We explain what activism is, what actions it can encompass and what forms it takes. Also, examples of activists from history and today.
What is activism?
Activism (from Latin activus“active”) is a mode of public participation, in which People dedicate time, money and/or efforts to a political or social cause that they consider to be of great importance such as environmentalism, gender equality, the vindication of marginal communities, among many others.
People who are dedicated to activism are called activists. There can be social, political, gender activists and as many others as there are causes that merit militancy. In some contexts, the term is used as a synonym for “protester” or “social leader”, but in general any person who actively participates in the fight for a cause can be considered a activist.
In general, activism are cooperative movements that is, they seek to collectively engage people around a cause. Many activists are associated with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and informal organizations (through social networks), which provide them with structure and coordination to operate locally and even internationally.
Their most frequent actions include popular demonstration, boycotting services and products, obtaining signatures for a petition among others. There are very diverse ways in which this occurs: some involve the use of digital and computer tools (cyberactivism), for example, while others propose the mobilization of civil society in the streets (citizen activism).
Likewise, we can talk about activism in various areas, such as the judicial (to demand justice), the ecological (to protect the environment), the social (to help certain social sectors or change practices and laws) or politics (to favor an ideological vision).
Examples of famous activists
Some examples of famous activists are:
- Chico Mendes (1944-1988). A worker, rubber tapper and union leader, he was a Brazilian environmental activist who peacefully opposed the logging industry and the expansion of grasslands in the South American Amazon. He was awarded by the UN and the Better World Society of the United States, among others, before being assassinated by his political and economic rivals in the city of Xapuri, on December 22, 1988.
- Malala Yousafzai (1997-). Pakistani activist in favor of civil rights and especially women's rights, she was the youngest person (17 years old) to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. Her opposition to the restrictive measures of the Pakistani Taliban regime made her the victim of an attack in 2012, which she miraculously survived at the age of 15. Since then he has lived in England.
- Martin Luther King (1929-1968). American activist who fought for civil rights and sought to end racial segregation in his country through peaceful marches and mobilizations. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 and was assassinated in 1968 at the age of 39.
- Greta Thumberg (2003-). Young activist of Swedish origin, whose fight against global warming and for a systemic change in ecological policies in the world have made her the icon of the international environmental fight. Her commitment to activism began in 2018, when after a heat wave and fires in Sweden, she and her classmates refused to attend school and instead went to sit in protest in front of the Swedish parliament, demanding that the local government adjust its carbon emissions to what is established in the Paris Agreement.
- Jazz Jennings (2000-). American YouTuber and activist for LGBT rights, and especially for the rights of transgender people. She is a trans woman, co-founder of TransKids Purple Rainbow Foundation, which since 2007 has tried to help parents of transgender children. Since 2015 he has shown his life through the YouTube series I am Jazz (“I am Jazz”).
- Xu Zhiyong (1973-). Professor at the Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications and human rights lawyer from China. He was one of the founders of the NGO “Open Constitution Initiative” and founder of the New Citizens Movement, which seeks to promote a more democratic society in China. His activism cost him a 4-year prison sentence in 2014.
- Berta Caceres (1971-2016). Honduran indigenous and feminist leader, activist for the defense of the environment. She was co-founder of the Civic Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras, which fights against racial discrimination, and winner of the Goldman Environmental Prize, the highest award in the ecological fight. She was murdered in 2016, after years of persecution by her political rivals. She is considered a national heroine of Honduras.
- Wangari Maathai (1940-2011). Kenyan politician and ecological activist, she was the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004. She was the founder in 1977 of the Green Belt Movement, an NGO that fights for the preservation of the environment, gender equality and the defense of civil rights in third world countries. He was a member of the Kenyan parliament and a member of the Honorary Council of the Council for the Future of the World, which defends the rights of future generations in the world. She died in 2011 from ovarian cancer.
References
- Amnesty international. (sf). “What does it mean to be an activist?” https://amnistia.org.mx/
- Online Spanish Etymological Dictionary. “Small explanation about the word activism.” https://etimologias.dechile.net/
- Royal Spanish Academy. (2022). “Activism”. Dictionary of the Spanish Language. Espasa.