After reading How to Think Like an Activist by Wendy Syfret, it hit me just how many phases there are to activism, and how little things can go a long way, too. Making an effort to educate oneself is very important, and with our technology nowadays, it’s accessible to more and more people, making it easier to learn. With technology, it’s also easier to find likeminded people and form a community – all voices are valuable. Reading about how social media has given people a platform, who for so long, didn’t have one, was definitely striking for me.

After watching Girl Connected, I immediately felt inspired. The issues tackled in the film, child marriage, teen pregnancy, self defense, the right to an education, independence, self expression – they’re all so incredibly important. The film left me wanting to learn more, to do more. It made me think a lot about my own privileges, and what I can do for my own community. I really hope that those young women are still pursuing their dreams, and I sincerely wish them all the happiness and luck in the world. It was an honor just to view the work that they do!

At the same time, thinking about just how many preventative measures have to be taken in order to survive as women in this world is upsetting. I wish things were different, and I also want there to be even more of an emphasis on educating men on these issues as well, not just women. Most, if not all (honestly, all) of these issues originated and are still being held up by the patriarchy and misogyny in our many systems around the world. Men need to do their part, and educate themselves, too.

Reflection 5

I really enjoyed this book written by Wendy Syfret, Wendy gets straight to the point telling us readers what change looks like, the process and making it happen, and how each step is different. She makes she acknowledges them Making sure to speak upon them in case of a topic needing equity in other words rights. She slightly persuades systems/methods how to make legit meaningful change, all together in a paragraph so we can all have somewhat the same point of view. Before reading this article by wendy I had a different point of view, it changed my thinking a bit. For example, fighting for our justice and rights that’s being activism. After reading the article I agree way more with the way she views the definition of activism.

How to Think Like an Activist by Wendy Syfert was an amazing reading. Unlike some of the topics we have spoken about I have an understanding for what Activism is. I understand that there are many forms of Activism and things to Champagne about. I wouldn’t really consider myself a big activist but there are somethings that I would stand up for or try to speak up about things like Citizenship for immigrants that have been here long enough that haven’t done anything wrong. Enough about my view and a little more into Wendy Syfert views. I like how in the beginning from the very start the author explains Why and how Activism is so important. I totally agree that Activism has made things better for people like me when certain things in the past had to be spoken up against. Past activists really paved the way for many things. Throughout the story the author gives Examples of this in history. Things like the French Revolution or the salt march was a GOOD example of people standing up and fighting a problem. Throughout the story she continues explaining the many resources that activists have to make a message clear in today’s times. 

The documentary I decided to watch was Knock Down the house. The documentary was based on 4 powerful women named Alexandria Cortez, Cori Bush, Paula Jean_, Swearengin, Amy Vilela from different backgrounds. They come together because they want to fight FOR social justice and more diverse representation in the US congress. All these women want to see changes in their communities. They are racing against each other for a spot in the government to make a change. I Like this documentary because it shows examples of many things we speak about weekly things like activism & oppression. These women show what it is like to be a female activist, be dedicated to doing something & the trail and tribulations one has to go through to get to where they want to be. 

Once completing this beautiful book written by Wendy Syfret, She dives straight into what looking like change and creating it, and how they are two very different things. Making sure to distinguish the two in case of a topic needing an actual call of justice/rights. With incredibly encouraging methods on how to make realistic and significant change, all put in an easy-to-understand and visually appealing form. I can say that before reading this book by Syfret I thought that what I was doing, for example in terms of standing up for black woman rights was being an activism progressing individual. But after reading her own thoughts on what she feels activism may really look like, there may be a lot more ways that I can put what I’m really fighting for to a greater change in what may be less time if I truly want that change to occur.

As a young adult in such an uncertain world as well as these uncertain times, it gave me hope while also emphasizing injustices both past and current. Hopes that one day the change that we all may be fighting for as indisuiuals or in groups would eventually come about, yet still understanding that this change may not be easy but worth the process. I also learned a lot about earlier groups that have made a significant contribution to the ongoing process of equality. Another significant act of activism surrounding ourselves with others who share the same insight on a change that needs to happen is all the encouragement we may need to be successful in those areas.
I would recommend it in ways if only to offer you a different perspective on your daily life and to promote inquiry into how you can recognize injustice in your personal community.

The film I chose to watch was “United in Anger,” I found this film to be very powerful and moving and the film also educated me on an issue I knew about but I was not very educated on. This film was about the aid epidemic and an advocacy group that goes by the name of ACT UP. The group ACT UP put up strong fights to make sure that people with Aids had health care, treatment, and overall had rights that they deserve. I found this movement to be very powerful because by protesting and never giving up hope they got their point across in situations that some thought it was impossible to fight for but those thoughts did not stop the group. I feel like ACT UP is a strong group of people that did not give up on what they believed they should have regardless of their illness. My final thought is that this advocacy group did its job by fighting against leaders that did not want to shed light on this epidemic. Today their work is being shown by having access to healthcare, treatment, and housing for people that have AIDS.

            There was a broad selection of films to watch but I chose to watch Girl Connected, which I found to be quite inspiring and insightful. Although the girls were from different parts of the world, the gender discrimination and violence matters were so startlingly similar in their injustice. I found it awe-inspiring to see these young girls speak up and fight for their peers and for the future of their countries. I think it takes a special kind of spirit to have the valor to do what these girls are doing and that is one of the reasons that I enjoyed the film so much.

