Activism

I had a discussion with a colleague last week in which the subject of activism came up. I’m pleased to say we were both on the same page; it did, however, prompt me to reflect on what we think of as activism and whether others around me consider themselves activists. My interest was further piqued by this tweet on October 31st from Sara Gibbs (@Sara_Rose_G), “Basically if you’re any kind of minority, you’re an “activist”. Not because you necessarily want to be but because so many people seem to think simply being yourself or taking your fair share in life is a provocative or political act & start fighting you on it.”* Whilst the tweet reflects Sara’s own experience, it definitely applies to any community or person who has found themselves minoritised or marginalised. Think BLM, VAWG, and currently, Yorkshire CCC trivialising racism as “banter” to name just a few.

So what does activism mean to us as individuals? I can, obviously, only speak for myself. As a practising social worker activism for me is about championing the rights of the families I work with and being there to advocate on their behalf. As an ISW, if that means I have to gently nudge other organisations/practitioners, I will happily do so. If that nudge then needs to have a bit more weight I am also happy to do that.

As a black woman I find the daily onslaught of stereotypes and oppression exhausting; consequently, I choose my battles more carefully these days and, in some circumstances, I simply cease professional relationships when it becomes clear some in the world of social care/public service will simply not reflect on their positions or privilege, or begin to think about how they can be better allies. I know some will be critical of me for those decisions – it illustrates the impact constantly being minoritised can have. Another example of this came on 1st November. Black Ballad (@BlackBalladUK) are currently raising awareness of the high rates of breast cancer in black women as part of breast cancer awareness month; they used a picture of black breasts as part of this, and were called a “hate group” for doing so – as they said, you really can’t make this stuff up.

I, nevertheless, remain very interested in how others view activism and their own actions in this area. I often refer to Gandhi’s quote, “we have to be the change we want to see”. Marcus Rashford’s activism in relation to food poverty shows what can be achieved when you make the best use of your platform, and the recent progress in relation to menopausal women would seem to be positive. But what of the day to day challenges we face in the public sector – what enables or prevents colleagues, some in potentially very powerful and influential positions, from using those positions to be activists for change? Is the fear of consequences so great that it prevents standing up and being counted? Perhaps I am naïve but surely anyone who has chosen to work in the public sector/social care/social work brings with them a belief that society should be fairer – is this diluted over time?

The independent review of children’s social care is currently underway and much has already been written about it. Whatever your view of the review, many people who are passionate about helping children fulfil their potential are clearly being active and are happy to risk what that might mean for their own positions. I’m saddened by the numbers of practitioners who appear to be unaware or, dare I say, uninterested in this review – yet another example of how we are sometimes worn down over time perhaps?

On a broader scale, we have to think about what consequences the actions of this government will have – there are too many dreadful decisions for me to list here. Are the opposition parties providing effective opposition? What do the actions of all of the main parties model for those growing up and just entering the world of work, and whose political views may still be forming?

I realise I’ve posed more questions than I have provided answers for. I am genuinely keen to understand what activism means to others, and hope to hear of actions that reflect this and, hopefully, show my current scepticism to be misplaced.

*thanks to Sara Gibbs for allowing me to use her Tweet