Loyal to the Sky: Notes from an Activist
WHAT IS IT that makes a person work to make the world a better place?I remember learning about the work of folks like Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela as a child and wondering how they became so committed to a positive vision for humanity.
Even at the tender age of 11, I got that not everyone can turn their outrage into action, or can preserve a clear sense of justice in a world of greys and disillusionments. The people who did change the world seemed magical.
It helped to learn that Gandhi and Mandela were just ordinary people who engaged in extraordinary acts. With that demystification also came an understanding of my own responsibility to do something.
I came to Marisa Handler's book, Loyal to the Sky: Notes from an Activist, with that same curiosity for understanding how it happens that some are driven to build a vision for the future while engaging in a lifelong struggle against injustice and oppression.
This book is one woman's memoir of her work to date as a writer and activist.With humour and grace, Handler explores the complexity of participating in the global struggle for social justice. She shares her personal and professional evolution as an activist from the first time she confronted injustice with the single word, no - no to the systems and institutions that dehumanize and destroy.
"Saying no is hardest the first time. And then out of nowhere you just say it. No, thank you. Hell no. Not this time.âe
This writer/singer-songwriter from the Bay Area started her journey as a child of Jewish heritage in Apartheid South Africa and makes her way across time and place, writing about specific global conflicts and those she meets along the way. Her shared experiences range from direct action and organizing to oppose the war in Iraq, to writing about the struggle of Indigenous communities in Ecuador and Peru whose land and way of life is systemically destroyed by corporations who exploit valuable natural resources. Her work taps into the sometimes-mixed feelings of revelation, confusion, guilt and joy that many activists experience on our path to create a better world.
She grapples with questions of obligation in an increasingly complex global context:
Those of us who actually have some kind of feeble grip on the bigger picture - and have the freedom to explore and present that, as I do as a freelance writer - are obliged to, right? But I wonder about the voices I will be leaving out. And whether, ten years from now, those whose stories I do tell will be grateful or angry.
Readers will find helpful observations, if not answers.
And, of course, you'll be inspired to run your own self-reflection gauntlet. I found myself imagining how my own work in disability policy/change connects to the struggles of communities around the world. After years of engaging in direct action, the author invites us to consider a larger vision of how to build bridges from our work to global struggles:
I'm starting to think our vision must be broader, our goals larger. The models are out there: India, Ecuador, Brazil, South Africa, Venezuela - movements in villages and cities are pressing and hammering this world into a new mold. We need to build our connections with these movements, learn from them. We need to continue to develop our vision of what we want and our analysis of how to get there.
Marisa Handler closes her intimate writings by asking the questions, "Is it possible to effect change without dehumanizing others? Without someone to hate?... can we build a movement - without a common enemy?"
Just after reading these lines, I glanced up to a sign on the wall in a cafe: The environment is being destroyed. We have the names and addresses of the perpetrators.
Ah, the power of having a common enemy to fight. Handler responds to these types of sentiments by saying, "Anger is natural, given the current state of our world, and anger is powerful. Certainly anger carries a formidable energy with which to wrestle injustice. But social-change work that is driven by anger will only push us further apart."
So what does social change work which strides forward with yes instead of standing off with no look like? The rest of my week's reading offered many examples, ideas and inspirations. Notes from Canada's Young Activists: A Generation Stands Up for Change (Severn Cullis-Suzuki, and Daniel Aldana Cohen, and Kris Frederickson, and Ahmed Kayssi, and Cynthia MacKenzie, eds; Douglas & McIntyre, 2007; $21.95) is a fantastic compilation of reflections from many of Canada's brightest young thinkers, such as Miali-Elise Coley, Shakil Choudhury, Anil Patel and Ilona Dougherty. The book is filled with stories of what inspired the contributors to address the myriad of complex social problems we face in Canada and around the world. These young people have visions for how the world can look. They are saying yes to a diversity of approaches and solutions.
Once the above works have sufficiently challenged and inspired you to action, Michael Norton helps out by offering 365 ways to change the world. The Everyday Activist by Michael Norton (House of Anansi; $19.95) is a creative, fun book of activities that we can all do to effect positive change in our communities. There is truly something for everyone who wishes to take action. Though his recommendation of joining the sex workers union might not be an action I share with my grandmother, I can definitely join the ranks of those committed to buying and eating locally.
At the end of my week-long reading sprint, I felt great joy at the ways in which the featured activists are thoughtfully engaging their work. The desire to create systemic change and the analysis of position and privilege in the global context defines these individuals. Whether it is finding inspiration, comfort and camaraderie in the experience of others or assembling a personal tool-kit of ideas and actions to change the world, these informed writings are definitely worth your time and attention. Act on!âe"Melanie Redman
