“Is this Really Happening?’’ Thinking about Grief as our Through Line in Challenging Times.
I’ve written about this sort of grief before. It feels pressing to revisit given our current landscape. This week has brought about jarring and abrupt change that will impact the world for generations to come. However you’re feeling right now is valid. Some may be responding through action, some may be silently processing. It’s all valid. The concept I believe encapsulates the reverberations of the inauguration is grief. Thinking about grief can be our through line in these seemingly dystopian times. Turning towards the genuine feelings that come up in response to something scary, and realising how it’s both an individual and shared experience, can maybe be the salve we need. Grief is as universal as it is profoundly individual. Yet, not all grief receives equal validation or acknowledgment.
Disenfranchised grief: grief that is neither openly recognised, socially supported, nor publicly mourned, represents an unspoken burden borne by many.
Its roots often lie in losses society deems unworthy of attention: the anguish of systemic oppression, the trauma of environmental degradation, or the erosion of cultural heritage under the weight of marginalisation. Addressing such grief necessitates a pluralistic and courageous response that reimagines care, community, and our shared future.
The Multiplicity of Disenfranchised Grief
Disenfranchised grief often exists in the margins, unrecognised yet pervasive. It is woven into the lives of those navigating systemic inequities, mourning the loss of ancestral lands to environmental destruction, or grieving cultural erasure wrought by colonisation. It finds expression in the silent sorrow of communities ravaged by violence, poverty, or climate upheaval, where suffering remains invisible to dominant narratives.
This grief is rarely singular. It compounds, layering personal, communal, and historical losses in ways that defy resolution. Without spaces for validation, such grief festers, manifesting as despair, disconnection, and disempowerment — both individually and collectively.
The Political Climate and Its Impact on Vulnerable Communities
The current political landscape further exacerbates the weight of disenfranchised grief. As policies increasingly target the most vulnerable, from refugees and low-income families to LGBTQIA+ individuals and marginalised racial groups, the burden of systemic inequities deepens. Orders and legislation often strip away protections, roll back rights, or criminalise existence itself, compounding the grief and fear within these communities. Environmental policies that prioritise profit over sustainability, healthcare decisions that widen disparities, and education reforms that erase histories of oppression all serve to intensify the sense of loss and injustice.
This climate of precarity demands not only acknowledgment but also collective action to resist and reimagine systems that perpetuate harm. Recognising how political orders contribute to disenfranchised grief allows us to frame this sorrow not as an individual failing but as a symptom of broader structural violence.
Political Grief in the Post-Inauguration Era
Political grief has emerged as a profound undercurrent in the post-inauguration era, particularly among those grappling with the dissonance between promises of progress and the perpetuation of harmful policies. For many, the hope for transformative leadership has been tempered by the realities of slow-moving reform, political stagnation, and the continued marginalisation of vulnerable populations. This grief often manifests as frustration, disillusionment, and a deep sense of betrayal, particularly in communities that pinned their survival on systemic change. At the same time, the rhetoric of unity frequently bypasses the lived experiences of those who continue to bear the brunt of political inaction or regressive orders, leaving their mourning both invisible and unaddressed. Think of all of those who are sitting with the grief of what they thought might happen or what won’t happen now as a result of political decisions. Political grief, therefore, is not merely about policy failures but also about the unfulfilled yearning for justice, equity, and recognition in a landscape that too often prioritises compromise over compassion.
Communities of Care as a Response
In the face of profound and often unacknowledged loss, communities of care offer an antidote. These intentional networks prioritise connection, empathy, and mutual aid, fostering resilience in the face of grief’s complexities. By weaving together individual and collective well-being, communities of care reimagine what it means to live in alongside each other.
Practices for Building Communities of Care
Centering Vulnerable Voices: Healing begins when those most impacted by disenfranchised grief are invited to share their stories and articulate their needs. Creating spaces where these voices are uplifted, and their experiences validated, ensures that solutions are both inclusive and transformative.
Reframing Grief as a Shared Experience: Grief is often framed as an individual journey, yet it has deeply communal dimensions. Rituals, gatherings, and practices that honour collective loss, whether rooted in systemic injustice, environmental damage, or cultural displacement, can foster shared healing and solidarity.
Strengthening Mutual Aid Networks: Solidarity, alongside charity, underpins mutual aid. By directly addressing immediate needs. From food insecurity to mental health resources, these networks alleviate tangible burdens, offering a practical response to disenfranchised grief.
Embracing Ecological Restoration: Environmental grief demands a reconnection with the natural world. Community-led initiatives, such as urban rewilding, regenerative farming, and sustainable living practices, not only heal ecosystems but also restore a sense of agency and belonging.
Advocating for Systemic Transformation: Healing disenfranchised grief necessitates addressing its roots. Advocacy efforts that challenge inequities in healthcare, housing, education, and other systems lay the groundwork for a more equitable and grief-aware society.
The Transformative Potential of Care
When disenfranchised grief is met with care and connection, the potential for transformation emerges, for individuals, communities, and societies. Recognising grief’s legitimacy enables individuals to process complex emotions, fostering resilience and reducing isolation. We can then acknowledge the sea of hurt we are all swimming in. At a societal level, care-based approaches cultivate trust, cooperation, and a sense of interdependence, essential qualities for navigating shared challenges such as climate change and social inequality.
Living with care as a guiding principle invites us to rethink existing systems. It asks us to prioritize relationships over profit, collaboration over competition, and healing over harm. In doing so, we build a foundation for communities where grief becomes a pathway to renewal rather than a source of despair.
An Invitation to Act
Acknowledging and addressing disenfranchised grief is not just an act of compassion; it is a call to justice. By fostering communities of care, we create spaces where unacknowledged loss is seen, where vulnerability is honored, and where collective strength emerges from shared sorrow.
This is a pivotal moment. The challenges we face demand responses rooted in empathy and bold imagination. We can towards each other, rather than demonising our neighbour and blaming them for the lack we experience in our lives due to policy and governmental failure. Together, we can build a world where grief is not dismissed or diminished but transformed… a world where every loss, no matter how marginalised, finds its place in the tapestry of our shared humanity.
A Personal Note
As a person and a therapist, I stand strongly against the targeted attacks on minorities we are seeing unfold across governments everywhere. You have my explicit support.