The way I would define is activism is when one takes action towards a problem with an end goal of achieving change. Standing up for something that you strongly believe in. When it comes down to activism you will always face those who are against what you are fighting for and who disagree with you but there will always be those who will back you up. Throughout history, we have seen activism occur. Women fought and stood up to get the right to vote that only men had. On page 11 of the reading it said ” Clearly, activism has always relied on the voices, vision, and energy of individuals to inspire and drive social change. We have seen that many of the movements that shaped the world we live in today were begun by people acting alone.” The reason I decided to add this sentence into my response is that I feel like it really captured activism and how it can feel at times. One can feel like they’re alone standing up for what they believe in BUT it doesn’t mean that they are. On the contrary, you’d be surprised by how many people share the same ideas as you. We all have voices and we can use our voices to express how we feel and express the change we want to be done. The film that I decided to watch was Girl Connected because the title caught my interest. I truly enjoyed how the film delivered the stories of different girls from different parts of the world. I felt that by taking this approach, not only did the film give viewers the chance to see different problems presented around the world but also showed how these girls through activism work towards getting the changes they believe are needed. A quote from one of the girls Ghazal Jordan from the film that I liked was when she said ” When I paint walls and do things that are out of the ordinary I encourage other girls to do the same thing and to change the way they live. They no longer do what they’re used to doing and this could open a lot of new doors for them in other domains”(t/s 23:00-24:16). I feel this quote overall is very impactful because if a younger audience is watching this film, they will get reassurance and an extra push towards taking the sleep and doing what they love to do regardless if it seems as if they are doing anything out of the ordinary. To show girls and remind them that it is ok to stand up for what they believe in and to push and act for a change.

When thinking back onto how I’ve engaged in activism is when I started speaking up about the abortion law that was being pushed in Texas. Being raised in a religious household, a lot of my family members were against abortions. Although Everyone thought abortions were wrong, I made sure to hear their side of opinion regarding this issue as well as made sure to explain my side which I was happy about because I managed to make people see things from a different perspective. Another way I have engaged in activism is when I spoke up on global warming. I believe in global warming and feel strongly about it. As for how I can realistically engage in activism is by starting off and go my research. I can do my research, hear other people’s stories, share their stories, and help educate others.