What is an Activist?

@Sneakers41 -I agree with you and I wanted to add that the civil rights movement and all of its activists really opened everyone’s eyes to the injustices that they were experiencing. Rosa Parks is an activist that paved the way, I think for many other African Americans to challenge laws that were unjust.

Good for her that she had the courage to stand up for her rights and because of her many positive changes occurred with respect to civil rights. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 eliminated all literacy tests that African Americans had to take before qualifying to vote and made sure that everyone was treated equally.

Rosa Parks really gave rise to people like Dr. Martin Luther King that wanted peaceful change. It is a shame that Dr. Martin Luther King did not live long enough to see all of the positive changes that came about as a result of his activism. This is one famous activist that no one will ever forget because his words and his message was universal.

@BrickBack -I know what you mean. Sometimes people have to have more balanced viewpoints because there are always two sides to an issue that are equally valid.

For example, peace activists have a valid viewpoint in not wanting war because many of these activists have family and friends that have either perished because of acts of war or are negatively affected and they want others to know the consequences of fighting a war.

There are also members of the military that have had many generations serving in the armed forces and they take pride in defending our nation. I think that when there is a war we have to be careful that we don’t give our enemy a morale boost by seeing our protestors in the street.

I think that these peace activists would be better served trying to pass some legislation through congress to try to shorten the time that soldiers serve or have an appropriate rotation in place. That at least is a compromise that all sides can live with.

@Oasis11 -I agree that the best activists are those that have a personal connection to the cause. I wanted to add that while believing in a cause is great, you also have to respect the views of others.

For example, many environmental activist groups are looking to expand the CAFÉ standards which raise the fuel economy standards of many of the vehicles that we drive. This forces the car manufacturers to develop lighter cars that have a much lower safety rating in terms of potential car accidents.

I understand trying to save fuel and become less dependent on foreign oil, but I don’t want our cars to be less safe because of it. Some environmental activists want everyone to drive a tiny car in order to improve the environment, but I am not going to put myself or my family at risk to save the environment.

Kat919 - I think that you have more passion when you are personally affected by a cause or have suffered greatly because of it. I know that many Cuban immigrants that fled the Castro regime in the 1960’s became political activists that wanted to promote democracy for the island. The Cuban immigrants are among the most passionate group of political activists that I have ever seen.

When news spread of Fidel Castro stepping down, there was a huge celebration among the Cuban activists in the streets of Miami with people honking their horns in pure joy. It is understandable because Castro has stripped these people of everything and even put a wedge within many families.

There are many political activists that are not only looking forward to a free Cuba, but they also want to help the Cuban people transition into a free society.

@robbie21 - Something similar happened to a cousin of mine. She was never the type to join activist groups or anything, but then her older son was diagnosed with autism. Now she's really active as an autism advocate--more funding for early intervention, better training for teachers, that kind of thing.

It's funny how circumstances can turn someone who never even read the newspaper into a political activist! A friend of mine was once nursing her baby in a coffee shop (name withheld) and some bepimpled seventeen-year-old barista asked her to stop.

She was the most mild-mannered, modest person before that. She always nursed behind a big "hooter hider" and tried so hard not to bother anyone (not just about breastfeeding--she wouldn't say boo to a ghost, as the saying goes). I think that's why she got so upset, actually--she's such a people pleaser and she hadn't done anything wrong.

Now she's a full-on "lactivist"! No more nursing cover and she has taken part in at least two "nurse-ins." She's a La Leche League leader now and I know one speciality of hers is helping women negotiate for a private place to pump breastmilk at work.