We are all agents of change
Hello you honeycomb.
Aside from a long-standing love/hate relationship with the Blue Jays, it likely will come as no surprise that I do not have much of an affinity for watching sports or participating in sports culture generally. However, I have been thinking about the NBA players strike this week in support of racial justice following the tragic police shooting of Jacob Blake-- demanding the world pay attention by bringing the entire NBA to a grinding halt in the middle of playoffs. It is an unprecedented thing to have happened in already unprecedented times (the NBA strike, not the police shooting unfortunately), and I have been thinking a lot about these events and the power that individuals have to affect change in massive systems.
We have explored the topic of personal agency before. And I am not sharing anything new by stating that, when faced with the need for big social shifts, we can all be made to feel like our individual efforts are useless and that change is impossible. Except that things are changing, bit by bit. And it is the cumulative effect of individual choice that is making that change happen.
So what's a progress-loving person to do to contribute to the groundswell? There is a LOT happening right now, and while there is a great deal of pain, I have also been touched this week by some of the big and small ways people are showing up to do this change-making work. The distinctions I am drawing are not hard and fast, and there are lots of fuzzy boundaries in what I am talking about below, but hopefully it helps spark some inspiration-- because I have definitely felt inspired to action this week.
USING VOICE (Advocacy, Allyship and Storytelling)
I ran RESULTS Canada for almost three years, so I could wax poetic about the power of each person to raise their voice for positive change. And it is indeed a deeply empowering act to use one's voice to influence the exercising of political power. However this week, I was also deeply touched by another angle to using one's voice: by simply telling one's story. This account of the life Breonna Taylor lived, in the words of her mother is so human, and shows the tragedy of her murder and the impact that one life can have on so many others.
While speaking truth to pain and power can be deeply transformative, so too can highlighting and celebrating the awesomeness of communities of people who often get sidelined. I am really excited for Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices, and was reminded of the importance of representation and celebration
Our voice can also come through in more subtle ways, such as Elizabeth Warren's BLM nod in the background during her speech at the Democratic National Convention last week, or a rogue librarian's choice of books to display in the background of Boris Johnson's speech this week in the UK. A seemingly mild gesture on a major platform can make lots of people sit up and take notice
Using voice is everyone's opportunity, and not just for those who are in need of more justice. As we have talked about before, allyship is a superpower that we all have-- and I can't help plugging some of the resources available at AllySquared (founded by the wonderful Uswah Ahsan)-- I have learned a lot. But honestly, allyship cuts across all of these categories, including...
USING BODY (Protest)
Of course this includes getting out there and into the streets, as we have seen in the Black Lives Matter movement or the Women's March, for example.
And as an ally, this can also mean using the privilege of our white (or male, cis, etc...) bodies to intervene as a bystander. I really liked this campaign from a couple of years ago on anti-muslim harassment for example.
USING MONEY (Boycott and investment)
Boycott Amazon. Jeff Bezos is a pariah, and in case you missed it this week, Amazon just passed 200 billion in net worth... The pandemic has been a cash cow for him, and he has made almost 10 billion a month in 2020--- all while claiming to not be able to offer fair wages, social security or health benefits to his workers. And unlike Bill Gates and other super-wealthy people, doing virtually nothing to give back and share his fortune with others. As I said, he is a pariah, and I believe we should be actively working to abolish billionaires. Boycott Amazon, and any other companies that offend your values. In this capitalistic world, for better or for worse, the way we spend our money is very powerful. We have choice. And we can choose better.
On the other side of this coin, it's a powerful change-making act to purchase from and invest in people and companies that you care about, who are doing good things for others and the planet, and who are participating in the economic ecosystem in ways that you can get behind.
USING LABOUR (Strike and rebel)
As we talked about above, we can WITHDRAW our labour to protest and bring about change, such as the NBA players did this week (and also the WNBA), and indeed the labour movement has been using strike actions as a tool for change for many years
We can also PROVIDE our labour to help repair injustices. I was inspired as well this week reading about Alexandra Elbakyan, a Kazakhstani hacker and the one-woman bridge to the largest repository of scientific knowledge ever collected
USING YOURSELF
Ultimately all of the acts above involve putting oneself in the narrative of our collective cultural evolution. And there are a million other acts of generosity, fearlessness, resistance and kindness that happen everyday. But this week, I was also touched by the passing of Chadwick Boseman. Like pretty much everyone who saw it, I was super excited by what Black Panther represented, and he truly touched so many people's lives just by doing his job (very well). In his case, it turns out he was also doing his often physically grueling job while fighting colon cancer, and keeping that fact private so that he could continue to get work and have a positive influence in the movie industry. I am not advocating for people to work through their physical pain like that-- he made a choice that was right for him but is not right for everyone-- but I am deeply moved by the enormous cultural impact he made while carrying so much personal pain.
So with all of that, it's been a week. It's been a summer. It's been a year. It's been a life. And not to get too cheesy to close off, but I sincerely believe that when we acknowledge the power that we each have to act as agents of change, and then do our best to act in ways that moves in the direction of love, the world cannot help but becomes a better place: slowly, incrementally, but surely. I guess I have always known this, but I am grateful for all of the ways I have been reminded of and inspired by this beautiful truth.
But wait! Perhaps all of this talk of personal agency is feeling a bit too intense on a sunny Sunday morning? Well then check out this site dedicated to understanding how to name things.
Still too much realness? Then as we move into autumn, please enjoy this example of stay-at-home parkour to inspire your indoor workouts.
From one motivated person to another, I am glad that we can contribute to a better world together. I hope you enjoyed this dispatch, and have a change-filled week!
Until next Sunday,
The Earnest Platypus