If you’re like me and a lot of other people with emotions, you’ve been upset by the events in Ferguson. Yes I’m still talking about Ferguson one month after the murder of Michael Brown. There’s still a lot going down in Ferguson right now.
Now that the police are no longer wreaking havoc in riot gear, citizens are now filing lawsuits against the Ferguson Police Dept. and the city, community members are demanding answers at city council meetings, and the state government is looking into cases of police brutality all over Missouri.
Meanwhile, I’m sitting comfortably at my desk wondering what I can do.
As I’ve said in previous posts, I want to be more than a writer. I love writing, but I want to do more than raise awareness. I want to be at the center of the change.
So I decided to get off my ass, leave my computer screen for a while, and rethink how I can better participate in the change that is so needed in our society. Lately, I’ve felt called to community activism.
There’s a myth that young black people don’t care about our communities, and that we are too lazy to work for justice and peace. I used to believe that too—until I was introduced to several community organizations ran by mullenials.
They are the ones who will make a difference. They are the leaders—the ones who care enough about devastating racial divides in our nation to do something about it. And with enough care, support, leadership, and hard work—maybe we’ll see a continuation of the Civil Rights Movement (Lord knows we need it).
Sure, I may sound a little idealist—but no one creates any type of change without first believing that it can be done. I mean, if we all thought the situation was hopeless, no one would try.
I want to be among the people that try. I want to be among the people who give a shit and do something about it.
So I’m working toward building the necessary skills to be a successful activist: I plan to join an LA-based community organization, attend Toastmasters meetings (gotta work on my public speaking), study the civil and women’s rights movements in depth to draw inspiration and ideas from their successes, and maintain my eternal optimist spirit.
Yes, I’m a dreamer. But I’m a dreamer with a plan to succeed.
P.S.: I want to apologize for the fewer posts. I’m working full-time and going to school in the evenings. It hasn’t been easy. Yet, I do have new writing goals: I’m aiming to publish in bigger publications, like Ebony, The Grio, Salon, The Root, and several other places. My goal is to publish an article once or twice a month. I’m truly sorry about the infrequency—It pains me to even miss a week of publishing on A Womyn’s Worth. But this is only a temporary situation. Soon I’ll go back to publishing once or twice a week. You all can hold me to that.
A Woman's Worth 