The Power and Problem with Protest

Mekaelia Davis
Aug 25, 2017 · 5 min read

In the weeks since Charlottesville, we have seen a range of responses ranging from anger, to empathy, curiosity, confusion, ignorance and disregard. While I cannot speak for the reality of folks who live in Charlottesville, it is clear that they represent a microcosm of the tension that persists in cities across America. In reality, Charlottesville could be almost anywhere. The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) manages a “hate map” that has recorded 917 hate groups operating across the U.S. — in every good ole’ American state.

SPLC has recorded noticeable activity among hate groups and hate crimes over the last decade. Although these groups have changed tactics over the years, their core operating principle is the same: hate. Hate has always thrived in this country, primarily acting as a fear-based tool to dictate behavior and perpetuate white supremacy. However, one of the most useful and accessible tools to both combat and sustain hate, has been protest.

Throughout history, especially in American history, protest has been used to create a sense of urgency, elevate unheard voices, and confront injustice. In fact, the white supremacists who were gathered in Charlottesville, truly believed, they were doing all of these things.

While I won’t spend time trying to understand the psyche and rationale of clearly deranged individuals, their belief elevates a greater challenge with our use and understanding of this democratic tool.

Protest is powerful. It is necessary and it can be deadly. It requires those involved to take a personal risk by putting their very bodies on the line for something they believe in. With the right numbers, provocative messaging, and careful timing, protesters can amass the attention necessary to influence public discourse and decision-making. However, this power comes with a set of limitations that we must explore in the age of social media, disjointed political systems, and rapidly adaptive terrorism. A dear friend reminded me of the dangerous ways these limitations present themselves:

  • the advent and spread of fake news and fake sites,
  • the lack of concerted, influential voices that are able to align and connect parties into a shared vision and path forward; and
  • The ability to leverage these limitations to generate perversions in political discourse i.e., thinking that when you purchase tiki torches and show up with hate slurs, you are being patriotic.

Protest is a platform, an accessible one at that. It allows us to show up, no matter what our title, no matter how much education we have or what brand school we went to. Protests don’t care if you rent or own, it doesn’t matter if you have employer-sponsored health care or sell food off of a truck — it only requires you to show up and be heard. This is an excellent way to introduce or reinforce a voice, but it must be combined with sustained advocacy — at multiple levels of influence — to generate the kinds of impact we want to see. This kind of coordination, the “political quilting” of connecting different groups with each other, and with supporters, is often missing in today’s protest-friendly movement.

Since Charlottesville, I’ve participated in nearly a dozen meetings/conference calls with individuals and groups trying to take action against hate — but not entirely clear on which direction to move in and how to organize others to get there. There is a danger in the overuse of protest as a political tool. It can generate or fuel apathy when people see the little movement on issues they care about. It can create a vacuum of ideas, that limit our ability to strategically navigate against our opponents. It can distract us from the solutions we need to move forward.

There isn’t a single answer for how to move beyond protest, but there is certainly a need to do so. This was the primary premise behind the creation of my Meetup Group — Beyond Protest. I’ve only just started and hope that others will join me on my “political quilting” journey — to elevate, connect, and activate various platforms to broaden engagement on social justice issues. To get started, I’m recommending a few easy to use sites that you might consider engaging with beyond your protest time in the streets. Share them with others who may not be able, or interested in, protesting — but committed to supporting change.

  • Alliance for Justice: is a network of social justice organizations working on a range of issues — from healthcare, to food access, to undoing racism. Use their site to find an organization that is working on an issue you care about.
  • Color of Change: creates campaigns to address racism. They can help you learn and act on racial injustices that happen across the country, but aren’t always elevated in national news.
  • Center for Social Inclusion and RaceForward: these two organizations are merging in the near future, but they can equip you with research, facts, and tools to challenge and dismantle structural racism.
  • Swing Left: can help you find your nearest “swing” district to help defeat Trump, Republicans and advance progressives ideals.
  • Indivisible: provides a how-to guide and other tools for organizing your local community against the Trump agenda and elevating timely policy issues.

We, those working to fight injustice and hate, to create and sustain inclusive opportunities for prosperity and well-being — must find ways to convert one day action into ongoing engagement. The future of our environment, our health, our children, and our pockets — depend on it.

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Mekaelia Davis

Written by

Advocate. Strategist. I listen, I learn, I do & I believe in what's possible.

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