5 hacks for becoming an activist
Let’s get this out of the way. Yes, she possessed a “potty mouth” and dressed in sexy outfits like Julia Roberts does in the biographical movie in which she confronts and wins in court against a Hinkley, Calif., water company. Why? “Because it was fun and I liked it.” Though these days she’s apt to dress more professionally as she stands in front of TV cameras speaking on the fight for clean drinking water and women’s health.
Brockovich, 56, still stands out by speaking up, and she wants more women to do the same. The wardrobe and the words they choose are their choice.
“I think people think you have to become an activist for a certain cause,” she said. “You really have to become the activist for yourself. Speak up for yourself and speak out for yourself. Don’t wait for someone to do that for you. I want women to learn to be their own heroes. In some instances, women wait for someone else. That’s where I was — waiting for my prince charming. That doesn’t mean I don’t want to be loved or I’m not motherly and friendly. We can want and be all that and still be very intelligent and in tune and very strong.”
We offer a sneak-peek at what she’ll discuss at the International Women’s Summit.
Brockovich says it’s an everyday struggle as she travels all over the country, lending her voice to causes and researching the law. The first thing any woman needs to become an activist in her life is to assess what she believes and cares about, she says. That doesn’t happen unless women can “cut out the noise,” Brockovich said.
“Motivation is the key and to do that you have to engage in self-renewal first. For me, that’s watching the sun set on the Grand Canyon. You need to do what you need to do to hear your own voice, whether it’s a round of golf or getting a spa treatment. It’s that reboot you need every day.”
1. Tune in, drop out — daily: 2. Turn your ‘weakness’ into your super power:
Brockovich is dyslexic. She struggled in school and received poor grades. A teacher noticed she knew the subject matter, but didn’t test well and gave Brockovich an oral test, which she aced. “She got outside her box and saw a student who was more than capable and gave them an opportunity,” she said. “That made me look outside the box.”
Today she calls her dyslexia her “greatest gift.” Before teachers noticed her learning challenge and in the decades after, Brockovich said she learned to memorize facts and figures on a page to make up for reading difficulties. “I don’t forget anything. I have an incredible memory and when you’re going through complicated lawsuits I can remember that the number on page 162 is different than the number on page 169.”
“I’m not afraid to ask questions if I’m not certain what something means. When I worked with (residents) in Hinkley, I wasn’t afraid to say that I don’t know but I’ll find out. That’s how I gained their trust and respect.
3. Ask, keep asking: