*In THE MOMENT, many of the changemakers who joined the fight for social justice speak of the importance of storytelling—as both a tool for one’s own mental well-being and as a means of persuasion.  For example, Michael Strautmanis, a former counsel to President Obama, says: “If you want to move policy, you gotta find a way to get people who have literally no idea what you’re talking about to care. You do that through storytelling because a powerful story will resonate with you, and you’ll be able to see yourself in it because of your own experiences.”

Do you have a story that you think, at least in part, defines you?  Does that story involve being a changemaker or activist?

*All of the changemakers in THE  MOMENT, were asked to define activism.  Their answers were varied, as exemplified by Jackson, Mississippi ,Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba and his wife Professor Ebony Lumumba.

Ebony:  Activism is a deliberate response to circumstances and challenges. I leave it that broad because in the work that I do as a literature professor, a writer, and an artist, I've seen activism take on so many forms.  Just as oppression has so many tentacles and manifestations, activism has to be that diverse and multifaceted as well. It can’t only be reactionary. It has to be forward thinking, has to establish a standard before these oppressions and repressive practices take place.  Being an activist necessitates thoughtfulness. It has to be genuine. It has to be organic. It has to be calculated. 

Chokwe: In the simplest of terms, I think activism is love. It is an unyielding love that says, “I can't stand for the oppression that I see.  I can't stand to see people subjugated. I can't stand to see inequity. I can't stand to see the harm anymore.”

How would you define activism? Do you think of yourself as an activist?  Why or why not?

*Almost all of the changemakers experienced a moment when they had to think about joining the fight for social justice or remaining on the sidelines. Brian Jon’s moment came after a teacher at his high school made a racist remark. Renee Montgomery’s moment came after George Floyd was murdered.  Vishavjit Singh’s moment came after 9/11 when he was subjected to persecution.

Have you experienced your own moment?  What were the circumstances? Did you act?  If so, what moved you to do so? What did you do? What was the result?  Would you do it again?  Why or why not?

Have you ever had an experience where you considered acting or wanting to act, but didn’t? What was the experience, and why didn’t you act?  Was it because you weren’t sure what to do? Didn’t think you could make a difference? Were afraid of the repercussions from friends, family, school, workplace, police?  Felt you needed a partner and couldn’t enlist anyone to join you? Were afraid of physical harm?  Thought the problem would go away?   If you were discouraged by others from acting, what were their points in discouraging you?  Do you think they were right?  If not, how would you counter those points now?

On a scale of 1 to 10, with ten being the highest, how likely do you think it is that you will have a moment in the next year? If you do have a moment, how likely is it on a scale of 1 to 10 that you will act? If your moment were to occur in the near future, who would you first turn to for support or advice?

*The changemakers have made a difference in a variety of areas: racial justice, voting rights, design justice, immigrant rights, food deserts, unjust incarceration, and more.

If you were to become a participant in effecting change, which of the following areas might it be in?  Civil rights, Voting rights, Economic inequality, Immigration, LGBTQ,  Climate, Reproductive rights, Disability rights, Gun safety?  Something else?

*The changemakers in THE MOMENT have varied skillsets and traits.  Amirah Ahmed, who founded Fredericksburg Muslim Youth, stresses the importance of one trait: “Whatever you're working towards, you have to build it on resilience.  Because for that first year especially, sometimes you're going to have events where you show up, and it's going to be you and the other person that organized the event.  Nobody's going to show up, and you have to be okay with failure. You're going to fail a lot, a lot. But that is the essence of organizing and of activism. Change does not come from just snapping our fingers and putting out a social media post, and then it's there. It takes the work.”

What other traits and skills do you think you need to become an effective changemaker? What traits and skills do you have that could make you an effective changemaker?  Which traits and skills do you think you may lack?  Do you know others who have the skills you may be lacking that might join you?

*The inspiration to act can spring from any number of sources.  Doug Glanville points to his parents.  Ashley Jones credits the poetry of Rita Dove and Lucille Clifton.  Carolyn Considine cites the murals in Northern Ireland. 

Where do you find inspiration: your family, other people, art, literature, history, music, religion? Somewhere else?

*The changemakers in THE MOMENT range in age from their teens to their seventies. They are students, teachers, poets, athletes, architects, lawyers, doctors, government officials, community organizers, and more.

Which stories in the book resonated with you and inspired you? If you could spend time with any changemaker in the book, who would that be and why? If you could give a copy of THE MOMENT to anyone who would it be and why?

EXERCISES

 Identify a problem in your community (school, workplace, city, etc.) that you think needs to be changed. Determine who the appropriate person(s) is to address and remedy the problem.  Write a brief letter to the person(s) in which you 1)explain who you are; 2) explain why you are writing/state the problem; 3)suggest solutions.  If you are willing to be part of the effort to effect the change, note that, too.

 Design a project that you think could make a positive change in your community.  Write down the steps you would need to take to accomplish your goal.  Make a list of the skills needed to accomplish the goal (for example, face-to-face communication, skill with computers, artistic ability, etc.). Put a plus sign beside the skills you possess.  For each of the skills that you don’t possess, write down the name of someone you know with that skill whom you might approach about joining your effort.

 Identify three existing organizations trying to effect change related to the issue that  most interests you (climate change, voting rights, reproductive rights, etc,)  Investigate the possibility of volunteering for those organizations.