(photo cred: mindtools.com)

Activism isn’t only presented in the form of marches and boycotts.

There are other ways to support the movement and stand in solidarity with your community.

Use your voice. Use your platforms. Use your art.

“It is an artist’s duty to reflect the times.”  -Nina Simone

You may be wondering how you can make effective change within your community in your own way. Most people always fall back on what they know. This country has seen many marches, boycotts, sit-ins, riots and protests. And while these avenues for change did make their impact, exploring other ways to fight, isn’t by any means a stand against what has already been done.  

At this point, fighting for change and civil rights, is expected within Black America, however, this does not have to be our truth. We have the power to change the course of history.

The revolution we are currently seeking probably won't come from doing what we have always done. It will come from innovative blueprints that result in unyielding action. The revolution must match the current times. We have unlimited resources at our disposal. We just have to think of creative ways to use them for our benefit. To impact the structure of the system, we must first understand the system in which we are operating within, find its weakness, and infiltrate.


(photo cred: huffingtonpost.com)



It’s a game of Chess not Checkers. Our children and their children should not find themselves right back here, fighting, for a change we should have gotten long ago. Some people feel marching is the best way they can be heard, and others may feel it is through boycotting corporations, while others may feel being of service to their community will bring the most change. However you decide to represent your activism is totally up to you.

To the artists, writers, entrepreneurs, and just all creatives in general, this is a time for you to use your platforms, creations, and passions to reflect the times. Your art CAN be your activism. Think of ways you can inspire hope, inspiration, and change. Yes, it is very unfortunate that we are still fighting some of the same battles our ancestors had to fight, but let’s use technology, our resources and creative energy to start a revolution that will impact the system in a major way. As millennials, we are known for stepping outside of the box in order to pursue our goals and dreams in unorthodox ways, why not apply this to our activism?  Our communities are suffering, and it is our duty to shed light and take action that will change our situation for the better. We don’t have to wait to be saved. We don’t have to depend on celebrities, or people who are far removed from our communities. We have the power to save ourselves. We can fight back with our music, our stories, our businesses, our education, our artwork, our movies, etc. We are creators, it’s what we do. It’s time to stop repeating history and  make it. It’s time to create our own hieroglyphs.

(photo cred: prepadviser.com)



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written by Chandra Meadows for POP ATL