Hi,
I wish we had a Cornell West among us-let's not forget the volumes he's
written and the numerous times he's been on the lecture circut-the same
was true for Jimmy Baldwin, etc. I'm referring to people who do less
than - .Your thoughts?
In Unity,
Phyllis
On Wed, 22 Sep 1999, Carolyn Tyjewski wrote:
> To add to Susan's point about there being many different types of activism that
> exist and are needed. I believe it was Cornell West who was chastised back in the
> day because he wasn't out on the line and his response was that he could do the
> cause more good writing and educating than he could getting arrested hundreds of
> times. We all have our work to do. The question should not be whether or not our
> work fits a stereotyped image of "activism" but whether or not we are doing our
> work.
>
> Susan Gabel wrote:
>
> > Dear Phyllis and all,
> > Phyllis, thank you for participating in the Singer protest. I appreciate your
> > willingness to be arrested for that cause. I hope that I can learn from your
> > example and your strength.
> >
> > I think, though, that there's another way to look at the activism issue. It
> > seems like activism can take many forms and that from the outside looking in on
> > someone else's experience, it might be difficult to know what they can and cannot
> > do and what they consider activism in their life. Some folks have just enough
> > energy (physical and mental) and just enough time to be good advocates for family
> > and self. I suspect that we all go through stages in our lives when we can and
> > cannot be involved in protests that lead to arrests, etc. There probably are
> > many reasons for these phases but I'll bet they're often related to constraints
> > or other commitments in our lives: children/family members who need us present,
> > impairments that prevent or interfere with certain activities (my depression, for
> > example, can be quite constraining at times and I must carefully manage my
> > environmental stress), jobs that cannot be missed, selves that must be tended
> > to. I'm sure my list isn't exhaustive.
> >
> > Can we find ways to value everyone's contributions and accept that we will all
> > contribute differently but to the best of our "ability"? Susan Gabel
>
> --
> Carolyn
> check out, "Passing, Invisibility and Other Psychotic Stuff" at
> http://www.tell-us-your-story.com/_disc68r/00000003.htm
> Add your story
> at http://www.tell-us-your-story.com
> Finding What We Have In Common One Story At A Time*
>
>
>
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