Last Thursday, I got to stand in the same auditorium as Gloria Steinem at Northeastern University. I probably don't have to tell you, but she played a huge role in women's history. She was a journalist, a writer, she devoted most of her life to activism and traveling, and has founded or co-founded many organizations that help women.
Besides being a total badass, she's eloquent, intelligent, and beautiful. Before her lecture began, she tried to transform a bright, cool auditorium into an intimate space. She asked us to pretend we were sitting in a circle, looking at each other's faces instead of looking at each other's backs, sitting in a hierarchy, symbolic of patriarchy. Come away from this with an idea, she said.
We tend to think of activism as a difficult task, but as Steinem said, it starts with sharing stories, talking, and making sure different perspectives and backgrounds are involved in these conversations. At her Q and A session, many activists had a conflict they wanted to ask her about. Her answer to each person had the same tone. It's simple — do what you can. "Nothing is small, everything is big," she said.
She had a lot of great points, but one in particular focused on history and how important it is to know "everything we want once was here." If we don't know that, it's going to seem impossible, Steinem said. How can we try to get something back if we don't know it exists? The Cherokee language didn't have gender pronouns, she told us. "People were people — what a concept."
Steinem has already done so much, so we need to carry the torch. Activism and change isn't going to happen overnight and it can't happen all at once. We need to do what we can. We need to listen to people's stories and tell ours, too. We can have conversations and teach each other. Any kind of change starts with knowledge because without it nothing will be accomplished.
I didn't come away with any grand idea. I came away with wanting to do something. I may not be staging a radical protest at my catholic college any time soon, although that would be sweet, but I'll continue to be mindful of intersectionality and different perspectives. I'll try to have some of the conversations that need to be had. Together, if we do what we can, real change will come but we can't give up.
