Last week I posted the viral embarrassment of a Fulton County school during the #SchoolWalkOut. The teachers or administration of the North Fulton school gave the students the right to speak — only if the students spoke about things that made the administration happy. With two additional school walk outs planned in the near future, I want to highlight an Atlanta Public School who also went viral for getting it right.
NowThis showed the successful, peaceful, and meaningful protest of students from Booker T. Washington high school in Atlanta. The Student Government Association leaders were allowed to speak and protest with the support of the school. The SGA students gave an eloquent and thoughtful speech that adults would be smart to pay attention to. The rest of the participating student body knelt behind the school leaders showing respect for those who have died at the hands of gun violence. Students, I salute you, your stance, and your well-planned protest. Atlanta Public Schools I salute you for giving students an opportunity to participate in this important civics lesson.
I love community activism. I love that the next generation of children are leading this discussion because thus far, we as adults have done a horrible job.
However, I want these children leaders to be prepared. The success, no matter how small, is easy to imagine. It is getting to the success that is harder to prepare for. These leaders have stepped into a serious and difficult discussion therefore I won’t insult them with rosy colored tips that make them feel good but do not adequately prepare them for the battles ahead. Here are my tips for the future leaders that I am sure will include this entire debate as one of the things that propelled them into civic roles for the remainder of their lives.
- Be prepared that everyone won’t agree with your message. There will be opponents – which are people who strongly believe the opposite of what you believe. There will also be haters – people who believe in nothing and will try to convince you that your efforts will not work. Then there will be those with apathy – people who will not give an effort to do anything at all, whether they care or not, and will frustrate you to no end. Do not let the opponents, haters, or apathetic people stop you from moving forward.
- Chess not checkers. Activism is a long-term game. Unlike high school where you can complete an entire subject in a matter of weeks during a school semester, changes to laws often takes years and sometimes decades. Be prepared to be in a long fight. Don’t give up when you lose the early battles. Those losses are blessings in disguise because they will toughen up your will, your strategy, and your ability to handle what comes your way. The early losses only make the eventual win so much more enjoyable.
- You could lose! You can fight these battles for years and you could lose. You can do everything right and still lose. You can have the support of the biggest names and donors and you could still not get what you want. I don’t say this as discouragement, I say this to test your resolve. If you truly believe in your platform you fight for it win or lose. If you are fighting for real change then you will fight no matter the chances of the outcome.
- Winning is subjective. You may go in with three goals and walk out with only one goal met. THIS IS A WIN! Enjoy the fruits of your labor even if you wanted more. Do not let anyone set your standards for what you consider a win. If you are doing all the work then you get to set all the standards.
- The fight can get lonely. There will be a select few leaders that will maintain this fight until the end. One day you can look up and the masses of students behind you will dwindle down to a few. That is both okay and normal. Don’t give up the fight when your numbers get small.
- Be strategic. The passion is there. The will to make a change is there. You have the attention of the world. After the excitement has died down there must be a plan for success. You must have very specific goals you are attempting to obtain so that you can create a path to reach those goals. When you fight hard, everyone with a cause will want to jump on and hitch their bandwagon to yours. If your fight began for gun safety focus on gun safety. You cannot begin to solve homelessness, AIDS, and underfunded schools all at the same time. Pick a path, plan your path, and strategically move on your path.
I teach CITIZEN LOBBYING 101 to people who want to understand how to make a change in Georgia’s laws at the state and local level. I’m happy to help any groups of students who want to take this fight to the Georgia General Assembly next session. Contact me here.
My former college English professor Dr. Samantha Morgan-Curtis, in response to her review of an article I wrote for the college paper asked, “where is the good?” I heard her voice this weekend realizing that sharing positive news is just as important as the gripes, complaints, and shady post. We all need more positivity!
Watch the NowThis video here!