On Becoming a Long-Term Advocate, Part One
When George Floyd was murdered, I went radio silent for a bit on my new site. I just felt that my words weren’t the ones that needed to be heard loudest. And even if I had some, I wasn’t sure where to speak and what to say because, again, I didn’t need to be heard the loudest. But as the initial intensity settles down, as I see more people wrestling that bridge between advocacy and self or silence and self or uncertainty and self- now seems to be the time that matters most.
Will this be a sprint or a marathon? And what direction will you run in? Will you even run at all? If justice, people, or love matter to you- for whatever reason and in whatever way- then you need to learn to run. Slowly, intentionally, honestly, and realistically.
As someone who’s always cared deeply about all three, I’ve been learning to run for the past five years. And while I’m no expert in advocacy or justice issues or everything and anything, I do have some practical thoughts on how to become and be an advocate in the long-term.
A few months before all this, I began following several black educators and advocates- having NO idea what was to come. I’m thankful I had them once the injustices started hitting and the world awakened. @Blackcoffeewithwhitefriends remains one of my favorites and Latasha Morrison of Be the Bridge has been on my radar for a few years now- a voice I’ve adored since before all this and that I only clung to more in the midst of it. As I expanded even more, I was met with advocates of many creeds, beliefs, and backgrounds- some that grew me in the best ways and others that were interesting but I had to really wrestle with what they said.
The world of advocacy, nonprofits, and activists- especially those who mesh their love for Jesus with a heart for justice- is not new to me.
My motto for years has always been “find the warriors” because I know I can’t fix everything- and even if I could- some new, passionate, heartbroken young woman shouldn’t get to decide how to fix anything. The movement from rage and pain to one of active listening and learning beside those who’ve been here FAR longer than me is at times hard- but so important.
And as I made this shift myself, I found ways to inject activists into my everyday life. The New Activist podcast by IJM (International Justice Mission) has been one way. Following nonprofits and activists has been another. Legit just googling people facing issues I care about is another.
And like new yogis listen and follow the movements of yoga masters, I did the same with many of these advocates. I learned that advocacy is long and slow. That everyone has a place where they can help best- from the crafty woman obsessed with details (Craftivists) to the guy who notices foster kids need backpacks (Madlug Bags) to a book lover who shares her activist reads and goes above and beyond every Dressember (@definitelyra, aka RuthAnn).
I also learned how little I actually knew. My inner warrior who was more than ready to go to war could hardly shoot an arrow- and even if she could, she may not have been hitting the right targets. And even more so- when I did learn- I had to master how to share that knowledge in a way where people actually listened.
In both cases, I found the path to being a true warrior for justice and learning to share my passions was long, slow, and mistake-ridden. Especially the sharing part. I remember standing outside my charity art auction and fighting the urge to yell at people to care. Or being a 15/16 year old- new to causes and overflowing with hormones- unable to bridge the gap between my social anxiety and expressing what I cared about. And when I did- it usually came out a little weird. But slowly, I’ve found my vibe and my voice.
My time at CSNHS proved that I could be known for caring, for advocating for what I believed in- not by yelling but by doing. By showing up. By bringing people together. By leveraging my gifts, mixing in some consistency, and letting myself trust others to help (my faith in people was forever changed by those who showed up too, in all the different ways).
So. As I see more and more posts warning us of letting our “feeds go back to normal” where we’re seeing more friends and pets and lives than justice issues- I wanted to finally chip in.
I’m no expert in the Black Lives Matter movement and all its faucets. Not at all. And quite frankly, we don’t all need to be. We all have issues that we care about- find them, learn them, find the warriors already fighting and learn their ways as you turn your compassion into action.
Because yes- black lives matter- and I can fight for that belief in so many different ways. Black people - and all people- I believe were created in the image of God, with a divine right to life, freedom, and some level of dominion over the Earth. (And huge shout out to Lisa Sharon Harper’s interview with The New Activist for instilling that belief so deep in my bones. Give her a follow.) And I recognize and grieve the long history and present of humanity ignoring or rejecting this fact.
Regardless of your faith or spiritual beliefs or your why- we’re often out here fighting for the same team. And we can fight in a lot of different ways and on a lot of different fronts.
So let’s change our “normal” feeds. Because a constant onslaught of how the world’s terrible is impossible to maintain forever BUT if your feed before this made you think that everything’s fine for everybody- let’s fix that too. Because life goes on- but your feed needs to reflect real life, not just a perfect, imagined one.
Here’s some quick tips to change your feed. I’ve done it before. I’ve talked about it before. And if you’re on social media alot- it’s THE number one to become a long term advocate: CHANGE. YOUR. FEED.
Go through who you follow. All of them. Be honest with who you really want to follow and who you don’t.
Find accounts that post, talk, and care about issues you do. Follow nonprofits, brands, people, advocates, CEO’s, writers, bloggers, average people. Find people who work with racial reconciliation, the people who MADE the posts everyone keeps sharing.
Engage. Listen. Like. Comment. Learn.
During this time, I’ve taken a lot of solace in people who meshed their normal lives with advocacy and information about what’s been going on. And we need to learn to do this too. In my experience and opinion, we can’t keep going at 100% if that’s what you’ve been at.
You’re going on adventures or graduating or eating amazing food or learning new things or taking cute selfies, too. And there’s room for that.
There’s room for choosing joy and beauty and the good in the world. But there also must be room for learning about, addressing, and sharing the brokenness in the world.
And in order to keep up momentum, to learn how to be a better activist or advocate, to actually make this a long term thing for you- adjust your normal rather than throw out the normal.
And for those of you who aren’t on social media, maybe that means finding a podcast or YouTuber or news source that you’ll put into your routine. Find one, try them, and implement it into your normal. Whatever place or medium you’re usually engaging with- add some justice to it. Some nonprofits or educators or people who care about a cause.
I’m used to being one of the only people I knew posting about causes I care about. It was weird when Instagram started blowing up and suddenly I felt like the quiet one. And while I believe we need to find a new normal, I hope it’s one where I’m no longer one of the only ones posting about causes I care about. Where I know what causes my friends care about and who they’re supporting- even if we’re all over the map.
Where I see who and what you care about and what brokenness in the world you’re trying to fight against- and that you’re learning about it- while still getting pretty drinks and seeing friends and living your day-to-day life during and post-quarantine.
So, let’s take this opportunity, this moment in history, to make justice issues apart of our normal. To stay informed on the issues in our nation and communities as well as find the issues that are rooted deep within us- and sewing them into the fabric of our lives through our feeds, entertainment, podcasts, music, movies, videos, and all the things we take in often.
Let’s find and learn from the warriors who’ve been battling for racial justice longer than us and support them however we can. Let’s ask ourselves what cause we care about- and learn about it and take small steps towards a lifelong journey of advocacy, caring, and support for a more beautiful world. A few weeks or months in one year can become a lifelong pledge to care about other people. Let’s never stop caring.
