Activism - Why Should I Care?

                In an increasingly covetous and greedy world, I sometimes ask myself why I ought to care about social justice issues regarding marginalized communities and those who lack access to instruments of meaningful substantial change. In this post, I’d like to present reasons which offer an insight into why striving for equality and social justice are tasks that are worthwhile as well as fulfilling to the self.

               

                In his famous “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”, Martin Luther King Jr wrote “we are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly”. This reflection of Dr. King goes to the core essence of the spirit of activism in social justice. Every single person on this planet is associated, irrespective of whether we are directly linked or not. As human beings we all share similar qualities, emotions and experiences and as a single race we are equals, wrapped in the same garments of destiny. We cannot allow ourselves to fall into the trap of thinking that the problems of my neighbour will not have an effect on me eventually. If a certain member of my community is being treated unjustly by the police THAT is my problem. If there are children in my city who do not have access to education and cannot afford to purchase school supplies that is my problem. If there are individuals across this world who yearn for liberty and the right to self-determination then my heart yearns for it as well. It is this precise spirit which allowed the persecuted refugees of Mecca to enter the city of Medina and thrive. The people of the blessed city of Medina extended a warm welcome to the newcomers and illustrated to us the true spirit of pure activism and altruism. In fact, their exhibition was so grand that God mentioned them and stated that “they gave preference to them over their own souls, even though they were in need”. By recognizing that we share the responsibility to mold a collective narrative, one can understand the immense reasoning behind the drive of activism that is found within many.

                The idea of changing the world is one which is often met with tremendous scorn and mocking by a large segment of the population. I recall telling a teacher of mine that I had the ambition to change the world in a great way. She responded by saying that in order to change the world, I had to elicit positivity and negate the deep seated cynicism that resided within me. Roughly ten years later, I understand the wisdom behind her words. Activism is met with vast pessimism, suspicion and cynicism from a population that is disenfranchised with the system. However, one does not need to look too far down the annals of history to see individuals who advocated immensely for their causes and were successful. If we look at the American civil rights movement, it would be hard to disagree with the contention that every single person involved in that movement, from Malcolm X and Dr. King all the way down to the bold men and women who braved fire hoses and dogs in Selma, Alabama, changed the world. It would be impossible to contest that the five women involved in the famous Canadian “Persons Case” (Edwards v. Canada) did not change the world when they appealed to the Privy Council and won the right for women to be considered legal persons. The point which I am making is that every single voice has inherent meaning. These tremendous world changing events listed above would not have been remotely successful had each person involved not been willing to sacrifice their time and energy in the audacious hope for a better tomorrow.

                In conclusion, it is imperative for you to find a cause that you are passionate about and locate like minded people who can assist you in furthering the development of that cause. I have been tremendously lucky to be involved in the Acorn Canada Housing Justice Program. While it started as a volunteer position to gain experience, I have quickly found an incredible passion to serve these individuals who have a barrier to accessing justice because of the socioeconomic status which they find themselves in. As a graduate of English Literature, I often have come across profound pieces of prose which can be contemplated on for hours. In his classic poem “The Road Not Taken”, American poet Robert Frost states “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference”. Not many will choose the difficult road that being an effective activist entails. Nevertheless, the reward of seeing justice and equality perpetuated throughout this great world of ours is a great recompense. And that – that will make all the difference? What will your cause be?