Dear friend,
Trying to change the world can be tough. Sometimes it can kill you.
Watch now to find out why: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVA-L3LRCHI.
Throughout history, activists who campaign to address social problems have faced dark challenges: enemies plotting to bring them down, trauma, and mental health issues. Going against the grain can bring pain, and - for heroes like Martin Luther King and Malcolm X - it can bring death.
However, progress demands for us to stand up and fight for what is right. And so, the question is, how do we campaign effectively given these threats? Do these challenges give us even more reason to advocate for change?
These are some of the topics I discuss with the multi-talented storyteller, social entrepreneur, activist, writer, artist, and campaigner, Liana Nanang.
Liana Nanang shares the story of her upbringing, raised by a social justice warrior, the lessons she learned from his life, the campaigns she ran and the methods she used, and the challenged faced by individuals who are taking on powerful people and powerful organisations.
Highlights:
- We need to evolve: The world forever changes, and therefore our methods and tactics for change should always adapt for new situations and contexts.
- You know about the Government Cabinet, but who is around your Kitchen Cabinet? Your Kitchen Cabinet includes your most trusted allies and partners and colleagues who work together closely to make a change.
- Malcolm X and Martin Luther King were violently assassinated, creating martyrs for the cause. These days, though, one does not need to die to be assassinated: Many folk are instead socially ostracised, economically cut off, cancelled.
We had this conversation in Bermuda, a British Overseas Territory and the most expensive country in the world. It is an important location to start this conversation, given the context of colonisation, racism, and economic inequality.
Liana and I met in February 2022, and since then, we have become friends. She has introduced me to many amazing people, and has taught me much both in this conversation and afterwards. She brings people together, constantly, weaving us together with the hope that these connections help us achieve a better world. And for that I am grateful.
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The second episode of the School of Social Justice video podcast is out now.
Full episode available on YouTube and Spotify:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVA-L3LRCHI
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/14Rz36rxHYKKkoesOFjjPm
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I want to say a huge thank you to the 29 people who have become patrons of the school! With your monthly contributions, we can continue to share educational content for free, and fulfil our vision of a world where anybody no matter their background, can learn how to make a difference.
Support us. Help achieve the mission of training the next generation of Martin Luther Kings. Become a patron today: https://schoolofsocialjustice.com/supporters/.
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Hope you enjoy the conversation, and learn as much as I did. And I hope that you are able to use the lessons to go on and change the world.
Alvin
Founding Director
schoolofsocialjustice.com