Giavanni Alves | To join or not to join

Ja Feel | Finding your voice in your movement

By Giavanni Alves 11/18/15 2:21am

Injustice and violence are rampant, equality is still a dream, the civil rights movement is in Act 2 of a seemingly never-ending play and innocent lives are taken on a daily basis for reasons that are both illogical and unsubstantiated. At times it seems like things will never change, like we as citizens are powerless to a system too deeply rooted in a society that was not built with almost half of its members in mind.

While some people have given up and given in to it, others are either established in their methods of contributing to the movements they are passionate about or still trying to figure out how to “make a difference.” It is completely normal to grapple with finding your role in the movements that you are passionate about (e.g. Blacks Lives Matter, LGBT rights, feminism, etc.). Everyone approaches them differently and do so at different paces. However, it is undeniable that we all have the potential to contribute to the progress that we strive for.

As we make use of our voices, it is important to recognize the platforms that we occupy as well as the mediums of communication accessible to us. For example, in discussing his recent take to Twitter sharing information about current events at colleges in this country related to student athletes, Wharton sophomore and football player Tre Solomon said, “A lot of us coming out of high school have to do the ‘recruiting dance’ and sell ourselves to different schools, and we grow up being told that our place is on the field. But now we see that we can make tremendous impacts socially and help move our schools in the right direction.” He pointed out that seeing black student athletes at Mizzou joining each other to combat racial issues on their campus demonstrates “that together [we have] more power than we previously imagined.” This is a testament to recognizing one’s influence and power that in speaking, people will listen.

Once one can recognize the power of their platform, they can then choose the mode of protesting that they prefer. Marches, art and social media, for example, are powerful as they have the ability to capture the attention of masses of people and promote awareness.

At times, I have found myself looking down on social media as a medium for activism because for each movement there are always some people that take advantage of the moment, spew ignorance for attention and change their cover photos to suit a trend. However, from the Twitter movements related to the Arab Spring to the recent stand for solidarity with Mizzou and Yale, it is evident that social media provides a space for individuals who are miles apart to unify and support each other in a way that they wouldn’t otherwise be able to do. Furthermore, the videos, photos and other posts that are shared on Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms to document these causes are in fact the primary sources for the history books that will be written about these years.

In considering our roles in the movements that we choose to participate in, it is important to realize that we can take on multiple roles simultaneously. Furthermore, all of the roles that we take on contribute to the much broader picture beyond us. Lauren Shapiro, a College senior and Black Lives Matter ally spoke on the role of an ally saying, “I think an ally is someone who acknowledges that they don’t know best but is willing to listen to and help the people who do know best, in this case black Americans who have experienced racism and state oppression firsthand.”

While this advice is especially relevant for allies, it is even more crucial that everyone follows Lauren’s example. Whether you personally identify with a movement or are an ally to one, never stop educating yourself about the cause and be willing to listen to others. Education is imperative for understanding the cause as well as to create solutions. Education grounds the movement as we share knowledge to promote awareness and extend support. At the same time, as we begin to piece together our own roles and act collectively, we must continue to listen to each other for we bring a myriad of experiences with us.

So whether it’s archiving, leading the marches, spreading awareness etc., recognize that we all have the potential to positively contribute to movements toward progress.

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