[Music]
please stand up or make a move if you’ve
ever signed a petition stay standing
stand up or make a move if you’ve ever
joined a March or a demonstration stay
standing stand up or make a move if
you’ve ever donated to a cause stay
standing stand up or make a move if you
nice to meet you when I was younger I
used to think revolutions were only
about cannons and Wars and heroic men
winning the day and then I learned how
women gained the right to vote in Canada
how groups of women got together and
decided they were going to do this they
organized themselves and doggedly
pursued it for decades facing
humiliation and retaliations but never
giving up that knowledge changed my life
that was when I realized there are many
kinds of revolutions and that we can all
be part of them what are some examples
of these revolutions next year marks the
centennial of women’s suffrage in the
Netherlands women secured the right to
vote 71 years after the first men in
this country secured it it took women
almost a lifetime to achieve it and it
happened just over a lifetime ago
assuming a lifetime’s about 80 years
this year marks a hundred and fifty five
years since the abolition of slavery in
the Netherlands
it was one of the last countries in the
world to do this it happened about two
lifetimes ago and took almost three
lifetimes to make happen less than 20
years ago the Netherlands became the
first country in the world to legalize
same-sex marriage that was in just 2001
within most of our lifetimes yet it took
almost three lifetimes to get us there
before that sexual activity between
people of the same sex had been a
criminal offense each of these was a
huge move forward for social justice
traveling an immense journey from no to
possible to yes from hopes and dreams to
practical action and everyday action to
today’s reality for me social justice
can be defined as an affirmation of
humanity
its ultimate goal is for everyone to
live as liberated and as joyous a life
as possible yet as momentous as they
were these events were just moments in
the broader revolutions for justice that
they are each a part of these social
justice revolutions are not finished yet
the world is not yet
what we need it to be it is possible and
necessary to change this people are
doing it every day we can join them
there are no shortage of social justice
causes one might get involved with
personally I choose feminism I’ve been a
feminist activist most of my life
because I believe very deeply
that women and girls deserve better
better than the violence that inhabits
and shadows our lives better than our
voices and choices not being taken very
seriously from inside our own homes
right up to the highest levels of
political office better than having to
fight for basic rights like equal pay or
access to services like health care and
abortions but smashing the patriarchy as
the Gherkin goes is not possible by one
woman acting alone
revolutions happen because many people
work together overtime to make them
happen working together is really
important because when we do were more
likely to succeed it’s also less scary
because it’s actually less risky when
there are more people involved it’s also
way more fun I do most of my feminists
in these days by working at an
organization called mama cash created
right here in Amsterdam by a group of
lesbian feminists 35 years ago mama cash
exists to support feminist activism
through something called solidarity
funding what does that mean it means we
collect money from people that care and
channel it to feminist activists making
change activists like these women from
the home-based women workers Federation
in the synth province of Pakistan these
women make clothing and jewelry that we
wear working for up to 12 hours in their
own homes
and earning $1 using money that mama
cash was able to channel to them from
people all around the world they
campaigned for 16 years to convince
their government that the work they do
should be regulated and that they should
receive things like a minimum wage
last year they won 4 million women now
stories like these can be incredibly
inspiring yet they can also feel a bit
far from our lives so I’m here to share
a not so secret secret
anyone can be an activist sometimes the
most prominent activists are actually
the most well-off in society because
they’re the ones with the access to the
power and the information that supports
them to act sometimes people are
activists because they have to be no one
else will
or can act on their behalf and things
are really bad their activism is in
self-defense
most of the activists I work with at
MoMA cache fit in this category
sometimes people are activists because
we know the world is not yet what it
needs to be
it is possible and necessary to change
this people are doing it every day if we
join them we can help not all of us will
be taking to the streets with our
activism though it may be important that
we do sometimes protest and dissent are
critical parts of social justice change
but there are many different ways that
one can get involved in activism some of
us have time some of us money
some of us knowledge some of us skill
some of us connection all of these are
necessary for these revolutions so I
want us to try something take a moment
think about your world where do you live
where do you work who do you meet where
do you think a change is needed
what really bothers you or what do you
really care about if you’ve got a few
issues on your mind try to focus on just
where can you make a difference what
time money knowledge can you offer that
would help who can you connect with to
make that offer which organization
person group institution can you engage
with to make a difference now turn to a
person next to you and in a few seconds
come back Thanks
these kind of actions are the stuff of
revolutions they’re what I call everyday
activism revolutions happen because
people choose to act and be active every
day together because people make a habit
out of acting with others for change
habits can be built we can all develop
them so too our activism so that they
become part of our everyday we each have
one lifetime and it can be revolutionary
the world is not yet what we need it to
be it is entirely possible and necessary
to change this people are doing it every day let’s join them
please stand up or make a move if you’ve
ever signed a petition stay standing
stand up or make a move if you’ve ever
joined a March or a demonstration stay
standing stand up or make a move if
you’ve ever donated to a cause stay
standing stand up or make a move if you
nice to meet you when I was younger I
used to think revolutions were only
about cannons and Wars and heroic men
winning the day and then I learned how
women gained the right to vote in Canada
how groups of women got together and
decided they were going to do this they
organized themselves and doggedly
pursued it for decades facing
humiliation and retaliations but never
giving up that knowledge changed my life
that was when I realized there are many
kinds of revolutions and that we can all
be part of them what are some examples
of these revolutions next year marks the
centennial of women’s suffrage in the
Netherlands women secured the right to
vote 71 years after the first men in
this country secured it it took women
almost a lifetime to achieve it and it
happened just over a lifetime ago
assuming a lifetime’s about 80 years
this year marks a hundred and fifty five
years since the abolition of slavery in
the Netherlands
it was one of the last countries in the
world to do this it happened about two
lifetimes ago and took almost three
lifetimes to make happen less than 20
years ago the Netherlands became the
first country in the world to legalize
same-sex marriage that was in just 2001
within most of our lifetimes yet it took
almost three lifetimes to get us there
before that sexual activity between
people of the same sex had been a
criminal offense each of these was a
huge move forward for social justice
traveling an immense journey from no to
possible to yes from hopes and dreams to
practical action and everyday action to
today’s reality for me social justice
can be defined as an affirmation of
humanity
its ultimate goal is for everyone to
live as liberated and as joyous a life
as possible yet as momentous as they
were these events were just moments in
the broader revolutions for justice that
they are each a part of these social
justice revolutions are not finished yet
the world is not yet
what we need it to be it is possible and
necessary to change this people are
doing it every day we can join them
there are no shortage of social justice
causes one might get involved with
personally I choose feminism I’ve been a
feminist activist most of my life
because I believe very deeply
that women and girls deserve better
better than the violence that inhabits
and shadows our lives better than our
voices and choices not being taken very
seriously from inside our own homes
right up to the highest levels of
political office better than having to
fight for basic rights like equal pay or
access to services like health care and
abortions but smashing the patriarchy as
the Gherkin goes is not possible by one
woman acting alone
revolutions happen because many people
work together overtime to make them
happen working together is really
important because when we do were more
likely to succeed it’s also less scary
because it’s actually less risky when
there are more people involved it’s also
way more fun I do most of my feminists
in these days by working at an
organization called mama cash created
right here in Amsterdam by a group of
lesbian feminists 35 years ago mama cash
exists to support feminist activism
through something called solidarity
funding what does that mean it means we
collect money from people that care and
channel it to feminist activists making
change activists like these women from
the home-based women workers Federation
in the synth province of Pakistan these
women make clothing and jewelry that we
wear working for up to 12 hours in their
own homes
and earning $1 using money that mama
cash was able to channel to them from
people all around the world they
campaigned for 16 years to convince
their government that the work they do
should be regulated and that they should
receive things like a minimum wage
last year they won 4 million women now
stories like these can be incredibly
inspiring yet they can also feel a bit
far from our lives so I’m here to share
a not so secret secret
anyone can be an activist sometimes the
most prominent activists are actually
the most well-off in society because
they’re the ones with the access to the
power and the information that supports
them to act sometimes people are
activists because they have to be no one
else will
or can act on their behalf and things
are really bad their activism is in
self-defense
most of the activists I work with at
MoMA cache fit in this category
sometimes people are activists because
we know the world is not yet what it
needs to be
it is possible and necessary to change
this people are doing it every day if we
join them we can help not all of us will
be taking to the streets with our
activism though it may be important that
we do sometimes protest and dissent are
critical parts of social justice change
but there are many different ways that
one can get involved in activism some of
us have time some of us money
some of us knowledge some of us skill
some of us connection all of these are
necessary for these revolutions so I
want us to try something take a moment
think about your world where do you live
where do you work who do you meet where
do you think a change is needed
what really bothers you or what do you
really care about if you’ve got a few
issues on your mind try to focus on just
where can you make a difference what
time money knowledge can you offer that
would help who can you connect with to
make that offer which organization
person group institution can you engage
with to make a difference now turn to a
person next to you and in a few seconds
come back Thanks
these kind of actions are the stuff of
revolutions they’re what I call everyday
activism revolutions happen because
people choose to act and be active every
day together because people make a habit
out of acting with others for change
habits can be built we can all develop
them so too our activism so that they
become part of our everyday we each have
one lifetime and it can be revolutionary
the world is not yet what we need it to
be it is entirely possible and necessary
to change this people are doing it every day let’s join them
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