I see activism as taking part in a group or movement that is supporting the freedom of or fighting for the rights to freedom of any group of society that is oppressed, disadvantaged, underprivileged, etc. I like the word activism because it says to be active in something, helping create movement and action. I would say before reading this article I would’ve thought you could only be an activist if you were a part of a movement, doing something to help on a larger scale, organizing event or marches, etc. I have always felt like I don’t do enough, I could and should do more, do better. I noticed that this way of thinking doesn’t ever propel me into lasting change, I can see it is limited in it’s all or nothing perspective. After this reading I feel more confident about doing what I can and that being ok and enough. From sharing ideas, learning, staying open and curious, listening and receiving feedback, getting a mentor, and all the tips on how to be a better learner are extremely valuable tools for navigating finding a place in the world to be of service.

I watched United in Anger, the history of ACT UP. I chose this film because I want to learn more about the AIDS epidemic as I don’t feel very educated about what happened, I have only heard snippets of stories and history over time. Living in NYC I feel it is such a presence here, so many people I come across experienced that time in a very real way, living through it and losing many friends. I didn’t know that the ACT UP movement was fighting for drugs to be released faster from the FDA. It really shows how complex different situations can be, given what we are currently seeing with people not wanting the COVID vaccines because they see that the FDA released them too fast. Every situation is very different and with the AIDS Epidemic they were fighting for their right to be considered in the decisions about the drugs, whether they could take them or not.

ACT UP, like a lot of movements, end up intersecting other issues which can bring light to complexity that multiple people deal with. In this case, one of those examples was the women’s movement that happened alongside and at times along with the ACT UP movement. In the film they show women fighting for similar causes, rights of their own bodies and to be a part of decisions made about birth control rights. These two issues intersecting at this time in history as well as having crossover cases. Women were being told by religious figures to not use protection during intercourse which was very dangerous given the rate AIDS was spreading.

As mentioned in this film, the power of people coming together and pressuring institutions and systems that be is incredible and can be monumentally successful. I could really see this from being in NYC for the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests. Not only can you see how when people come together it can really make change on a bigger level, but being there also makes change on a personal level. Seeing and feeling the power of that movement at that time changed me forever. I think activism is impactful and I think it’s important for everyone to take part in being an activist in some way, because when you around change you learn to see people and see the truth, which then leads to real impactful change. I would like to find ways to be an activist in my life on a daily basis instead of just for the big things, I am happy to read this article and look forward to going back and reading all the suggestion pages.

How do I define activism after reading and watching the film? I define activism as a group of individuals pushing through their fight for justice in what they believe in to make a change.

The film that I watched was “united in anger.” This film shows real-life moments that activists from ACT UP (the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) group together, men, women of all races and classes, came together as a force to change the world and save each other’s lives. The ACT UP group was formed in the basement of Manhattan’s lesbian and gay community center. Their focus was to address the AIDS epidemic. They needed the government to push forth medical research, treatment, and advocacy. Many people were dying from AIDS, and no one was listening. The FDA was not approving medications for patients diagnosed with AIDS. On October 11, 1988, ACT UP had one of the most successful demonstrations when they successfully shut down the FDA to show that they wanted change now because people were dying as they spoke. They demanded the FDA to have the experimental drugs readily available and distributed fairly. The cost of these drugs was high and remains high. The medication cost can range from 1,800-4,500 per month for the patient’s lifetime. The thought of the cost of this medication is mind-blowing; one of the quotes that hit me was when an ACT UP member heard that some of the people against them say, “it was gay people just getting what they deserve.” This statement is revolting. People live their lives how they want and when the tables are turned, they want to judge others because they choose to love who they want to love doesn’t make them less human.
I have never participated in activism. I was invited to join the black lives matter rallies, but I didn’t get the chance to go. One of the reasons for that was my parent’s fear of me being hurt or targeted in these rallies. During the peak of the COVID pandemic, one of the largest rallies in New York City was happening, but many people were being arrested, tased, and pepper-sprayed. It was out of control. The way I saw, I could help post on social media, but I learned then that not many of my friends or family members understood what I was advocating for, and they unfriended me and vice versa. The whole thought about black lives matter vs. all lives matter is true, but the black lives matter stemmed from the oppression of black people in the United States. The fact that black people were being shot and killed around the U.S without being armed or a threat to society baffled me, and I had to advocate for them on social media. Being united for the cause to find the middle ground for everyone is where I want to be. There is so much injustice in the world that, at times, I feel discouraged, but many people are trying to find a way to help and push forth fairness and equality, and it’s truly admirable.

Activism can be defined as acting to be heard and create a change in a social justice matter. Everyone who has a voice and an issue they really care about can be an activist. Activism can be done in multiple ways, one of them is talking to family members, friends, colleagues, etc, about the issues that matter to us. Explain to them more about what is going on, try to educate them about the matter, and tell them why is it important to act. We can also give film recommendations, books about the history of the topic that explain better the context, or any helpful web pages and articles. Nowadays, most of us have access to the internet and have social media accounts, another way to be an activist it’s sharing content about the topic we care about on social media platforms. It can go from creating entertaining tiktoks with accurate information about the matter or sharing about your personal experience, to retweeting a tweet about an opinion about the topic you care about. There are millions of users on social media platforms, if you share about an issue that you deeply care about, I’m sure that someone else will feel identified and is interested too. Movements like Black Lives Matter and Me Too became viral and many people who felt identified got involved in the cause, and many allies shared information and spoke up as well. Another way to become an activist is by joining an existing organization. Becoming involved with an existing organization allows meeting other like-minded people and being part of any protests or activities they organize to actively fight for the cause. You can also create your own organization by finding other committed activists for the same cause. Activism can be done in many ways, we just have to speak up and be hopeful that a change will be done.

The film I decided to watch is “Girls Connected”. This film is about five activist girls from underdeveloped countries all around the world. Michelle, Josi, Ghazal, Latifa, and Ayesha, were constantly inspiring their communities to join them to combat social injustices that affect women in those countries. These issues are teen pregnancy, child marriage, and the lack of women in STEM. Also, one girl was destroying gender stereotypes since she was the first girl on her school soccer team, she proved to her community that a woman is capable of doing anything a man does. Another girl who is a champion in a self-defense sport was taking advantage of her abilities and teaching women of her community self-defense techniques to protect themselves against abusive men. Each one of these girls is an activist since they are fighting for their rights and standing up against injustice, I think they are an inspiration and if they keep fighting, they will see a positive change.

I didn’t consider myself an activist since before this week’s reading I mainly had the idea that an activist had to be part of an organization, be very active in it, and constantly do stuff to support their cause. Now, I guess that I am an activist in a way because I speak up about some issues that matter to me and share information on my social media. For example, back in 2019, there was an LBGTQ parade in my origin country, Guatemala, and someone brought a Guatemalan flag but with the colors of the LGBTQ flag colors. People were extremely upset about that because they thought it was disrespectful. On Facebook, I saw a lot of posts of conservative people complaining, and in Guatemala, that’s the majority of people. I got so tired of them and started arguing with them and sharing posts about why that flag was not disrespectful to the country. Also, I shared a lot of posts supporting my argument.

Another example is when on new year’s day, we were watching a music video with my family and my cousin made a comment discriminating against an artist that was crossdressing. My cousin was saying that men shouldn’t be dressing as women and made other dumb comments. I told him that clothes and make-up do not have a gender and everyone should dress how they like. I also told him that his masculinity is very fragile, and a man who is sure of who he is doesn’t rely on his appearance.

The last example is that I always talk with my mom and friends about LGBTQ+ and women issues, share posts on Instagram, and retweet on Twitter. Yesterday a law that criminalizes abortion, teaching sex education, and considers nontraditional families, not families at all was approved in Guatemala. Seeing all of this makes me very upset and sad, I feel plenty of impotence and so do other Guatemalan women and LGBTQ+ people. I can’t do a lot about it, but I share information on Instagram about the law and how it disenfranchises Guatemalans, I share my opinions about it, and I discussed it with my mother and some friends. Even though there is not so much I can do, I try my best to share my thoughts and create awareness, and I think that is activism.

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.

After reading “How to Think Like an Activist” by Wendy Syfret and watching “United in Anger” I would define activism as active participation in furthering a political or humanitarian cause or bringing attention to causes or injustices. I don’t believe that activism always has clear objectives. For instance, the example that was given of the “unsuccessful” Occupy Wall Street protest is an example of activism that perhaps did not have clear goals but served to bring attention to income inequality and corporate money’s corrupting role in politics.
“United in Anger” chronicles the Act Up movement’s fight to promote government action and awareness towards the then developing AIDS crisis. The movement largely sought to reform access to treatment and expedite drug approval processes, seeking transparency on all fronts. Their achievements in the face of an ever shifting adversary, as those involved in the fight fell victim to the disease, were astounding. They were able to collect and organize information to disperse to the community to spread knowledge, likely saving lives in the process, at a time when no one else was attempting to do anything to stem the crisis. These efforts rolled into them using various means to bring attention to the crisis, cleverly harnessing the media at that time to further their cause. These acts ranged from sit-ins, to marches, to infiltrating news broadcasts, and demonstrations against the Catholic Church. Largely they sought government involvement in addressing the crisis, one in providing access to proper care across all demographics afflicted, and two in gaining expanded access to drug trials of possibly life saving drugs. They not only demanded action, but also provided a wealth of knowledge and feedback from the community to government agencies that aided in fighting the disease. But each step forward seemed to provide new obstacles for them to tackle, but they persevered and found new ways to engage the public. In ’92 they carried out what I’ve always found to be their most viscerally moving act, the Ashes Action. It had taken Reagan seven years to publicly acknowledge the epidemic and two years into Bush’s presidency not much had improved. Taking death to the White House’s doorstep, throwing the ashes of their loved ones on the White House lawn, showing what the government’s negligence had wrought, I can’t even put into words really the power in using their mourning as protest. I think their greatest achievement was getting people to see the humanity of those dying from and affected by AIDS.
I feel my own involvement with activism has been limited. I think participating in the Black Lives Matter marches in 2020 may have been the first time I actively engaged in activism outside of donations, petitions, or ensuring I vote in midterm or local elections that influence policy. I’ve recently started my training to become a crisis counselor for the Trevor Project. I’m not sure if that strictly qualifies as activism, but for me it’s important to help an organization that advocates for LGBTQ+ youth. Within that there is definitely a fight to provide safe spaces and advocacy for those who fall all across the gender spectrum.

Melissa. Valle Discussion #6

How do I define activism after doing the reading and watching the film?  I define activism as a community or a group of people coming together to fight for what they believe in and their rights, in making a difference in the world.

The movie that I watched was Crip Camp a Disability Revolution. It took place in the early 1970’s and it was a camp for teenagers with disabilities.   Who were facing a future shaped by isolation, discrimination and institutionalization.  The camp was named Camp Jened, was located in the Catskills and it was only for handicapped teens.  At this camp no one was discriminated against, because they all were the same to each other.  They all would act just like themselves and have a great time.  Thy felt comfortable at the camp because no one would ridicule them.  The counselors had them all interact in the activities.  When it was time for them to go home they would all be sad because they know they would have to wait another year to feel like they belong and important. Judy Heumann was a wheelchair user she was a counselor at the camp.  She then became an activist for the Independent Living Movement.  She and her disabled colleges risked their lives by sleeping on the floors without medical necessities.  She wanted people with her to demand what they needed.  Judy Heumann has improved accessibility and opportunities for an estimate 56 million people. It’s crazy how they had no way of traveling or anything that was wheelchair accessible she had to get into a van in order to get anywhere with her wheelchair. She struggled and fought to secure disability civil rights in the united states.  Just so they can live a fuller life and have their dignity.  She even fought for the train stations to have wheel chair accessibility.   She even became a disability rights advocate and served in the Clinton and Obama Administration.

I have never been involved in any activism.  But that doesn’t mean that I have no interest in it.  List a few ways that you can realistically engage in activism around gender justice?  We can share and listen to each other try to recruit because we are better in number. Teach the children and adult the meaning of gender justice. We can ensure equal access regarding education.  Empower each other end violence and sexual assault on women. Oh I can go on forever.

After reading and watching the film about activism I define activism as people coming together as a community together to change the world forever.

When watching the film United in Anger, I’ve many people shown anger and expressed it through peaceful protest, one of the protests I saw is about people joining together during the aids crisis to stop policies to threaten people who are sick with aids as if they’re a “danger to society” and all people are doing is fighting for their lives. In the film, they show people that reunited together and show the timeline of different protests through the different timelines, for example on October 11th, 1988 there were people who are protesting for Seize control of the FDA. It was Act up’s first national demonstration that forces the food and drug administration to approve and release drugs faster. In this film I notice that most people during the 80s were fighting not only for gay rights, but health in the gay community along with being feel like even though people who had aids were sick they want to be cure and be treated just like everybody else. When watching these activists fight for their rights, they’re using their voice and their action in a peaceful protest in order to fight for their rights. The reason why I added the word peaceful is because when I read “How to think like an activist.” I read a section from the French Revlution, sometimes activist are known to take justice whether it’s violent or not, in the french revolution, if anybody had disagree in what King Louis XVI ruled they would be excuted because of Louis abusing his power, this lead to the people putting him in the guiliting, killing him. When it comes with activism they tend to use their words or put action into something they’re fighting for whether it’s human rights or animal rights.

