via Nadia via Angry Black-White Girl
A big part of being in activist communities and projects I have been part of has been feeling “not good enough.” Being an activist for me has always come with the expectation giving everything possible for the movement, and anything short of that being taken as a reflection that one is not truly “down for the cause.” I see this as huge problem, partly because it makes activism not fun, (yes, I think working towards collective liberation can and should be fun, [Andrea Smith thinks the Christian Right has more fun than us]) and partly because it makes people run themselves into the ground, after which they’re really not much good to “the movement.”
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January 22nd, 2009 at 5:19 pm #
Yes.
I was just saying the other night that joining Twitter and following people like you on Twitter made me realize that I need to cut myself slack sometimes.
I’m not trying to flatter, but honestly, your blog was always inspiring and committed. (And others’ as well, of course.) I would beat myself up about things, but I think we have to understand our limits and what we can do.
And yes, have fun. And love.
January 22nd, 2009 at 10:43 pm #
thanks for posting this. This is what my life is all about right now…trying to make room for my whole self but feeling guilty and like I’m not “down” because I’m prioritizing my kid and some other things over being on the front lines 24/7. It’s good to know other folks are thinking about the things in our movement(s) that lead to this kind of behavior, as well as burnout. what would it take to make our movements sustainable for the long haul?
January 24th, 2009 at 9:04 am #
as someone with various and changing disability/health issues, i SOOOO appreciate the work being done here; on this blog, by the bfp and jess, and by the commenters. centering health and mindfulness is the opposite of what the larger world usually wants us to do. so it is a necessary and radical act of love and self love to do this work and model it/share it.
I struggle with the desire to be more active than i often can be… (feelings of grief, anger and shame).. with the limitations of my body and health… with the “ideal” of the 24/7 activist and myths about what true commitment to a cause looks like.
how can i possibly ever fit in to that? i can’t, but i refuse to stop trying to find ways both to care for myself and to work on being an ally (as a white woman to women of color) and as an activist for radical/progressive movements.
my wish is to see a community of activists that understands disability and is able to work effectively with people who have inconsistent amounts of energy/time to give to a movement. there is often a militant attitude among activists that effectively shuts out people whose health issues mean they can only work sporadically. how can we make a partnership work between disabled and able bodied activists?
thank you so much bfp for the groundbreaking radical love work you do!!
January 24th, 2009 at 7:33 pm #
For years I neglected self-care while engaging in activism and before I moved to India I made the conscious decision that I would not get involved in activist work precisely so that I could reflect on this issue and re-envision what I want my activism to look like so that it doesn’t destroy me. It’s a difficult balance to strike, and it’s so easy to shirk off our own needs for “the good of the world” or whatever. I feel quite fortunate (others may call it “blessed”) to have this opportunity, and wish that more people can do the same. So I’m currently writing a piece on spaces around the globe that facilitate activist self-care. Just doing the research has been most enlightening.
January 25th, 2009 at 12:26 am #
Thanks for reposting/linking this. I am excited that the post resonated with folks here. I think there needs to be a lot more analysis around how privilege affects how much one can give to “the movement.”