Let me first start off by saying, that it is no small undertaking ‘becoming an activist’ & also that that undertaking will never look the same for everyone. But I often find myself frustrated by people who say they care about social issues, but don’t really show their support. I understand that it can be daunting, but here are some of the steps I took to start my activism, hopefully this can help you start/further yours.
- It’s really important to show up for the issues you care about. I know it can be hard to get out there, but it’s really important to make sure a community knows you support them. There are many ways to do this, but the most direct meaning is to go out to social justice centered events
- I hear about most of my events through social media, or email, so maybe start by going through & addding yourself to a facebook page or an email list to find events that suit you
- Activism pro tip: if you find a social justice event you like on Facebook & it is hosted by an organization, you should go to that organization’s page & like it so that you get to hear about what they are doing in the future
- Facebook also has a lovely feature where you can go to the ‘events page of an organization & subscribe yourself so you hear about all their events!
- I do this with a bunch of pages & on the weekend all I have to do is go to my events tab & look under subscribed
- Activism pro tip: if you find a social justice event you like on Facebook & it is hosted by an organization, you should go to that organization’s page & like it so that you get to hear about what they are doing in the future
- I hear about most of my events through social media, or email, so maybe start by going through & addding yourself to a facebook page or an email list to find events that suit you
- This is possibly my most important tip, when you go to events, stay for the end!!
- Talk to people afterwards!
- Compliment someone & then ask them what they thought of the event
- Trust me, this always works
- Tell people what you think!
- How did you like the event?
- Was there anything you had questions about?
- Talk to who’s in charge!
- Who put on the event?
- Who spoke at it?
- Did you agree with what they had to say?
- Get some contacts!
- Is there a mailing list you can join?
- Add somebody on snapchat
- Add somebody on facebook
- Figure out what other events people are going to!
- Talk to people afterwards!
- Make yourself known!
- Now that you are meeting all these wonderful people who you may share more differences with than similarities, it is important to listen to them!
- Let them talk about the struggles they face
- Don’t say “Oh, it’ll be alright”
- Don’t say “Atleast you have your health”
- Don’t say “Atleast it’s better than it was”
- Just listen
- Let them talk about the struggles they face
- It won’t always be comfortable
- You won’t always feel cozy, or unchallenged
- Trying out new things & showing up for different events is a part of the process
- These things help you learn
- Learn outside of the classroom
- Ask google some questions
- Go wiki hopping
- Learn more about the situation you are trying to change!
- However, make sure that the info you are reading is reliable
- Some good questions to ask alongside this could be:
- Is the author biased? Does that get in the way of their peice?
- Is the author a member of the community they are writing about?
- Are they observing from within or from above?
- How does the discussed community feel about this news source? Where do they get their information?
- Does this have reliabale sources to substantiate its claims?
- Some good questions to ask alongside this could be:
- It is important to remember that it is not anybodys responibility but yours to educate yourself
- Don’t demand that someone explain something to you, instead ask if they’d be willing
- If they aren’t, don’t get mad, maybe ask them where you should look for awnsers instead
- Talk to someone in your life that you consider an activist!
- What did/do they do?
- Can you ask them for help?
- Activism doesn’t always have to be marching
- Activism can take many forms, & it is important to find what suits you best
- In fact, multiple forms of activism are often necessary for real social change
- This year (2016) I’ve been involved with art shows, benefit concerts, poetry slams, open mics, fundraising, volunteering, sit ins, event organizing, book talks, workshops, panel discussions, group meetings, memorials, community gatherings, roundtables, conferences, presentations, & diversity trainings to name a few!
- Find out what people are doing & where
- & then go there!
- Activism hubs can often manifest around college campuses, arts districts & community centers
- Find one near you!
- Bonus: If you don’t see any activism happening where you are, you should question that. Are you just not looking hard enough? –perhaps not creativley enough?
- Something that alot of activists forget is that you can support causes that don’t directly relate to you
- You don’t have to be Native to oppose the Dakota Access Pipeline
- You don’t have to be a vegan to oppose animal cruelty
- You don’t have to be black to oppose unjust police killings
- I would just urge you to do the research & make sure you understand that some spaces aren’t for you, while others can be
- Again, when you are in these spaces,
- Listen
So, to be reductive, activism can be reduced to 4 basic ideas. If you do nothing else, strive for these tenaments:
- Show Up
- Meet new people
- Network
- Listen
I know you’ll do great things! See ya out there
-JGA
Unruly Bodies 
I love this! I agree that often times people forget to take that extra step and engage with the issues they believe in. I think it’s so important to make your support known/felt because it truly makes a difference for people to know they aren’t alone and that they have people who believe in their fight. Thanks for this little guide, a lot of your tips are so true. Especially the one about staying til the end of events. My favorite part is always getting the opportunity to compliment a speaker’s speech/talk/discussion and saying thank you for sharing because it can be really difficult to do so. I also always learn so much and it gets me more hyped to stay involved.
I enjoyed your post and the steps you made are extremely helpful.
Recently, its become harder and harder for me to leave the house. I don’t understand why, but it just has. Most of the time, social interactions are draining and being in places with many people can make me feel physically sick.
It makes it harder to go out anywhere. Even to events I would like to show my support to.
Maybe that’s why I find social activism something I am more comfortable with. I remember, in high school, the social activists I followed really helped changed the way I viewed the world and myself. They changed the way I talked to my family. They changed me from someone that was extremely timid to someone that was still timid, but willing to speak out when I heard injustices. Writing has always been easier than speaking, which is why social activism just seemed to fit. Not speaking much really helped me become a better listener.
And again, the steps you outlined in your post to become a different type of activist was extremely helpful. Small steps are usually how I am able to do things that cause me anxiety. Thank you!
I really enjoyed this as not only a how to guide on getting into activism but how to network as an activist. So many people that I work with are seasoned activists and struggle to figure out how to connect with other groups because it has been so long since they have had to learn how to break into a new scene. You can’t just send another group an email claiming allyship. If you want to form connections its important to go out and support their events and actually make human connections with people involved. I think guides like this are good for activists at all levels to remember the basics.
I think this article will be incredibly helpful for those who want to make a difference, but do not know exactly where to start. Some parts of your blog really hit home with me, especially the part where where you said an important part of learning is to simply listen to others. This past summer, I decided to push myself out of my own comfort zone and attend a Black Lives Matter seminar that a fraternity on campus was hosting. I knew going in that I was nervous and may not speak out, but my main reason for going was to try to learn and understand from Black Lives Matter activists’ points of view. There were a lot of things that I wanted to comment on, but I was so scared to speak up that my hands were shaking. I am normally not a shy person, but I was nervous because I did not want to say something “wrong”. Ever since then, I have been attending more and have been better about speaking out. Someone’s opinion is never wrong and everyone deserves a voice. I also think it is very important that you said that it is our responsibility to be educated. It is not the job of others.