Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsReinventing Activism, Part 1: Marching in Circles Mickey Z.
Photo credit: Mickey Z.
Mickey Z. -- World News Trust
June 24, 2020
As many of you know by now, Ive been running a one-man project called Helping Homeless Women-NYC for nearly four years. In that time, Ive been given a unique perspective on activism from the view of some of the most vulnerable people I have ever met.
Recently, for example, a homeless woman told me how she had to stop panhandling because of the volatile protests near her regular spot. Translation: A woman already in the midst of a desperate struggle due to homelessness and the pandemic lockdown ended up losing out on much-needed donations thanks to window-smashing activists and head-smashing cops.
This reminded me of another homeless woman whose regular spot happened to be smack dab in the middle of the Womens March route a couple of years ago. Not a single marcher gave her a donation or even a smile. Eventually, the cops forced the homeless woman to relinquish her spot for security reasons.
And dont get me started on how many homeless women Ive known whove needed restraining orders against violent men. Even with how terrible some cops can be, I can only imagine how these women feel when they hear un-nuanced calls to abolish or dismantle the police.
Why am I telling you all this? Well, I once was a very active, popular street activist. I marched and chanted and carried signs and gave keynote speeches for the full gamut of un-nuanced social justice issues until I finally #woke up to how counterproductive such tactics and mindsets can be. It wasnt until I re-allocated my time and energy to direct relief that I finally started to make an impact.
Now, as I witness a whole new group of people coming to awareness and demanding change, I feel compelled to share some of the lessons it took forever for me to learn. For the first installment of this series, the topic will be marching.
(more)
https://worldnewstrust.com/reinventing-activism-part-1-marching-in-circles-mickey-z
InfoView thread info, including edit history
TrashPut this thread in your Trash Can (My DU » Trash Can)
BookmarkAdd this thread to your Bookmarks (My DU » Bookmarks)
4 replies, 355 views
ShareGet links to this post and/or share on social media
AlertAlert this post for a rule violation
PowersThere are no powers you can use on this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
ReplyReply to this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
Rec (1)
ReplyReply to this post
4 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Reinventing Activism, Part 1: Marching in Circles Mickey Z. (Original Post)
Tace
Jun 2020
OP
The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,280 posts)1. Who is Mickey Z?
All these Mickey Z posts are looking kind of spammy.
CurtEastPoint
(18,552 posts)2. We are supposed to know everything here.
2naSalit
(86,061 posts)3. That's what I was wondering.
Kali
(54,990 posts)4. indeed