Interview
with Paul Loeb, author of Soul of a Citizen: Living
with Conviction in a Cynical Time.
HD:
In your book Soul of a Citizen you refer to activists
feeling discouraged since they don't often (or ever)
see the results of their constant and diligant
activism. You write about how the SDS (Students for a
Democratic Society) was getting totally frustrated
days before Mario Savio came on the scene and ignited
a massive movement. Should that inspire people to
keep going or should we simply acknowledge despair as
part of life and simply "get over it," as
the new pop saying goes?
PL:
How does one work in today's climate without a sense
of immediate gratification? How does one work knowing
that it will be for a future that may not be known in
this lifetime?
This
story (about the SDS) inspired me, because it
reminded me that we never know when history will
turn. Think of Mandela in South Africa, or the people
fighting for freedom in Eastern Europe. We just don't
know, but if we're silent, nothing will happen.
We
all feel despair from time to time, but it helps to
take a long view. Think of Hazel Wolf, the wonderful
101-year-old environmental activist I profile in Soul
of a Citizen. She participated in all sorts of
causes, many of which seemed like complete longshots.
But she lived long enough to see so many of them come
to fruition. In fact, as I point out, she might have
ended up in the street if she and other labor
activists hadn't pushed through one of the first
public pension programs that became a model for
Social Security. She built alliances between
environmentalists and Native American tribes 20 years
ago. Now they have an ongoing working relationship.
When times are difficult, I think you need this sense
of a longer view to be able to keep on.
HD: Numerous times throughout your book you refer to
ordinary citizens who suddenly take on a cause with
all the passion and commitment of someone who has
been doing it for years. What have you found to be
the main impetus for people getting involved in civic
action? Is it a personal thing? A personal crisis? A
calling from the depths?
PL:
People have to feel the cause personally. Sometimes
that means it affects them directly, or someone they
know, like Virginia Ramirez whom I write about, who
started a lifetime of activism after an old woman in
her neighborhood needlessly died of the cold. But
sometimes we act for someone we never knew. I write
about another woman who got involved challenging the
sweatshops of The Gap after seeing a video of a young
woman who reminded her of her daughter. Or
environmentalists who feel the destruction of woods
or rivers they view as sacred. So you have to feel
the story personally. It can't just be abstract
information.
HD: In your studies of soulful activism, what has
been the key elements on how activists sustain
themselves through such bouts of utter despair,
repression, oppression, depression? What should one
look for (symptoms, signs, behaviors, etc.) so
activist burnout doesn't win over? And what can we do
about it? (Do you have a story to tell?)
PL:
We have to keep touching on our roots, the stories
that inspire us to act. Sometimes after a while, we
forget what brought us in to begin with, and this
makes activism harder.
We
also need community. There's nothing worse than
feeling alone, but if we have others, we can help
each other through the journey. This also means being
kind to each other, recognizing that we're fallible,
valuing the contribution that each of us makes.
We
need to act as wisely as we can and then release the
results. And we need to set boundaries. As my friend
Hazel says, "You can't do everything, but you
can do what you can and then you can do some more.
And you can do that your entire life."
HD: Do you see an increase in local civic activism
now that we have a right-wing administration for the
next four years?
PL:
I hope there will be an increase. What worries me is
that we'll spend the next four years angry but
passive. Or retreat to such small local concerns that
we allow terrible things to happen at the national
level. We need to be more active than ever, reaching
out to new people, getting them to think about
critical issues, and making sure our outrage at this
illegitimate and destructive administration is heard
again and again, and heard publicly.
HD: Any new insights since you've come out with your
book that you would like to share with us?
PL:
Just the importance of bringing discussion of the
most important issues into everyday life: our
schools, our workplaces, our communities. We have to
work with as many people as possible who share our
concerns, which is why some of the new
labor/environmental alliances are so hopeful.
HD: What has been the most inspiring story of soulful
activism that you have come across, that actually
helps sustain your activism?
PL:
There are so many. A young woman in Atlanta who read
my book said "I don't meet people like the ones
you write about in my life." I said "Yes,
but if you get involved and take a stand, you
will." It's hard to choose between people like
Hazel, or the wonderful woman in San Antonio, or my
closest friend, a salmon fisherman, who creates great
environmental alliances. They all inspire me.
Paul Loeb is
the author of Soul of a Citizen. Check out his
website for more wisdom about activism with a soul: www.soulofacitizen.org.
[Also, see Suebob Davis' review of his book in this
issue.]
