Social Activism and the Future
Never underestimate the power of a group of Citizens on a Mission of Change.
Opinion|Megan Janas, Citizen Health Digital Strategist
Over the weekend, I witnessed history. Many of you did as well, if you participated in the March For Our Lives global event. From the school in Parkland, Florida to the streets of the world - a grassroots movement evolved in a rallying cry to bring reform to a debate that has been raging for decades: How can we bring the voices and activism and courage needed to rethink gun laws, mental health and background checks to satisfy both personal safety and individual rights? That question was answered Saturday in one of the largest gatherings to ever occur and center on these pressing issues. It wasn’t brought forth from leaders, or people in power, politicians, other activist groups, nor NGO’s - it was brought forth by a group of kids determined to get their agenda passed and their voices acknowledged that what they want is not trivial and they will spend the rest of their lives devoted to their cause.
This is not the first march, or protest, or social activism event to take place. We have seen many occur since the beginning of 2017. There have been marches for women and equality, science, life, and healthcare reform - we have seen an abundance of people take to the streets for various causes and issues that they feel deeply moved to act upon. The underlying unifying theme of all these marches is: change. People want change.
People want change.
Most of my colleagues and I are Millennials. We were born under the guise of relative peace and we watched the dawn of technology shape our imaginations and our lives. We watched the world transform and we witnessed peace and prosperity. By the time the new millennial rolled around, the world seemed within an inch of a brand new era, ripe with untapped potential and extreme possibility. And then Columbine happened, and then 9/11, and then the second Iraqi War and the Great Recession, terrorism, Syria, Sandy Hook and ISIS - and these almost past 20 years have been hard. Globally. Domestically. We have faced challenge after challenge. The kids of Parkland - this is how they have grown up; in this time of conflict, weapons and turmoil. This is all these kids know and understand. Where is their luxury of peace? Where is their understanding of the world as relatively calm and prosperous? Mired in the pauses and between the spaces of tragedies.
Their response to their trauma, to their terrible ordeal - turned into one of the largest social activism moments in our country and world’s history. Instead of retreating, or wanting privacy or saying, “let us and our community heal” - they raised their voices and declared and vowed that this time it was different. This time is was personal. This time it was one person, one school, one community, one tragedy too many. This time, it was time to act. And so they did. The result was Saturday, March 24th, 2018.
This is powerful. Kids 17 and 18 years old, some younger- banding together, uniting around a cause- bringing others into the fold. They just didn’t stop at the borders of their own community - they dug deep - victims and survivors and people from every corner of America touched by gun violence were together on Saturday. They channeled everyone - different communities and neighborhoods, ethnicities and races - income levels and diverse populations. They highlighted that their activism extends to everyone, and therefore everyone must be equally represented in this fight. No one was left out.
That’s the future. That’s our future.
The future of our nation and our world is social activism. This is where the will and the voices of people come together around causes that make life better. People are not going to wait for governments to act, this is fundamentally why people innovate - they get together and solve problems to better lives and communities. It takes years, if not decades to rally enough collective will to do the right things through traditional government - but change is coming. Winston Churchill famously once said: “You can always count on Americans to do the right thing - after they have tried everything else.”
Everything else hasn’t worked. So now we need to do the right thing. We need to rise above this blistering quote.
We have the same goals, ideals and values right here at Citizen Health. We believe in the power of the people. We believe in the unity and inherent goodness that does exist in the innermost parts of our species. This goodness is activated when people come together for causes and purposes greater than themselves. And when we include everyone and value our diversity and the lives of each person - we have elevated our humanity. It’s past time to do these things. It’s past time to elevate our humanity. We are so much more than what we are, and we can be and have more if we act mindfully, humbly, inclusively and graciously. We believe that things are not out of reach, and like safety and peace, health and wellness, mental health and healthcare - is part of your rights to prosperity. These are the foundations of a safe and secure society. When people have the access to the resources that grant them health and well being, they can be a healthy participant in society. So like the students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas demand, reform has to include a healthcare and mental healthcare agenda. The way to heal our society comes from a multi-level approach that includes quality and affordable health access and reform. It won’t come from the top down or the political elite - it will come from the people. It will come from the people here and the people who will join in, as we find them, and they find us. We are keen to include everyone. This only works with everyone.
We stand with the activists and the students and the innovators and the builders and all of those who have a better vision of what their lives should look like, what America should look like and what the world should look like. We know the future belongs to social activism. We know that we are social activists leading a cause that betters our people. We want to know you. With you, we are a group of empowered citizens that leads the change. Healthcare is part of that change and change is our mission. Never underestimate the power of a group of citizens on a mission of change.
Join in, speak up, get involved, change healthcare. Act.
It’s time to know Citizen Health: citizenhealth.io
