How to Focus Your Activism when Everything is Terrible and You’re Still New at This
Hi. Glad you’re here and ready to fight.
There’s a lot going on, and new packages of fresh hell are arriving daily via screaming telegram with no return address. We have a lot of work to do, and we’re going to be here for a while. It can be overwhelming, facing all of this when you don’t have much experience with activism.
Do you have a plan to get through what’s coming and make the biggest impact you can without burning yourself out?
If not, I hope that reading mine and deciding whether it works for you or not will help you land on something that does.
Also, by publishing mine, I’m making public promises that I intend to keep.
So here it is.
First:
Make sure your plan includes ways to fight burnout.
You’re about to take on a lot of heavy stuff, and at some point, your mind and body will start to push back. Know how that tends to manifest for you, specifically. When you recognize those symptoms creeping up, step in and take care of yourself. Offer yourself the patience and forgiveness you’d grant your best friend. Talk to a supportive person or community. Find something that makes you laugh. Find some nature and breathe it in. Know what gets you back to being healthy and effective, and apply directly to the forehe — I mean problem.
Then:
Show up for your nearest and dearest.
Think of the people in your own life who stand to lose their rights, their jobs, their homes, their marriage licenses, their health coverage, their legal status, their land, and/or their lives for merely existing and going about their day. The ones you most want to support.
Prioritize them in your Facebook timeline. If you’re not on Facebook (or if they aren’t), find some other way to stay in touch with them. Listen carefully to them. Reach out when you think they might be feeling overwhelmed. Offer to babysit or give them a break in some other way when you can. Don’t try to tell their story for them, but boost their signal when they ask. And if shit really hits the fan, be willing to put yourself at risk for them. Remember that they live in that risk every day. Be as strong as they are.
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Do some research to find the groups and organizations that stand the best chance of helping those people and others facing the same threats. Follow those groups and organizations, and prioritize them in your timeline (or sign up for regular updates elsewhere).
Donate to those groups and organizations. Add recurring donations to your budget if you can, and set them up.
Sign up to receive volunteer opportunities with those groups and organizations. When volunteer opportunities come in, take on as many as you can — especially ones that call for specialized skills or talents you have. Invite friends who support the cause. Be respectful and helpful as you volunteer.
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Follow and prioritize your local and state legislators. Know where they stand on the issues affecting your community. Put their numbers in your phone or keep them on a card in your wallet. Call or write them when they aren’t taking action on a threat or when they’re under pressure to work against the cause. Call or write to thank them when they do something positive.
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Collect as many perspectives from as many people as you can.
Listen to women, people of color, LGBTQI people, indigenous people, veterans, immigrants, Japanese Americans who were interned in the ‘40s, people with disabilities, people living below the poverty line, and any other actual human beings you encounter who are experiencing layers of oppression. If you don’t understand something at first, do your own research instead of asking them to teach you. If they’re frustrated or angry and your first instinct is to feel attacked, recognize that, and then immediately go back to listening and really hearing what they have to say. If you say anything to them at all, it should be “Thank you.”
Carry those perspectives with you. Watch the world through them and look for patterns and themes.
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Attend marches and rallies when you can. Invite friends who support the cause.
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Keep studying the history of civil rights movements and look for lessons to apply.
While you’re doing all of that:
Work on 2018.
The 2018 congressional elections are the first opportunity we’ll have to rebalance our government. Do your part to seize that opportunity.
Find your closest swing district(s) and sign up for updates on the races there. (I’m using swingleft.org.)
Read those updates when they come in, and act on as many requests as you can.
Keep an eye on who’s running, and sign up for their campaign communications. Get to know where they stand on issues that you and their district care about. That’ll include civil rights issues, but it might also include other divisive topics that are specific to the district and affect their chance to win.
If you know people in the district, have conversations with them about the candidates and their platforms. Talk privately whenever you can to avoid any grandstanding for an audience. If they go low, go high. If they turn out to be a fascist or a troll, do not engage, and safely exit the conversation.
Phone bank for candidates who align with your values.
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Encourage people from oppressed communities to run for office, and support them when they do.
Then:
Do the same thing for 2020.
After that:
Keep supporting your people and cause(s).
Keep striving to know better and do better every day.
Stay ready for whatever comes next.
So there it is: my plan for the next few years. I hope you find it helpful. If you have suggestions that will make this plan work harder, I’d love to see them in the comments.
I’d also like to recognize that, without the people in my life who’ve shared themselves and their perspectives, who’ve patiently educated me on political science over the years, who’ve pushed me to get more involved, and who’ve been in some of the best conversations I’ve ever had, I’d probably just be running around with my arms flailing right now. You know who you are. Thank you.
I was also heavily influenced by this piece from Lindy West, this piece from Mike Monteiro, this guide to avoiding activist burnout by Aliya Khan, and this guide to building resilience from the American Psychological Association. Great reads worth making time for.