            I also enjoyed Wendy Syfret’s How to Think Like an Activist. One excerpt from the reading that I found relevant to the film Girl Connected it is the following, “We can pay our respects to those brave individuals by studying their achievements, learning from them, and carrying on their world-changing work now and into the future.” I love this line because it speaks of how we can learn from those who have had the valor to fight for the abolishment of gender discrimination and violence. Wendy goes on further to delve into the power of youth, and how important it is because activists that are young have the ability to bring crucial issues to the forefront, initiating discussions surrounding transgender rights, gun control, climate justice, etc. With about 41% of the world’s population being either twenty-four years old or younger, it seems that the future truly is in our hands. Now how can we best pass on this vital piece of information to those who are unaware?

I chose the film Girl Connected, and I really liked it because it shows how much we as women have to go through no matter where on Earth we are. March 8th is known as International Women’s Day, which is ironic considering I watched this film today. It was fascinating because these girls are fighting so hard to make such an impact in their society. What I found most interesting about How To Think Like An Activist by Wendy Syfret was all these different moments of activism and how the people fought for that change. For example, the Salt March, led by Gandhi and the people of India fighting against British colonizers. It was a form of peaceful protest, where no matter what, the law was broken, but not in a way that enacted violence. I like how both the film and reading put the mindset on being an activist, but you can be an activist in more ways than one. To fight for a change, you aren’t limited t just one option. You are open to many possibilities. Even if someone tries to stop you, there could be a thousand others who have your back, but from the sidelines. That’s what I liked about Girl Connected, because even those they were in different parts of the world, they were each fighting for one thing women get consistently bashed about. Child marriages, teen pregnancy, education, creativity, and self-defense with a disability. This shows that the possibilities are endless if we know what we are going after and how. 

This week, I was hooked upon reading the second sentence in Wendy Syfret’s How to Think Like an Activist– “Every right, liberty, and security exists because someone stood up and fought for it” (Syfret,1). After reading that, I stopped and thought about the absolute truth and heroic boldness behind the statement and I had a full-on moment of gratitude for the privileges in my life. I thought about my back to school journey at 34 years old which at times can feel discouragingly long and then the thought shifted to how lucky I am to have the opportunity to be in this course currently with OUR professor who has put this content together for us. It’s not that I didn’t know it beforehand but it put things into perspective and I needed it. It was very inspiring to read about activism through Syfret’s explanations and ideas on how to put it into action. Throughout and immediately after, I felt my brain scrambling asking “what can I do?” and “where do I begin?” and yet also became flushed with overwhelming feelings of how I can possibly make a true difference towards the issues and systems that continue to oppress people. Syfret did warn me about this when she wrote “It’s human to look over all the issues and causes that require attention and feel that one person could never make a difference” (pg 12) so I kept that in mind when feelings of discouragement interfered. Then I watched Netflix’s Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution and I was completely blown away by the immense courage and sheer perseverance of this movement and my previous knowledge and acknowledgement of this community is forever changed. I was in awe as I watched this story unfold from a summer camp for the disabled called Camp JENED in the 1970’s to how many of those camp-goers such as Judy Heumann, led and represented the disabled community in Washington DC to get the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) passed in 1990.

A big stand-out for me this week was in the film “Knock Down The House” when Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said “Basically what political machines do is they suppress democracy.” The people in office want to keep the political system the way it is for personal gain. I think we all have a general understanding of the corruptness in politics. But watching this documentary and reading “How to Think Like An Activist” by Wendy Syfret really highlighted the flaws in our political system and the importance of activism. It is very difficult to enact change, and the little change that has come over the last few decades had to be fought for. Activism is a necessity for so many people to live the lives they deserve. “Knock Down The House” and the reading expresses how corrupt many of the politicians in office are and the great impact they have on many lives. People’s suffering and social and political injustice is overlooked. Activism calls attention to this and demands change.

In this week’s reading, we read about the importance of activism, and that every right we have is because someone stood up and fought for it. Many demonstrations over the course of history showcase how nonviolent action can create real change. I liked the “Present your case” Section of the reading where you reach out to someone in your life and tell them about an issue that is important to you. This helps further their knowledge of activism and might push them to become passionate about the matter. I will definitely try to reach out to a close friend and have a discussion about something important, and we can both learn from it. Protests, marches, groups, and propaganda from activism help grab the attention of those who are not aware of what’s going on and signal them to care and open their eyes to something new. Self-expression is also a major factor of activism. Syfret notes how music was extremely important during the feminist movement in the early 90s. I wanted to share another example of self-expression in activism; Vivienne Westwood and her life as a designer. The clothing she made for the Sex Pistols and their song “God Save The Queen” went against everything Britain stood for. Her punk print T-shirts caused an uproar as they displayed a poorly printed photo of the Queen with a safety pin through her mouth. Activism relies on individuals to aspire to create change with their voices and actions. I learned a lot about this when I was attending BLM protests during the summer of 2020. It was amazing to see so many people come forward to speak their minds and fight for justice for those who were murdered at the hands of the police.