On January 21st, 2017 – Myself and hundreds of thousands of other passionate people marched globally to represent a large agenda of human rights issues. Now, a few weeks after the march, I settle in with a new understanding of how all of us can actually fight the injustice we are seeing in our country and globally.
I learned this week that as activists, we must address ignorance with love, compassion, and humility. We have all been ignorant at some point in our journeys to activism and still carry some form of it daily. Ignorance is not something people choose, but rather something they are passed down. It comes from parents, brothers, friends, teachers, etc. When we address it with anger or annoyance, we further their own biases against our views. The more educated we become, the higher responsibility we have to share that knowledge and understanding with those who have been handed down biases.
Image Courtesy of Ali Forrest
It isn’t easy to choose love when someone is openly harassing you on your own social media page, claiming you have no right to believe what you do. Don’t steep to their level – address them kindly and with facts that come from trustworthy sources. Use every piece of knowledge and kindness that you have to open the eyes of people who act like this. No matter how hard it gets, keep your conversations going and don’t resort to shutting down, ending the conversation, and blocking them. Part of being an activist is choosing to be strong when your opposition does everything they can to drain your strength. When people see that you choose love and carry yourself with grace despite your oppressors, they will join in the revolution.
It is incredibly hard to choose love when we see the support of Trump’s demoralizing executive orders or the lack of response to the hate crimes being committed. We have to though. We cannot allow the hate that has brought us to this place in society begin to grow in our own hearts. Existing in light is the only way we can respond to this darkness. Remember that we are not fighting a person but rather we are fighting injustice, prejudice, and oppression. We fight what the person stands for, not the person.
Image Courtesy of Ali Forrest
Don’t become discouraged by the people supporting hate, separation, and injustice. Look at every person as an opportunity to open their eyes and expose them to the love we wish to share between all people.
We marched and we will continue to march until we see that every person, regardless of gender, race, religion, sexuality, and class is equal. The next four years are going to be full of work, but let’s allow love to lead us into a brighter, more peaceful future.