I liked Nancy Susano’s snapshot post of an image of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. I watched some of the documentary that she was in with three other democratic female parties who weren’t politicians but were actually a part of their community and district that wanted change in all areas. She was an activist. Alexandria was a bartender. She was one out of many civilians in the world who lived the reality of survival, like financial issues. Being elected wasn’t just about her and what she needed; it was about them, us, the community, and what they needed, such as healthcare and being debt-free from school. She always had a deep understanding of what she was fighting for, and the way her body language is presented in this image says it all about how powerful she is and her voice. She is experienced enough to be as strong as she is for people, and that’s where being prepared for anything comes from.

Activists aren’t just fighting. They are consistently extending their approach or goal by really stepping into the process that never stops teaching you, helps you reevaluate, and helping others to pursue better. Activism can start with the community and building it from there. In the film, Alexandria was out in her community, I believe, with her niece handing out flyers. Not everyone in her community who passed by her or spoke to her had fully comprehended her story and approach. Some even were already supporters of her opponent. She was fairly new and didn’t have the promo she had later on in the film, but just because they didn’t support her at that very moment didn’t mean they should be counted out. They would soon get there, even though the first engagement would create easier access to understanding an activist’s point of view, especially if it relates to something personal.

I think one of the most powerful things Alexandria did was create a grassroots campaign. A grassroots campaign is basically using the people of your district or community to be the base movement, whether it is socially, politically, or economically. The best thing as an activist is when people have pure self-interest in what you’re doing and what your goal is, and they work and support your greatest accomplishment because it isn’t just a win for the face of the project; it’s the reasoning behind it. The people know what they need because it belongs to them.

I want to elaborate on the idea in the text “How to Think Like an Activist” by Wendy Syfret is the power of the youth. There is a big power shift when it comes to generation, and it includes the power of bringing the real issues they see that are more global now than the ones from before because they didn’t live it as the older generation has. It’s about what can be brought to the table by the young generations because their playbook is starting from scratch to resolve the global problems of now. The old plays didn’t work out for the older generation, so now there’s a use of social media, protests, parades, gatherings, debates, and more.