Being Part of Social Movements and Change is Radical

On a purple background with golden sparkles, a navy rounded rectangle says “Being part of social movements and change.” Under the rectangle is a gradient circle with a white outline that says “is radical".”

For the longest time, I saw activism how the mainstream media portrays them. Disruptive. Unruly. Radical.

At the same time, I also saw them as confident, bold, and revolutionary.

While I can appreciate this type of public action of radical action in terms of making sure their message gets to the public. I don’t always have the energy or feel comfortable in that type of risk.

Over the past couple of years, the idea of what is radical has changed for me. From what I have witnessed from fellow youth activists and advocates, radical does not always look like what the media likes to portray it as. It does not always look like how it is typically defined either.

As there are four roles in a social movement defined by Bill Moyer, the role “Rebels” is the one that is commonly seen as radicals. While people who do the work that is labelled as being radical can be seen as extreme due to the public attention, it does not mean that other types of action are not radical.

Other roles such as citizen, reformer, and change agent can also be radical depending on what society you live in, your lived experiences, and how action is taken. The Commons: Social Change Library does a great job breaking down these roles for a greater understanding of what the roles are meant to do in a social movement. However, it does not make it clear on how all of these effective actions are radical actions.

Being part of social movements and change is radical.

There are just different roles, all needed to achieve the goal that the social movement strives for. So whether you want to be radical but do not feel comfortable with the increased risk or need to shift roles due to life and capacity but have the desire for social change, you can still be that confident, bold, ambitious activist and advocate even if the actions may not seem like that from the public’s perspective.

I see the importance of the radical actions that the mainstream media loves to show. It really starts and sparks conversations. But it does not always lead to sustainable change when the system we live in is working but against what we want to strive towards. The message to disrupt and dismantle the system is exciting when you are frustrated by the system. But our lives are deeply connected and intertwined with it.

So working with the system can be radical if you are working on shifting what currently exists. Bring new ideas, reimagining policies and processes, and having different lived experiences participate in the system. While it may not be dismantling the system, I like to think of it as restructuring the system. Here are a few reasons why working with the system we live in may not be a bad thing.

The system is massive. There are so many moving parts, all with overwhelming importance that interconnect with each other. While this may be a reason to tear it down and start over, it also provides value of the ripple effect.

Speaking of that ripple effect. If one area is making some changes, it flows into another area, into a commitment, and moves towards that ideal change. It may take time but it would be more concrete and permanent to the system.

All we really need is one action and it normally happens locally. Global efforts are great but we don’t always see the impact. On the other hand, we can become experts by living and participating locally leading to more innovative ideas that are more likely going to work because the knowledge is there.

It can happen in any space. Everything is connected to the system. We are all connected to the system. So whether you find ways in your work, volunteer, and communities or you take the traditional way of creating change, it is all impactful and moves the needle toward the society you want to see.

So, how are you taking action within the system?

Amanda