Know the end goal first before joining any activism group
Know the end goal first before joining any activism group
When marching and protesting don’t add up to results
When I read the temporary results of a criminal trial, I bought a bus ticket shortly after. I knew I wanted to go to this particular city and vent my frustration regarding the judge’s decision. I knew I wanted to donate funds to get one particular gentleman out of prison. And I knew I wanted to go to the local courthouse to figure out what exactly was going on — because the news just wasn’t covering it enough for my taste. (It was the very first time I ever decided to cover a news story myself — long before I knew I had any interest in journalism.)
I kept my travel plans pretty low-key up until my supervisor at the time really wanted me to attend a book publishing work event. I knew if I told her why I couldn’t go and where I was really going for a few days, my job would be at risk — especially if we weren’t on the same side of the trial results. Luckily for me, we were. I packed my bags, let my godfather know where I was headed (it was close enough to his hometown in case I needed help) and jumped on the bus.
Working with a group of activists is incredibly helpful. There is a bonding experience that happens when you find out that people care about the same causes that you do. I know first-hand how stressful it can be to fight for a cause by yourself, while everyone who agrees with you just sits quietly by the sidelines. But I’ve never been really good at being a bystander. I’m a walking, talking version of, “If you see something, say something,” even if my opinion may not be the most popular.
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The legal case mentioned above has long passed. The individual in question has been freed from prison. And while this was my first “go” at journalism, I learned quite a bit about grassroots activism that I’d originally not thought much of.