<
https://thesicktimes.org/2026/06/09/every-social-justice-movement-is-impacted-by-the-long-covid-crisis/>
"During the summer of 2025, 65-year-old romance novelist Suzanne Brockmann and
her husband took part in a weekly protest. Every Wednesday at lunchtime, they
joined others standing and sitting outside of the Immigration and Customs
Enforcement (ICE) facility in Burlington, Mass.
Returning to sustained protesting was a major shift for Brockmann, who became
acutely ill in December 2019 and was nearly hospitalized. By summer 2020, she
was struggling with angina, heart palpitations, and intense nerve pain on her
left side, symptoms of what she came to understand as Long COVID.
While learning to pace to keep her symptoms manageable, she also dreamed of
returning to the advocacy work that’s been central to her life for three
decades.
“Being part of something big, positive, hopeful, and inspiring is crucial for
my mental health,” she told
The Sick Times over email. Since last summer,
she’s attended actions more regularly.
Because of her Long COVID symptoms, Brockmann now sits on a camping stool at
events and finds parking close to demonstrations. “I’ve also learned that it’s
okay to show up for 15 minutes or less,” she said. When her fatigue is
especially intense, Brockmann’s husband drives them past the protest, and she
waves a large flag in support out of their car window.
A dozen activists of varying ages, backgrounds, and involved in a variety of
movements shared their stories with
The Sick Times. They explained how
developing Long COVID changed and even eliminated their ability to stay
involved in social justice struggles in the U.S. and Canada. One parent
interviewed paused her long-term advocacy for equity in public schools when
both she and one of her children developed Long COVID. Others significantly
shifted or ended their involvement in direct action planning, mutual aid
organizing, and electoral politics."
Via Violet Blue’s
Threat Model - Pandemic Roundup: June 11, 2026
https://www.patreon.com/violetblue/posts/pandemic-roundup-160784505
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
