2/19 Everyday Activists

A few months ago, while making my weekly commute to the Rural Vermont office in Montpelier, I listened to an interview with a well-known activist. A few small, seemingly inconsequential sentences from that interview have stuck with me, prompting me to reflect often on what it means to be an activist today. There are, of course, countless ways to be an activist and many ways to define activism, and too many messed-up things in this world that bring us to activism. But if you’re like me, a person of little consequence in this big, old world, maybe the label has felt a bit mystical and distant - an identity reserved for a special group of people that I admire for strong, unwavering conviction, strength, and courage; people who hold core issues close, know what to do, and act decisively.

Until l navigated some very specific challenges of living and farming in Vermont, I didn’t feel empowered, I certainly didn’t think I had the right words or experience, and it hadn’t occurred to me that most “activists” are just everyday people. You know, you and I. Just ordinary people who care about our communities, neighbors, and friends, who are experiencing or responding to unacceptable changes in our lives and realizing we must stand up for ourselves and our neighbors—knowing if we don’t, no one else will. Quite simple, really. When we are directly affected, when we see our neighbors affected, when we find ourselves living out the consequences of power and policies that do not serve our communities, we decide to get off the sidelines. And then, funny enough, there we stand with strong, unwavering conviction, strength, and courage; we know what to do, and we act decisively.

As we bopped around the state last year celebrating forty years of agrarian activism, I talked with many of you at events and workshops; met, listened, and spoke with many RV elders; over the years, I have observed my own Rural Vermont colleagues, fellow coalition members, allies, and members in action, and my takeaway is that we are surrounded by many who bring forth goodness in every day action, and it doesn’t look fancy, special, or unreachable. Great acts of courage can feel big and look tiny: a paper plate sign at a state house rally, an opinion or position on a local piece of legislation posted to your local listserv, or speaking your truth without allies. Activism can also show up in less visible ways: signing up for a meal train to support a sick neighbor, offering a ride that is needed, or spending time with an elder. Take it from me, your humble operations director, who is neither a policy wonk, wordsmith, nor the most informed person at the table, you just need to be - you - “right words” and “right experience” not required.

You, my friend, can move things.

Let us welcome and encourage you to come move things with us, in a decades-long tradition of moving things, at Small Farm Action Day next Thursday, February 26th, at the State House. Whether you arrive with prepared testimony or a willingness to observe and listen, remember that it’s the collective effort of regular, ordinary folks that moves change. Let’s move together next Thursday!

Please check out our Activist Toolkit to help further demystify the ins and outs of policy and activism within Vermont, and consider signing up for our virtual advocacy training next Tuesday evening, February 24th.

Be well and hope to see some of you at Small Farm Action Day,
Shannon