Marches aren’t the only places to make your voice heard
During the past year and a half, Americans have spoken out in droves, donning pink hats for the Women’s March, carrying signs for slain classmates at the March for Our Lives and kneeling at NFL games to bring attention to police brutality against black Americans.
Each of these causes captured the attention of millions who protested in streets across the country, but maintaining that level of political activism and molding it into tangible change requires long-term effort.
Stretch Sanders, founder and president of the local group All Shades United, helped organize the Black Lives Matter march in Las Vegas, in addition to several other marches that brought awareness to unarmed black Americans shot by police officers. He notes that marches and protests are not the end goal, but rather a tool to spread awareness.
More lasting ways to maintain political momentum for social change are to: remind yourself why and for whom you’re doing this; follow the movement and not a leader; have a group of like-minded individuals who support you; be open Stretch Sanders, founder and president, All Shades United
to learning about social injustice issues that may not affect you directly; and take breaks to invest in self-care so you can avoid burnout.
Additionally, Sanders said it was important to remember that people can participate in a cause day-to-day by raising awareness, volunteering in the community and having conversations about issues of importance with family and friends.
“Reactions create moments, revolutionaries create movements,” he said. “That’s what we have to aspire to be — revolutionaries. Even if you’re a teacher, you can be a revolutionary. When you hear the word ‘activist,’ you assume that they have to be out there protesting and marching, but that’s not everybody’s style.”
In January, the national Women’s March #Powertothepolls event attracted 20,000 supporters from across the nation to Las Vegas. The event wasn’t just to register people to vote — 10,000 registered in Las Vegas that day — but to propel the Women’s March momentum beyond just a moment and encourage attendees to vote for candidates who will honor their best interests. Some of those, according to the Center for American Women and Politics, include 468 women who filed to run this year for the U.S. House and 58 for the U.S. Senate. It was the largest pool of female congressional candidates in U.S. history, according to The Washington Post. Additionally, 61 women filed as candidates for governor nationwide.
Besides voting, people can attend fundraisers, events and marches throughout the year that help support
“Reactions create moments, revolutionaries create movements. That’s what we have to aspire to be — revolutionaries.”
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