This opinion-editorial was written by Vanessa Coover, a Senior Restorative Justice Specialist and former elementary school teacher with a Master’s in Equity, Education and Social Justice from California State University, Long Beach.
In the last decade, we have seen mass protests in the United States nearly every year. From Women’s Marches, the Summer 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, college student-led protests against the genocide in Palestine, to protests rejecting the overturning of Roe v. Wade and most recently, protests against discriminatory raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
For the last decade, I have been on the frontlines protesting, but a lot can change in those years. Now, I have dependents and different responsibilities, meaning I cannot risk being on the frontlines. There are many different ways to be involved in direct action that do not involve protesting in the streets. Here are five ways to be an activist from the sidelines:
- Know your neighbors and form a community with them. In a society that promotes individualism and a constant desire to keep our heads down and look at our phones, one of the most impactful things you can do is care for your neighbors. Community care is the foundation of activism. Community care can take many forms from checking in, coordinating a meal train, watching someone’s pet or watering someone’s plants. Taking care of each other is how we are able to resist and continue to fight for what’s right.
If you are looking to get involved in an already established community-based organization based in Long Beach, here are a few organizations and businesses doing incredible things:
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- Organizing Rooted in Abolition, Liberation and Empowerment (ÓRALE) works towards building and sustaining a thriving immigrant-led movement to end the criminalization of immigrants and secure bold protections and opportunities that allow immigrant communities to thrive and are looking for volunteers to continue to grow their mission and vision.
- Plantiitas is a queer, immigrant-owned plant shop that hosts a variety of workshops led by various artists and vendors. They have curated a safe and joyful environment for all people and they have become a staple in the Long Beach community. You can find them on Instagram @plantiitas and in their shop at 2011 E. Fourth St.
- Spend your money in a way that aligns with your values. For a lot of people, this looks like supporting local independently owned businesses. Pouring money into your community means that small businesses will thrive and big billionaire businesses will make less of a profit. Most local businesses are owned by people who live in your neighborhood and spending your money in a values-aligned way means that you will have a direct impact in keeping your community alive and vibrant.
- Know which city councilmember represents you. I just learned who my city council person was last month so don’t feel embarrassed if you’re unaware! A simple Google search of your city’s name and city council members will take you to the correct website and you can learn who they are. Here is a direct link to a map of Long Beach that shows each district’s councilmember. I even signed up for my district’s weekly newsletter!
- Educate yourself. I strongly recommend everyone go to their local library branch and sign up for a library card! The library has vast resources that are not limited to books, but also CDs, audiobooks and learning resources. Supporting your local library informs lawmakers that libraries are an essential service to your community and that they should remain funded. Librarians are experts in many things and can show you how to access information.
- Have conversations with people about what you learned. For most of us, our K-12 education deliberately removed important parts of history so that we would remain ignorant. Being able to unpack what you have learned is a powerful way to educate yourself and others. This can include conversations with neighbors, parents and children. As a former elementary school teacher, I cannot tell you how important it is to have conversations with your kids about what is going on in your community, country and world. Kids are observing and absorbing everything they see. Having open and age-appropriate conversations with your kids is crucial to their ability to make sense of what is going on around them.
There are plenty of ways to participate in activism that do not involve frontlines protesting and this list barely covers them! Every single one of us plays a role in activism and organizing, frontlines or not.
