumulative actions have power to reclaim agency and in turn, spark meaningful change. . 

When “DEI” or “wokeness” is being called into question as illegitimate, ask what if equity and inclusion is an organizational value that everyone held? What if it were embedded in every position description, every project, every decision, and every bucket of work?  

When political division seems to hinder equity: ask what if we created spaces where disagreement is welcome but human dignity remained a universal experience? 

Let us reimagine 2025. The world of equity and justice that is yet to exist can still be created.