There is so much to unpack from this week’s required readings. In “How to think like an activist”, Wendy Syfret describes how powerful activism is and how it can have far–reaching effects on our community and the way we think. We see how the internet, social media, and technology, in general, have provided a huge platform for various movements and the people that have supported them. A singular voice or opinion is suddenly catapulted out to the world and people unite with a shared purpose of demanding change. She goes on to say how many of the prominent movements of today’s world are descendants of causes that were already previously taken up. But with the power of youth and technology, these movements have evolved in such a way that people are uniting all over the world. I recall just how inflamed social media became when the BLM movement was created following the Zimmerman trial and how it’s now something we chant to decry racial injustice against people of color.

I’d never considered the time and energy it would take to not only organize but to maintain a movement like BLM. That said, this is all the more reason why people like Gracie Lee Boggs and her contributions are so important. In “American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs“, she said, “I saw myself as a part of and apart from the Black community.” The amount of time and energy she poured into the black activist community of Detroit before social media took off, is simply amazing. It was clear that the director wasn’t expecting Boggs to identify so strongly with the black community but her dedication was so great that even the FBI mislabeled her race. That said, while not exactly the same, this reminded me of the snapshot, my classmate, Hannah Nichols shared in which she posted a quote from Kathleen Hanna that reads “I would much rather be the ‘obnoxious feminist girl’ than be complicit in my own dehumanization.” Boggs essentially stated that her personal identity is interwoven with the cultural identity of the black people in Detroit (I’m sure this is worldwide). She didn’t see herself as a Chinese American woman much to the ire of the director.

After watching the film and finishing the readings, I started to question my own position and contributions to the movements in which I support. While social media, with its ability to spread information, is certainly a necessary tool that aids the ongoing effort, is simply sharing a status enough? After seeing how deeply entrenched Grace Lee Boggs had been with the movement in Detroit, should I be ashamed as a person of color? Syfret state’s that the world cannot be changed by one person but that we can certainly all contribute to the way it’s shaped. By at least first making the commitment myself to be involved and spreading the word to those in my community, I can certainly help to inspire change. I look forward to having a continued conversation with my family after our weekly readings. You have to start somewhere.