When did you become aware of the issues that face women?
I was raised by a single mother, so I was aware of the hardships that face women and some of the specific issues that concern single women from birth. I watched my mom put herself through school. She was a teacher and had very limited options. However, I was not politicized about women's issues until college. The Rodney King verdict had a huge impact on me and eventually empowered me to make a difference.
Explain the first time you realized your actions could create social change.
The Rodney King verdict made some friends and I question our culture. In response to that, we created the Freedom Summer '92 Project. This was an effort to organize a massive voter registration drive. It was a huge project, but I was able to see the little changes were just as important to society as the big ones. The project taught me that I was an activist, and you don't have to be a celebrity to create change. Before that, I thought I wasn't powerful enough to create change or didn't have enough money. But I learned that everyone can use their own talents and even their small personal networks to create an important change that might not be noticed by the whole world.
What is grassroots activism and why is it important?
Grassroots is using the resources that one person has, no matter how big or small, and using them for a certain cause. The personal ways we live our lives can be considered grassroots activism. If you decide to buy a particular product over another because you don't believe in the company's labor policies or ingredients, or if you forgo the use of racist or sexist language are all small actions that indicate you are involved in grassroots activism. The small grassroots changes can make profound differences.
Why did you and Jennifer Baumgardner decide to write your book, "Grassroots: A Field Guide for Feminist Activism"?
The last chapter in our first book, "Manifesta" was called "What is Activism." Jennifer and I toured with "Manifesta," and many people would ask what they could do to make a difference with women's issues and how they could be more involved with promoting feminism. "Grassroots" was a direct response to those questions we heard from our readers. We learned that people weren't resistant to feminism, but people didn't understand feminism. "Grassroots" is a practical book to use feminist values in the name of activism and prioritizes the things you can do on a daily basis to make a difference.
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