Activism

Hello again! In my introduction post, I mentioned that I would tell you about activism and how to get involved in your community. I'm going to start with a list of items, then go into detail on each one:

• Protest Marches
• Rallies
• Letters to the Editor/Blogs
• Letters to Congressmen
  
• Internet Advertising (Myspace/Facebook)
• Statements with Clothing and Dress
• Expression (Art, music, poetry, etc.)
  

Protest marches are simply awesome, especially when you can organize many thousands of people. I went to an Iraq War protest yesterday with about 6,000 people marching. The effect of those people chanting and walking through the streets of Boston was incredible. I think that one of the main pluses of marches is that they are so obvious. With hundreds of people marching in the streets, one can hardly help but notice that there is something wrong in the world. Marches were a main part of the protest movement that stopped the Vietnam War, so it's been proven that they work.

Rallies usually are held in large parks with speakers on the topic upon which the event is centered. Their main purpose is to inform and to inspire the attenders to go out and do something else. They are especially useful when combined with something else, like a march or letter-writing campaign. The Iraq War protest that I went to yesterday began with a rally then moved on to a massive march. I must say that I thought it was quite effective.

Letters to the editor and blogs are a great way to get the public to hear what you are thinking. Newspapers and blogs can be read by anyone, so these types of messages can have massive audiences. That's the main reason that I've made this blog: to get a message across to a large audience. The more people that see a story, the more people are likely to act upon it.

Letters to Congressmen or letters to the people in charge are effective in a different way. Many congressmen are highly concerned with getting elected for another term, so if they think that you are not satisfied with their work, they may change their ways to ensure your vote. The more people that write similarly themed letters, the more likely they are to affect change. Getting a large group of people to write letters to a Congressmen or other elected official can be enormously effective.

Advertising on Myspace and/or Facebook for a certain charity, action, or blog is a great way to let people in on what you're doing. Millions of people visit these sites every day, and a good many of those people are likely to see your message if you put it in the right place.

Clothing and dress is another way to get a message out there. Personally, I wear a pin with a message on it every day. These pins are really cheap and can be picked up at the headquarters of various charities, as well as at some stores. Also, shirts with activist messages are a good way to get a point across. This site has some great t-shirts, if you're interested. Generally, the more unique the style of conveying the message, the more likely it is to be remembered. A few days ago, a friend of mine put tape over her mouth with the word "life" on it for an entire day in protest of the abortion policies. The tape was to signify the fact that the unborn children can't talk for themselves, and thus that we should give them that chance, not killing them before they enter the world. There are plenty of other creative ideas out there, so pick your own and go for it!

Finally, we've got your culture arts. Painting, sculpting, music, poetry, and such are another way of making a point. Countless albums and artists have devoted themselves to activist music, as well as several visual artists and writers. By both listening to/reading/observing these works and making them yourself for others to see/hear/read, you're making a step towards your cause.


There are almost certainly ideas that I've forgotten, but this is a good list to start from. Hopefully, I've given you some ideas and you're now inspired to go out and do something!



Attention: Most of these ideas were taken from Peterson Toscano at his workshop on activism, so credit to him is due.