Calling upon our Texas ancestors this Halloween
We might need some supernatural help this election
On the day the Supreme Court’s draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade was leaked, I wandered into the Texas State Cemetery, my steps heavy with sorrow for those whose futures were about to be wrested from their control.
I was on a pilgrimage to the gravesite of Sarah Weddington, the Texas attorney who argued and won Roe v. Wade in front of the Supreme Court when she was only 26 years old. I consider Ms. Weddington one of my “chosen ancestors” of Texas politics.
I was there with an offering of thanks for giving us 50 years of bodily autonomy. I was there to apologize on behalf of all of us who thought we were safe and had ignored the warnings that our freedom was in danger. And I wanted to ask her for guidance on what to do next.
The Texas State Cemetery is also the final resting place for the great Barbara Jordan and Ann Richards. I call upon these chosen Texas ancestors whenever I want to figure out how to take action for the greater good. It’s part of my practice as a “Civic Witch,” using whatever political channels are available to me to conjure the future we want and deserve.
The rest of the country thinks of Texas as a place where progressive ideas go to die. But past victories born in Texas—the right to abortion, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965 championed in southern states by Lady Bird Johnson and signed into law by President Johnson—remind us that it in fact the soil here is fertile ground for freedom and equality if only we are willing to get our hands dirty planting seeds of change.
I've used this experience as inspiration for my work with Texans to uncover their priorities for voting and to activate their communities. For this election, I’ve been leading folks through a Texorcism ritual to cast the evil out of Texas and manifest good here.
We start the Texorcism ritual by calling on our chosen ancestors in Texas. Molly Ivins. Lady Bird Johnson. Emma Tenayuca. Mothers and sisters whose names may not always appear in history books but whose legacies make new chapters of Texas history possible.
Many who I’ve guided through the Texorcism ceremony arrive feeling anxious about the current election and whether it will stem the erosion of our rights. But they walk away feeling uplifted and empowered, partly because the victories of the past give them hope for the future, but also because they realize how many others share their vision for a progressive Texas now.
As I walked the winding path through the oaks at the Texas State Cemetery on that sweltering day in May and Sarah’s hourglass-shaped tombstone came into view at the top of Republic Hill, I suddenly discovered I wasn't alone.
I don't mean I saw her ghost; five or six other people had made the same pilgrimage upon learning of the impending end of Roe v. Wade. Some were older than me and some much younger. I arrived feeling lonely and bereft but was buoyed by an instant sense of community with others who were feeling the same mix of devastation and gratitude I was. Our eyes wet with tears of solidarity, we hugged each other hard—several of us strangers.
It was a beautiful moment and a reminder we're not alone, even when things seem at their grimmest. When we feel alone, it can be easy to sink into despair, immobilized. We need to be reminded of what’s possible when we take action together. It matters in the voting booth; stats show that when we vote together, turnout increases by more than 8%.
Tradition has it that on Halloween, the veil between worlds is thinnest. So may we use this time to see our Texan ancestors more clearly, and may our actions today make us worthy of becoming hallowed ancestors ourselves.
If you missed the Texorcism party I threw at Cheer Up Charlies on October 21, you can still do the Texorcism ritual LIVE with me on Halloween Day at 11:11am CT on Instagram Live! I’ll be leading Jane Claire Hervey, founder of Future Front Texas, through the ritual and you can join us. Just bring 2 pieces of paper, something to write with, a candle and a lighter and tune in to @democrasexy and @futurefronttexas on Instagram.
Can’t join us live? There’s a video and a written version of the Texorcism ritual at Texorcism.com or you can watch the video here: