In some way, small or large, everyone wants to see change. But the blessing and the curse of change is that it never happens without concerted effort. Each of us has a choice: to stay or to move. In the wake of an administration full of hate in its many ugly faces, we know we need to move — this much is obvious. For American immigrants abroad, torn from their families for crimes they never committed, we need to move. For LGBTQ citizens, for women, for black Americans, for Muslims, for Jews, for Native Americans, for everyone watching their human rights threatened by a demagogue, we need to move.
As Anne Frank once wrote, “How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” How powerful it is that all of us have a choice whether or not to take the challenging route of action.
How our country fares over the next four years and beyond depends entirely on us — the people — and how much we decide to push for change. In such trying times, I have to ask myself: Will I give that one morning to an important demonstration? Will I hold my representatives accountable? If I don’t — if we all don’t — dive into the project of building a better country from the bottom up, then who will?
Luckily, I can take heart in the knowledge that at Brown and in Providence and Rhode Island, apathy has no place. Over the past several months, a collection of students and I formed a group knowing that there are countless people in our communities willing and able to take action. Through the Brown Progressive Action Committee, we aim to amplify the efforts of the numerous activist groups already doing amazing work and empower those new to the political scene so their voices can be heard. By channeling the energy found on campus after the election results and the horrifying first two weeks of the new presidency, we hope to promote a simple mantra of progress: Making positive change is neither inevitable nor automatic, but that it is above all achievable.
Though formidable on our own, we are strongest as a group. Whether you are an interested student, a group leader, an activist or an academic, every one of you has an important role to play. But we need a way to translate the need for change to change itself, and this is why an organization like BPAC is so important.
On campus, there are a number of committed groups driving progressive policies. But it is often difficult for such groups to promote themselves and their events in the larger Brown community and to reach as many inspired people as possible. A group like BPAC can provide a centralized hub of opportunities and events through its social media platforms. We need an organization ready to connect student groups with local politicians passionate about the group’s cause, keeping in mind that we are strongest together. With a number of students connected to groups and leaders throughout Rhode Island, we are each other’s best resources.
For me, hoping for better was not enough. Frustrated with the status quo, I was looking for a way to get involved. I was looking, perhaps, for groups on and off campus who could teach me the skills of activism, like lobbying, effective protesting, calling representatives, canvassing and staying informed. And though there were many focused organizations teaching me how to discuss climate change, discrimination and LGBTQ rights, I felt a lack of centrality. Once I learned that there was more to acting than agonizing, it became all the more vital for me to find an organization devoted to fulfilling these roles.
This is where BPAC can be an important resource to our campus. Through weekly meetings and frequent events, an organization like BPAC can give Brown students the opportunity to discuss how we are going to push progress in the legislature. Together, we can lobby on behalf of upcoming state bills strengthening women’s health rights, regulating harmful pollutants and more.
At a time when widespread citizen engagement is so necessary, it is important to remember that every single person’s voice and experience are valuable. As dreadful as it is to watch act after act from Washington affect lives across the country and the world, there is some solace in knowing that we can have an impact on our own communities. In order for BPAC to help political activism continue to flourish at Brown, we need to be a vibrant and diverse community with members committed to its success. If we all get in this fight together, we can reclaim progress.
Fortunately, we need not wait even a single moment to begin advocating for change. Trump doesn’t deserve our inaction, but our communities deserve our support.
Micah Rosen ’19, communications director at the Brown Progressive Action Committee, writes on behalf of the group and can be reached at micah_rosen@brown.edu. To be a part of this effort, you can follow “Brown Progressive Action Committee” on Facebook, @BPACteam on Twitter or sign up for their listserv. You can also contact the committee chair, Aidan Calvelli, at aidan_calvelli@brown.edu. Please send responses to this opinion to letters@browndailyherald.com and other op-eds to opinions@browndailyherald.com.
