Taking The First Step, The Activist At Home.

Activists shout from roof tops, lead emotional protests, confront government oppression, organize the mass feeding of the homeless, lobby Congress, confront animal shows for their treatment of their charges. Consistently those who engage are in our collective consciousness.

Within our faith communities we are urged to organize and implement actions that reflect our common vision of social justice.  Our leaders demonstrate passion in their efforts, we are inspired and join in seeking change in the world.

Let me, however, propose that the most effective activism springs not from our collective efforts but instead from our own first steps in confronting hatred, inequality, environmental destruction and economic disparity.

Simply stated,

Your actions in buying a meal for and sitting with a homeless person have a more profound effect on hunger, homelessness, and recognizing human dignity than all the committee meetings you may attend.

Your confrontation of hate speech you witness in the community will do more to eradicate bigotry than attending weekly Black Lives Matter marches ever will.

Your actions in announcing that you will not go to Sea World on your vacation will do more to save the whales than any dozen blog posts you may write on the subject.

Your decision to hire an individual with a criminal record will do more to stop the school to prison pipeline than all the petitions you may sign.

Your admonishment of someone you see littering will do more to save the environment than any vote you may cast to establish a recycling program.

Activism is about taking the first steps; engaging locally where we take some risk for our positions, where our actions help to establish new community ethics concerning social justice. These “First Steps” are the hard ones, we are alone, no committee of like minded individuals, no mass of protesters at our backs, no congregation of supporters, just you confronting that which offends your sense of social justice.

While all the collective actions listed above have great social value, it is our willingness to “Take the First Step” that establishes social justice as central to our identities, making us valuable and available to engage in broader action.

So today my friends I urge you to adjust your view of Social Justice, bring it a little closer, engage in your home, your work place, your community.  The first steps will be the hardest, attempting to skip them, however, only leads to hollow efforts at reform.