A Guide to Effective Activism When Activism Becomes Fashionable

For the first time in my life, activism is cool. Donald Trump may indeed be making America great again--by forcing white people to realize how prevalent racism is, by getting people who had no problem with surveillance under President Obama to assert a right to privacy, by impelling people to rise up and proclaim that dissent is indeed patriotic. For most of my life, I felt like my interest in changing the world made me a weirdo. Now, you have to be engaged to be cool.

It's wonderful. It's a chance to spur real change in this country. But activism as a trend can become activism as style instead of substance. That doesn't have to happen. Here's how to make your activism meaningful, whether you've been doing it for 30 years or 30 days.



Check Your Privilege and Your Behavior
Activists aren't immune to harmful racist, sexist, or otherwise bigoted behavior. Continually explore how you treat others. When someone calls you out on problematic behavior, don't get defensive. Apologize, take time to look at yourself, and then fix the problem. The purpose of activism isn't to gain respect or seem like a good person. It's to help people. If you're not continually deepening your own understanding and improving your own behavior, then your contributions are not helpful.

Don't Do Work Just to Be Seen 
Oppressed groups, other activists, and nonprofits are not props for your social media account or lines for your resume. If your primary concern is who sees you doing good work, you're doing it wrong. Don't talk about who you know or what you've done. Let your good work speak for itself. If it can't, you're not doing enough.

Choose Discussions of Substance Over Competitions About Style
Hipsters looooved that indie band way before it was cool, and now all the unwashed uncool like it, too.

Some activists have this attitude, too. They were activists before it was cool. They know all the cool books. They knew about privilege well before Republicans were mocking the concept. I get it. I'm sometimes frustrated by new activists, too. It's hard to sacrifice time and money, subject yourself to ridicule, and keep pushing forward, only to see the same people who once mocked your activism wear it as a badge of coolness. But activism is about progress. Not credit.

It doesn't matter what you knew yesterday or what you did before someone else. Activism is about the future. If you're wasting time discussing your activist bona fides, you're not spending that time on crafting a better future. Plan something of value, rather than devoting your time to making others feel less valuable.

Know What Effective Social Media Activism Looks Like 
I used to think social media postings didn't count as activism. Now I think they can. There's value in educating people who want to learn. And Facebook makes building awareness of a protest easy. Posting on social media, however, is not enough. Endlessly arguing with people on Facebook may even harm the cause--by depleting morale and wasting time. So before you take to social media as part of your activist project, consider whether what you're doing is really effective. Some strategies for effective social media activism include:

• Amplifying activist voices, particularly if they're discussing something others are not. 
• Learning how to effectively use your social media account. For example, a post is usually more visible if you cut and paste it (crediting the original author, of course) than if you share it. Commenting on a post or liking it further raises its visibility.
• Sharing events on your page, even if you don't plan to go. 
• Inviting friends to activist events they might be interested in. Don't invite your whole friends list, or people will begin ignoring your invitations. 

Ask Yourself if You're Being a Good Person
Activism feels good. It offers an outlet for frustration with the world. It may even help you make some new friends. These are all side benefits. Being liked, being cool, and one-upping others are not valid reasons to get involved. Motivations such as these can cause you to do more harm than good--by, for example, amplifying your own voice and marginalizing voices of color.

Ultimately, the only question you need to ask yourself about your activism is this: Am I being a good person? Good people listen to others. They look at their own bad behavior. They don't get defensive. They prioritize actually being a good person over appearing to be a good person. They listen more than they talk. Be a good person.

Know That Protests Alone Aren't Enough 
Protests feel good. They're an emotional outlet. They connect us to like-minded activists. They feel radical and edgy.

They're vital to democratic change. But they're not enough. And making protest the measure of an activist's commitment excludes people with physical disabilities, demanding schedules, children, anxiety, and those who are on probation (among many, many others).

It's easy to show up for a day of protest. It's a lot harder to get up every single day and find ways to make change. So while it's great to spread the word about the latest protest, know that protests must be backed by sustained political action--letter-writing campaigns, investigative journalism, lawsuits.

Sometimes the most effective activists are the least visible. Don't judge a fellow activist's commitment according to their presence at protests. And don't make your own participation in protests the sole activist item you put on your to-do list.

Volunteer
If you're invested enough to protest on behalf of a cause, you should be invested enough to help the people your cause supports. Volunteer with refugees, rape victims, or abused children. Consider also volunteering to assist the skilled workers who support your cause. Is a lawyer representing protesters for free? Ask if you can pick up documents at the court house to save time, or offer to baby-sit his children. Is a medical professional offering emergency treatment to protesters exposed to pepper gas? Ask what you can do to ensure she has the supplies she needs.

Make Space for Anyone Who Wants to Do Good Work 
Long-term activists like me are easily jaded. Some of my long-time activist friends have even expressed resentment that the new activists are little more than hipster johnny-come-latelies.

That attitude serves no one. What matters most is what you're doing today, not what you did five years or five minutes ago. So welcome anyone who wants to do good work, regardless of what they previously did or didn't do, how well they play to the stereotype of activist, how well they've integrated into the activist in-group, or how much you like them. Lasting change demands contributions from a broad swath of people. Welcome them all.

Build Broad Coalitions
If you only want a certain type of activist in your activist community, you're doomed to fail. Progress takes all kinds--housewives and laborers, radicals eager to get arrested and moderates who want to remain safe, young people and old people, all classes, all backgrounds.

Be welcoming. If you cultivate an in-group, out-group ethos, your movement is destined to fail. The new activists don't look like the activists many of us are used to, and that's ok. When we judge people based on who they know, how they look, or whether they know the right buzzwords, we exclude potential allies.

What You Did Yesterday is Irrelevant 
It's great to have built movements and progress, but progressivism is about a continual march forward. If you're stuck on what you did yesterday--or dwelling on the long list of new activists who weren't there when you did it--you're like the jaded Baby Boomer who thinks today's kids are entitled and lazy. To change the world, you must continually look to the future. You must accept that nothing you do will ever be enough, and that you therefore need other people--including new people and their new ideas.