My Activism is Better than Your Activism
Photo by Life Matters from Pexels
I vividly recall my early days in the Movement sitting in meetings with Movement leaders who were bemoaning and frankly denigrating the work of other groups and other leaders based on their style of activism. I was a witness to not only closed door discussions of this nature, but also discussions with major donors where leaders were attempting to argue the merits of one form of activism over another in an effort to sway donor giving. I remember being uncomfortable, but as a newcomer to the Movement, I stayed silent - something that I regret today.
Infighting in our Movement about what kind of activism is more effective, more important, and more meaningful, is not only a waste of time and money, it is unkind, it is inaccurate, and it does not help animals.
When we spend our time infighting, we are not spending our time working for animals. We are not campaigning, we are not educating, we are not lobbying, we are not exposing violence, we are not talking about plant-based nutrition - in short, we are not advocating.
Infighting delays projects, wastes time, and wastes money.
So, instead of engaging in the never ending debate about the right way to be an activist - and to be clear, there is no right and wrong way - let’s acknowledge that all activism is important and is needed for deep and enduring social change.
As a student of social justice theory, I turn to the work of Bill Moyer and his theory of the Four Roles of Social Activism to better understand the ways different roles positively impact our collective work. Moyer refers to the four main activist roles as: the Citizen, the Rebel, the Reformer, and the Change Agent.
Let’s take a closer look at these roles and how they play out.
The Citizen: promotes societal values such as justice and non-violence
The Rebel: engages in non-violent direct actions such as demonstrations and rallies
The Reformer: engages in effecting governmental and policy changes
The Change Agent: is focused on long-term change through education and supporting long-term grassroots activism
While a brief blog cannot adequately describe Moyer’s four named roles, the key message is that all roles are important. Every group that works for animals in one way or another is important, and we must support one another. We are a team. We need one another, and the animals need us all.
It is time that we look inward and genuinely hold one another up and recognize that all work for animals is critical work for animals. It is time that all groups support one another and work together. In fact, Moyer promoted the value of understanding the different roles so that organizations would be able to “help reduce antagonism and promote cooperation among different groups of activists and organizations” (Moyer, 2001, p. 22) at all levels.
I would encourage every animal activist, and in particular, every leader reading this to take the time to learn at least some social justice theory, and through this learning come to deeply appreciate and support all of the work being done.
Let’s hold one another up.
I want to help to empower you to be the best activist you can be. Please reach out with any questions and I’ll try to answer them within future blogs, anonymously of course!
Always for the Animals,
Krista
Reference:
Moyer, B., MacAllister, J., & Soifer, M. L. F. S. (2001). Doing democracy: The MAP model for organizing social movements. New Society Publishers.
This blog series is provided for general information purposes only. It is not intended to provide legal advice or opinions of any kind. No one should act, or refrain from acting, based solely upon the materials provided on this website, any hypertext links or other general information without first seeking appropriate legal or other professional advice.
The intention of this blog is to promote the longevity and engagement level of the activist community within the Animal Advocacy Movement (AAM). The majority of the advice will be geared towards employees within the AAM in Canada and the United States, but may be applicable to other countries. All information provided assumes that the employee works within a non-unionized environment.
Krista spent the first 15 years of her career in human resources including as the Vice President of HR for one of the largest tech companies in the world. Krista then founded a boutique employment law firm in Toronto where she consulted to employers across Canada and the U.S. for a decade. To pursue her true passion, Krista sold her practice to lead Mercy For Animals in Canada where she led twelve undercover investigations into factory farms and slaughterhouses. Today Krista consults with animal protection organizations across North America on matters of organizational development. In addition to holding five degrees and designations in human resources, she is pursuing her doctorate focused on the employment experiences of animal rights activists.