“No snowflake in an avalanche ever feels responsible.” - Voltaire
Some folks take this to mean that we’re all responsible for bad things that happen. I take it to mean that any one of us can be the snowflake that sends an avalanche of social change cascading down the slope.
Or, as Margaret Mead famously said,
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed individuals can change the world.
Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
A perfect description of grassroots activism: folks deciding to change the world. Throw in the Internet, and you have grassroots on steroids. This weeks was full of stories of victories for grassroots activism—some years in the making, other almost instantaneous. These things became major national news stories, but they began with “a small group of committed people” who believed that they could make a difference. And they did.
For example:
- Two important steps forward for marriage equality, in California and Washington state. Both still face hurdles ahead, but step by grassy step ...
On Tuesday, a federal appeals court panel overturned California’s ban on same-sex marriage. This ruling is likely to be appealed, and the case is predicted to go all the way to the US Supreme Court.
The next day, the Washington state legislature passed a bill granting marriage equality in that state. The governor has promised to sign the bill (although she had previously opposed marriage equality … people do change). Check out this video of a Republican legislator testifying on behalf of the bill, a glimpse at the range of personal stories that made it happen.
· This story had a strong Colorado connection, too:
A New York Times opinion piece on the California ruling cited the US Supreme Court decision declaring Colorado’s anti-LGB Amendment 2 unconstitutional. That case has transformed how LGBT people are regarded in courts of law, and it’s now often cited as a crucial precedent in cases addressing LGBT rights.
And a local psychologist/activist’s work on the psychological impacts of anti-LGBTQ politics, which started after Amendment 2, got some national attention in the blogosphere this week. Here, her comments about the impending New Jersey decision on marriage equality are framed in the context of decisions in California and Washington.
- The flap between Susan G. Komen for the Cure and Planned Parenthood was quickly resolved in favor of women’s access to health care.
On Tuesday, Susan G. Komen for the Cure (SGK), the nation’s most famous breast cancer-related foundation, was revealed to have cut off long-standing funding for Planned Parenthood. This funding provides breast cancer screenings for poor women. The Internet virtually lit up with outrage, and SGK backed down just two days later. But not before their reputation had taken a major beating. This was Internet-fueled bit of grassroots activism involving a virtual avalanche (to mix metaphors) of blogs, Internet petitions, facebook postings, tweets, and almost instant news coverage—probably because of the aforementioned blogs, petitions, facebook postings, and tweets.
Meanwhile, information on a new film about Susan G. Komen for the Cure, “Pink Ribbons, Inc.” is circulating on the Web. The trailer gives a hint at an on-going controversy behind this week’s uproar. It will also make you reconsider all those pink things that are marketed in the name of SGK or of breast cancer awareness in general.
A friend with whom I've done some social change work sent me a couple of related links. The first is to a blog by a couple of companions in retirement who make no bones about their anger at the SGK move and their support for Planned Parenthood. Read it if you'd like a good catharsis about the whole thing.
The second item speaks for itself. Just what we need to advance women’s health care rights.
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