Growing up I was never engaged with activism until during pride and around the summer in Union Square where people were fighting for black lives matter, it was kinda scary at first because I’ve seen so many protest gone wrong by cops because they either arrest them for no reason; tased them; pepper spray, etc. I was with friends and I’ve felt safe being with friends and being with people who were willing to protect people in the group and the longer I join the movement the more I felt safe and fighting along with it. It was the best experience I ever had and because of my friend joining a lot of protest she decided to become an activist one there and I will be there to support as I begin to start my career as a forsenic psychologists. I just don’t know if you can do both and if you can then I will glad to not only become a forsenic psychologist but an activist too.

The Film I watched was “Knock down the house” and it seems to me that activism defines itself in that film as providing representation and a voice for working class people and real problems that face us today. The film I watched was Alexandria Ocasio, Cori Bush and Paula Jeans swearinen’s decision and experience in running for congress as a working class woman or coming from a working class family. Against a primary, that is not what is usually heard of or against people that are benefiting from exploiting the working class families. The activism I saw was a grassroots organization deciding to take a step in gaining representation in congress and trying to understand people in their communities and their needs and doing their best to gain access to a space that they will be able to speak for their communities. I saw the people identifying with them because they are not the “other” the wealthy or corporate giants. They are normal people like them attempting to make a change from within the system and are compassionate and eager to be that voice. Despite people underestimating them for being women and making them seem inexperienced or unable to provide strong representation. Activism is action in support of social justice change and engaged in fighting issues. My experience with activism  is before working  as a case manager a lot of my earlier career life was spent working in “El Puente” a organization in williamsburg for social justice their mission in every work that they do  is to “inspire leaders for peace and justice” which meant their  whole framework and structures were centered around civic engagement. We were dedicated to children that entered our doors, the importance of community and giving them a safe space where they felt belonging  and we often encouraged our members together to identify a community issue and discuss ways to engage, whether that meant environmental justice or immigration justice, educational justice. We asked our members to critically think about what our community needs were and ways we can be active in supporting each other to engage them.  The members in our organization were a part of quite a few protests and we have been to DC and when hurricane maria happened the williamsburg community came together to send supplies to puerto rico etc. The primary way we did our activism was through the arts, dance, painting or murals in the community. It was a life changing experience and I learned a lot of my core understanding of working with young people through that journey. In my opinion, ways to effectively engage in activism and gender justice in my life I believe is to support the young people I work with and amplify their voices and experiences. So they understand that their voices are important and they are important in our community. Using any platform I have to amplify them and keep educating myself and  listening to folks’ experiences. While taking a stand for human rights and women rights.

After viewing the reading and watching the film activism I define it as a united response to unfair oppression that brings about social change.

The film united in Anger documents the Aids activist movement “Act Up” . The film gives you meaningful and sometimes heartbreaking interviews. It also shows you the rebellion activist side when and what heart they had to actually do some of the things they did . One such act that comes to mind was them being able to make fake id cards to sneak into a television studio. They new they had only a few seconds and get their message out to the world . The message had to be loud and enough to draw attention and curiosity. They executed the plan perfectly so much so that their news clip was actually seen in another country. In depicts the loss , the unity , the struggle , the marching , the signs. It perfectly sums up what activism is about, using their voice to protest the harsh realities they were facing along with power they had while unified. I think too many times we campaign for our own issues and no one else’s and that’s where the togetherness comes into play. Activism includes Standing with each other on multiple issues regarding oppression. This can cause a larger impact in my opinion as power in numbers can enable the message to be delivered globally reaching a larger number of people. I think realistically If I had the time and I do not , but if I were to engage in the activism that is gender justice. I definitely would like to do something that I have not seen before. For instance a round table meeting with people from different ethnic backgrounds, gender, religions what have you and we would discuss gender, racial , news topics while drinking wine and or liquor . If you have already figured it out the tone of my show would be more inviting , friendly perhaps a bar type atmosphere. I feel like every time you see people discussing these type of sensitive issues they are always screaming at each other nothing every gets solved. Why not introduce a few elements into the equation while discussing to make things interesting. it may not even have to be an alcoholic beverage it could be a board game I am just trying to cut the tension and even the playing fields a bit . That is something I haven’t really seen done on tv and or a podcast before i think it would bring some people together instead of providing more distance . The name of the show would be called “we-u-night” it would be hosted at night something different to have different sides speaking there points that was fun and interesting instead of the same old boring ping pong hearsay would be refreshing