Speaking Out

By Ted Resnikoff

30DoL_9_Speaking_Out

30DoL_9_Speaking_Out

DAY 9: Making the narrative public

It can be hard to express the fullness of your identity in public when who you are or what you know to be right is different from others, but when it comes to witnessing inequity and injustice it is necessary to speak out – even when its hard.

Speaking out does not mean confrontation – it is not forgetting what you know to be true, sharing with others what you have witnessed, and teaching what you know about the injustice of what you have witnessed are ways of speaking out.

History teaches that inspiring closed minds and hard hearts with one's voice in support what is just and right is more effective than confrontation. Mahatma Ghandi and Martin Luther King, Jr. made their name by speaking out, and what they accomplished is monumental. But there are also people whose names we might not know who speak out in non-violence against injustice, like André Trocmé (read his story in this post on Blue Boat, or read this list of peace activists) and whose contribution is just as meaningful.

What these people did is simple – they had the courage to speak out in ways that other people can hear.

Speaking out doesn't need a big name. It doesn't need a following of thousands, what it needs is conscience, courage and heart.

During this 30 Days of Love campaign let us all individually do what may be normally difficult: act from our conscience, muster our courage, engage our heart and speak out with love for what is right and just.

Read the Day 9 post on 30 Days of Love, her e for more information on what you can do and multi-generational activities.