ACT-A-THON — the Black-led Organization Asking You to Make Your Activism Active, June 12th + 13th
In a long-overdue shift, the world is beginning to wake up to the harsh reality of the Black experience with police brutality in the United States. As protests continue across the country, the Black-led grassroots organization Act-A-Thon is hoping to harness this momentum, passion, and outrage, to hold the state accountable and create real change across the United States criminal justice system. The Act-A-Thon 2020 movement is challenging the increasingly fascist police state we live in through a two-day event that will ensure citizens' voices and demands are met to change this harmful system.
The virtual event is asking citizens to commit to virtually contacting at least four state elected officials, over the phone or email, as well as other state representatives and police departments across the nation this Friday and Saturday (6/12/20 and 6/13/20). Act-A-Thon is providing the scripts for calls and emails for every state, as well as all the other details you need to make the call or send the email. Throughout the two days, they’re also hosting an amazing lineup of various performers, DJs, speakers, and hosts to tune in to on their Instagram Live.
Act-A-Thon is inviting us to do more than just sharing a message or posting a black square on Instagram, but to take part in real action that will lead to the changes that America desperately needs. They are calling for the end of silence, and the end of fruitless efforts on the internet. Act-A-Thon understands the power of citizens' voices to demand changes in the institutions that are systematically embedding racial injustices, and they are providing the tools for any, and every, person to do so. In the last two weeks, we have seen post upon post of calls for change. Through Act-A-Thon, we can create this change in a real, tangible way.
We spoke to the amazing team behind Act-A-Thon to get more of an insight into the organization, and the upcoming event.
Can you give us a brief intro to the project and the team behind Act-A-Thon?
Act-A-Thon is a Black-led organization aiming to utilize the collective power of citizens’ voices to hold the state accountable for change that is far overdue. We are a team of about twenty individuals from various creative and technological specialities.
We’ve been seeing a lot of different online initiatives in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, but this is definitely one of a kind. What was the initial thought process? How did it all come together?
One of our team members came up with the idea and approached the rest of the team to discuss creation. Our initial meetings concerned how we could put all of this together in time to address the urgency of the situation at hand. The original creator wanted to find a way to compile a comprehensive list of resources (names, phone numbers, emails and scripts) in such a way that was user-friendly. Coming from a creative background, it was important to her that there was a message conveyed via the design of the organization’s branding, too.
We all came together and identified what areas we would work best in. First, we started with the excel sheet that includes all of the data we’ve compiled, and since then we’ve been working nonstop to bring actathon.com to life. The website, which is the database for this movement, serves as the center of the project. At the core of it all, we are united by attending the same university. After we all left school–in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic–we were longing for the similar type of socially-aware community that we had on campus. Throughout this process, we’ve reignited that feeling of community as we worked together to make Act-A-Thon happen.
The organization of data and information for this project must have been huge. How did you go about that? Did things ever feel overwhelming?
It was hard work, but with the information so easily available to us on the internet, it felt like the most ideal thing to do during a time like this. We teamed up to gather the information within a matter of days; splitting the work between our team made it possible and we each used our individual strengths to make it work.
“White supremacy wants to see you get exhausted to the point where you throw your hands up and quit, but you must be resilient”
When you first reached out to us, you said you “aim to utilize the collective power of citizen’s voices to hold the state accountable.” To those individuals wondering if their single voice can make a difference, what would you say to them? In your words, what is the true power of the citizen’s voice? And why is it important to exercise that?
We would tell those individuals: look at the changes we have been able to make within the past week compared to what we saw just a month ago. We would tell them to look at all the officers involved in George Floyd’s murder being charged. We would tell them to look at the entire Minneapolis Police Department beginning to have the necessary conversations about disbanding. For far too long, many of us have had the privilege of being passive citizens, placing too much faith in the facade that American institutions have our best interests at heart, while they continue to commit heinous human rights violations.
As we note the positive changes that we see on the horizon, it is important to emphasize that there is so much more work to be done in order to make sure that we are all free. Thus, to the person wondering about the power that their voice holds, we would say: if you approach the concept of justice individually it may seem futile, but together we have the possibility to make truly substantial change.
Many people are starting to focus on how to tackle activist burnout — how do you think people can stay active after official events and media begin to die down? (Especially looking towards allies.)
Social awareness and allyship is a practice that you must embody—but you must also make sure that you protect your mental health and take a break if necessary, and then get right back to work. White supremacy wants to see you get exhausted to the point where you throw your hands up and quit, but you must be resilient — as Black people, who have been dealing with racism and fighting for freedom for so long, have been.
First and foremost, what white people must understand is that this fight for justice is not a trend and should not be treated as such. White and non-black POC need to learn as much as they can about the true history and origins of this country, and beyond that, look at the diverse world around them, compare it with artistic and literary canons preached by the mainstream, and ask themselves why that disconnect exists. By placing priority on creative works (texts, films, online content, etc.) by BIPOC artists in your daily life, your knowledge base and comprehension of these perspectives will continue to grow. You can begin to decolonize your mind and see the world with fresh eyes that have been informed diversely.
For all people, regularly supporting Black businesses is another way to stay active. We need to invest our money within the Black community via Black-owned businesses, Black art, etc., in order to help sustain the future we as a society are trying to achieve.
“At the root of it all, even in our darkest moments as Black people, for everything that has been denied and still being denied to us–there is always time for black joy, healing, and education.”
I know you’re also planning to include different speakers and entertainment, can you tell us a little bit about this! Any hints as to who will be involved?
We wanted to make sure that there was an opportunity to highlight BIPOC voices through performances from musicians and poets, to conversations from artists and educators. We see this as a way to keep up the momentum, have a little fun, and offer momentary healing through culturally relevant conversation. The creator of the project wanted to stress that, “At the root of it all, even in our darkest moments as Black people, for everything that has been denied and still being denied to us–there is always time for black joy, healing, and education.”
After this event, what do further plans for Act-A-Thon look like? Will you all be continuing as an organization?
As a society, we tend to always ask what’s next — we want to challenge ourselves to instead slow down and look at the issue at hand. Systemic racism will take a lot of active work to dismantle and we aim to use this new platform as a way to be a mirror to the state, demanding from it what we as citizens deserve. We plan to address systemic racism not just while it's “trendy” but until it’s completely dismantled.
What do you hope participants walk away with after Act-A-Thon? What is the longlasting message you’d like to convey?
All power to all the people.
Finally, any closing statements?
We hope you join the revolution from your home and make your activism active. Democracy has this way of brainwashing it’s citizens into complacency because of the facade America instills in it’s citizens that it will take care of all of us. This is not a democratic, republican, or political issue for any matter: America as a whole has failed it’s citizens and our government has sat and watched until we finally cried out. It is time for us collectively as citizens to let our voices be heard.
“We hope you join the revolution from your home and make your activism active.”
As best said in the Act-A-Thon manifesto, if 11 million people can post a black square on Instagram, then our collective power as active voices taken to the state can be truly effective. It is your turn to get involved and create real change, by signing up for Act-A-Thon, contacting state representatives and police departments, and tuning into the Instagram Live. This two-day event is going to be one-of-a-kind, led by a team of amazing young Black activists, and it needs as many people as possible involved to demand the change we need.