George Floyd was murdered 2 months ago today. Soon afterwards there was this flurry of anti-racism activity. In my own circle, all of the sudden there anti-racist social media posts, sub/committees were formed, intiatives/promises/pledges, Zoom backgrounds.
It felt frantic. And now, 2 months it’s almost silent except for the odd social media post. I was speaking to a very dear friend of mine about their new foray into this type of activism and how to ensure you have the mental/emotional/space to stay committed.
What I told them & what I want to say here is that this kind of work is hard. Like really hard. If it becomes easy that’s probably a sign you should find some other cause. Here’s the thing though.
When you join a movement/make a statement/post stuff on social media you need to understand that this is somebody’s lived experience. Their reality. When the headlines die down-as they do-those people are still living that realty. Choose your cause wisely.
I’m a strong activist but you’ll rarely see me at a march or protest. Mostly because I don’t have the space/time to commit to them. So I don’t. My activism takes other forms & I understand that it’s the follow thru that’s the most difficult & most important.
I often get asked how I find the time to do all the things I do. I have a tough time with that question because to me-I just do what I do. Seriously. That’s it. I come from a long line of activists. It’s in my blood. I don’t know how not to be an activist.
Activism is like breathing for me. When I’m not involved in some type of advocacy or activism my mental health suffers tremendously. So I don’t MAKE the time, it IS my time. HOWEVER this is not the same for everyone. And that’s ok. Really.
Also just because it’s a priority for me doesn’t mean it’s easy. Speaking up/having a voice/calling people out is not easy for me. But for me it’s necessary. I’m not perfect. I get tired. I get it wrong sometimes. And I often feel vulnerable.
So what’s the point of this long winded diatribe that literally nobody asked for? If you’re going to commit to something be intentional. Do it because you’re invested not because you have some kind of misplaced guilt & feel like you have to do SOMETHING.
Be ready to put in the hard work. Because we don’t need people to make commitments/pledges/social media posts but are afraid to live those. We need people that are in this for the long haul. Be that person.
You can follow @TheJoyce4.
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