A Year Like No Other: Tackling (and Talking About) Today’s Big Issues

2020 has been a year of devastation, transition, and change. With the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement, the fires that raged throughout the West Coast, the explosion in Beirut, and the pandemic spreading across the globe, it seems as though the world is in a constant state of disarray. While information is easily accessible through social media, does the oversaturation of aesthetically pleasing infographics really help us facilitate meaningful conversations with friends, family, and peers about the state of the world? We’ve had time to think, process, and educate ourselves. How can we take things a step further and dive into a deeper level of engagement with the social justice movements that are the driving forces for change today?

By now, you might be familiar with the term performative activism. According to an article from Medium, performative activism is “a form of activism used to increase one's social capital or personal gain rather than genuine support towards a movement, issues, or causes.” Not only do performative activists support movements like Black Lives Matter strictly from behind their screens for the eyes of their followers, but they also fail to engage in social justice movements in depth. 

Lisa Brock is the Academic Director and Acting Executive Director of the Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership at Kalamazoo College in Michigan. According to her, while performative activism is by no means the end goal, it’s at least a first step towards understanding social justice movements. Brock explains that performative activism can help combat serious issues through what she calls “good propaganda.”

“It can work to inform people, it can work to change people’s hearts and minds even if it doesn’t change policy,” Brock says. “But, of course, the ultimate goal is to change policy, to change systems, to change actions.” This leads to the next step, which, according to Brock, is to “take the performative into action” by listening to BIPOC voices and ideas. 

There’s nothing wrong with sharing informative graphics from a place of good intent. Mia Cleary, a 21-year-old social activist and organizer at Florida International University, explains that social media, at its best, enforces power in numbers by implementing consistent pressure on government officials. Posting, however, may also serve as a one and done. After posting an aesthetically-pleasing graphic, someone might decide that their work is finished and fail to continue to research social justice movements and the issues behind them. 

According to Cleary, people can take self-education beyond the performative. She says that, in order to do this, people must commit to remaining consistent in their self-education and involvement with a particular cause.

“Whether it’s taking on a personal responsibility to read literature, read books, read information, or being actively involved in local organizations, particularly grassroots organizations that help assist different causes that might be important to you,” Cleary says. 

Another way to better understand social justice movements is by forming personal connections with those who are closely involved with a particular movement and then listening to those people and their suggestions. Form study groups with friends and family to learn more about the roots of social justice issues, listen to what members of different movements are asking for, and above all, be open to learning in order to understand the deeper role of solidarity in activism. 

“The first role of solidarity is to listen to the people that you’re working with,” Brock emphasizes. “To listen to the marginalized voices, to let those voices largely set the agenda, and for you to figure out a way you can support that agenda.”

After taking concrete steps to educate yourself on what you can do to be meaningfully involved in social justice movements, you can still go beyond that by working to educate your friends, family, and peers. 

While having a conversation with a loved one, especially family members who you may not see eye to eye with, can be difficult, these discussions are necessary, especially right now. According to a 2019 study from Pew Research Center’s Election News Pathways project, 45% of Americans reported that they stopped talking about politics with people because of something they said. How can you open up the political discourse surrounding issues in America today?

The most important thing to remember is that both parties need to be open to engaging in thoughtful, respectful dialogue. Once tempers start to rise and one side starts to antagonize the other, there’s little hope for any sort of resolution or understanding the other person’s point of view. 

Rashmi Gangamma, an Associate Professor of Marriage and Family Therapy at Syracuse University, emphasizes that once you decide whether you want to engage in a conversation with someone, it’s important to approach them with an open mind and a calm demeanor. After that, try to remain focused on the issues by “referencing the frameworks that guide you, and being willing to listen when the other person speaks as well.” This means clearly and calmly explaining why certain issues matter to you — let the other person know why and how your values correspond with certain movements.

Lastly, although expressing feelings of anger, sadness, or disappointment is okay, don’t resort to name calling. Remember, the other person is a human being, too. But according to Gangamma, if things escalate too far, you might want to reconsider whether you should continue the conversation at all. If all parties are willing to listen, there is still no guarantee that the argument will be resolved, but you might be able to walk away from the conversation with greater insight or a deeper connection with your friend or loved one.

While it can be frustrating to wait, change doesn’t happen right away — it takes years of hard work, dedication, and patience. By engaging in conversations with people about the urgency and importance of social justice movements, supporting and lifting up BIPOC voices, and listening to others, you can be a part of this generation’s most pivotal moments in history.