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For 2026, I did promise myself I was going to drink my water and mind my business.

But this morning, a Artistic Leader friend (it’s late and I didn’t ask permission to reveal their name) and someone I deeply admire and respect sent me a text—with a post attached—and every once in a while, you just have to respond.

Im taking a quick moment to return to the folks who actually lived and understood revolution—who knew it was about love and discipline and risk and responsibility, not safety and comfort and fear.

Also, duende. Because when leadership language gets too tidy, it’s usually protecting safety.

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Show Notes:

* Che Guevara on love as the heartbeat of revolution — Che Guevara, as quoted on Lib Quotes: “At the risk of seeming ridiculous…” (link)

* bell hooks on choosing love against domination — bell hooks, Outlaw Culture: Resisting Representations (quote on Lib Quotes) (link)

* Martin Luther King Jr. on power and loveWhere Do We Go From Here (primary text PDF) (link)

* Assata Shakur’s “Affirmation” — from Assata: An Autobiography via LoveandRageMedia (link)

* Federico García Lorca on duendeTheory and Play of the Duende (translated text) (link)

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