I felt bad while watching “Knock Down The House.” The scene I’m referring to is when they were out on the streets collecting signatures. They were rejected by some people, but they kept a smile on their faces and treated others with respect. I’m guilty of ignoring people on the street. It’s not that I do it to be mean, but when I’m outside, it’s usually because I have somewhere to go and stopping isn’t an option. I believe they would get a lot more signatures if they caught people when they weren’t busy. After watching this film and reading, my definition of activism is when you campaign for a cause you truly believe in. It’s when you fight incessantly for change. I felt the most for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez out of all the women in the film. She radiates a gentle warmth. She seems to have the most genuine vibe to me. I can see why so many people supported her. If I had been able to vote at the time, I would have definitely voted for her. She is modest and gives back to the community. It’s not like any other power-hungry individual we’ve seen rise in the past. She cares deeply about other people. She is a woman of color. That is even more important. Young women now have someone to look up to, and they will understand that running for Congress or simply being a politician as a woman of color is entirely possible. It’s a man’s world, but victories like this give me hope.
I attended a primarily black high school. And I was lucky to have so many black teachers who tried to help us see the best in ourselves and find our own voices. We’ve held numerous protests against gun violence and school shootings over the years. We made signs, stood in the street, and told passing drivers about the dangers of gun violence and how it affects children. In our senior year, my economics teacher took us to register to vote. He even walked us to the mailbox. He assigned us a project in which we had to research the presidential candidates, which helped us decide who we wanted to vote for. or which political party we are members of. One of our assignments required us to post a video on social media stating that we had registered to vote and then encouraging our classmates to do the same. I was fortunate to attend a school that encouraged me to use my voice.
Hi Ashanti! To be honest, I’m also like that on the street, for example giving out flyers or trying to catch people to get signatures or their opinion. But many times, despite being free or something like that, I am afraid of being able to help them with their signatures or opinions, because it has happened to me that when that is done they ask me for very personal information (the last two times I helped with that , they asked me for my card information to donate a little). There is the fear that something bad could happen to you, because many people may make these collections to seriously focus on their purposes, but there are others in which they only want to scam people, that is why I feel that sometimes I just avoid these situations. I am very happy to hear how your high school was and how it really touched you by helping you at different points in your life. There are schools that are seriously hooked on helping the student to be a better person, and it is something that many schools should learn. I am very happy that your school has helped anyone in an interpersonal way.
Hello Ashanti! It’s sad that a few people wanted to sign those petitions, but as you said, they are probably busy. When I’m outside it’s usually because I have to do something as well, and I am not likely to stop for anyone. I feel New Yorkers, in general, don’t like being bothered when they are walking. Now, a better place to post petitions is on social media because people are usually there in their free time and have time to sign and share the petition. Also, it can reach a larger audience. I find it awesome that your high school encouraged you to be an activist!
Hi Ashanti, I enjoyed reading your post and also watched the movie it was really good and insightful on the work she put in and her humble beginnings I had no clue about a lot of what I saw her victory was undoubtedly deserved. It is really great that you were encouraged and involved in activism in high school!
Hi Ashanti, thanks for sharing. I’m with you about feeling upset when they were out trying to collect signatures, and they were constantly being rejected. They kept a smile on their face because they genuinely wanted to make a change. Amazingly, you have teachers that were willing to push you as a student. Not many of the teachers I had wished their students to do well. They were there for the paycheck. I’m glad that you could voice out how important it was to vote and encourage classmates.
Hello Ashanti,
I enjoyed reading your post since there is different points you added. I am the same way when i am walking i tend to ignore everything and everyone because i be walking so quick unintentionally, i see how that can hurt peoples feelings when it involves a good cause. I like the description you gave of AOC because that is exactly the same vibe i get from her and her volumes that address the problem communities makes us support her for the voice we all have but the support we do not get from other government officials