By Alexandra Paul
I wanted to share with you some lessons I have learned from my activist experiences, hoping they will help you on your activist journey.
My first activist act came when I was 9. I wrote to President Nixon to ask him to stop pollution. To my amazement, I got a letter back, signed by him! That meant he heard me! Even though my sister Caroline and our friend Nancy – who had also written to him – got the exact same letter, it did not dampen my enthusiasm. That moment made me believe that one person doing one small thing can have an impact. And that is a lesson I have carried throughout my activist life.
Which is why I can be a real drag to grocery shop with! I agonize in the store over whether to buy the peanut butter that is fair trade but imported from far away; the peanut butter in the glass jar by a big conglomerate, as opposed to the plastic jar by a small independent company; or organic vs. conventional. I really do believe that my decisions as a consumer are very important to the wellbeing of the world.
The difficulty in reconciling all my values was highlighted when I got married 25 years ago, and I chose a dress that was not made out of silk, but instead was a synthetic fiber. I have not worn anything from an animal in almost 40 years, so it seemed a natural choice. However, I received a letter from someone saying I was a hypocrite because that fiber came from petroleum and if I am driving electric cars to use less gas why would I choose clothes that were also made from oil? I wrote to him and agreed that sometimes my values conflict and I have to pick what I consider the lesser of two evils. This reminded me that being perfect is not the point – what I must strive for is to thoughtfully examine my values and do the right thing from there, knowing that sometimes I cannot fulfill all my ideals.
In 2008, I was really mad that California voters had passed Proposition 8, which banned gays the right to marry. I felt compelled to show my support for gay rights, so the next day I stood on the busy intersection of 26th and San Vicente in Santa Monica with a sign that said “Straight Against Hate” and “Let Gays Marry.” I had held a lot of signs at a lot of vigils and marches, but this was the first time in 25 years that I had been alone at my own protest, and I felt very vulnerable and too “seen,” but I stuck it out. Years later, I was in Whole Foods and a woman behind me at the checkout said to me “I saw you on San Vicente holding those signs and I just want to thank you.” Just another reminder to me that you don’t have to have a large crowd to have an effect, you can just do you.
But working in a group can be uplifting and life changing. Most of my friends are people I met through activism, probably because working together for a higher goal bonds you and you often meet on a regular basis so you get to know each other naturally and easily. [Third Act SoCal comms lead] Zan and the small but mighty crew of early electric car adopters trying to keep EVs on the road 25 years ago are friends I am still close to today. My EV activism is maybe the only issue of all the ones I have been involved with that I can say definitively “we won.” All the others – environment, peace, animal rights, civil rights, human overpopulation – are ones I will probably never be able to say “my work is done here.” What I have learned from that is to not go for outcome but for the journey, or you will get burned out. And having a small group of people who believe in the same goals as you can enrich your life immeasurably by giving you purpose and community and helping you keep coming back.
So, I do not worry about results. There is a lot of talk about being an “efficient activist” and “effective altruist” but I don’t believe that is as important as just getting out there and doing something for the world, because there really are many effects you will never see. I registered voters with my friend Chuck Levin at a card table on an LA street corner for 18 years. A lot of the time, my 2-hour stint each week would result in just one voter registered, or often no one. But Chuck would say, “Even though no one registered, about 50 people walked by and were reminded of voting. And they might even mention voting to someone else.” This taught me about slow and steady wins the race. Chuck says I registered about 900 people over the years. Chuck, who has been sitting at that card table all over the state since 1968, has registered 14,000 Californians.
When I was 18 and first moved to Los Angeles, I joined the nonprofit organization, Southern Californians for a Nuclear Free Zone. It was 1982, and I was extremely worried about a nuclear war or the detonation of one of the 57,000 nuclear weapons in the world back then. One of the main things we were doing was getting a petition signed to make the area a nuclear-free zone, and I was asked to go door to door to get signatures. Well, after an hour or so of doing that, I came back to the office in tears because I was so scared and uncomfortable getting doors slammed in my face or people ignoring me completely, and I felt so guilty because the future of the planet was at stake and I was too chicken to ask people to just sign on a dotted line?
I remember Jerry Rubin was in the office when—do any of you know the indomitable Jerry Rubin who is still an incredible activist in Santa Monica?—and he said to me, “Don’t worry Alexandra, there are so many other things you can do.” And I learned then that being a lifelong activist means doing what I am suited for. If you are not comfortable being in the streets with a sign, there are letters to be written, calls to be made, even signs to be made. If you don’t like posting your views on social media, you can host a small fundraiser or send a check. There is a place for you and whatever your talents are, and every kind of activist is crucial.
One time a friend of my husband’s asked me “So Alexandra what you are against these days?” and I was taken aback because being against things didn’t sound very good. I realized then that I wanted my messaging to be clearly for something. I couldn’t simply be against war, otherwise I would be putting war into peoples’ heads and not peace. Framing matters—it is a marketing truism. Tell folks what you want, don’t remind them of what you don’t want. It is one of the reasons the EV movement was successful – instead of being against polluting cars and against oil companies we had a solution that people and governments could clearly act on: make EVs, buy EVs, make it easier to buy EVs. We put the solution into people’s heads and helped normalize it.
I am not a funny person, but I also think that lightening up can help both ourselves and our cause. I went to where the leader of the Westboro Baptist Church was protesting gay rights and spewing out rhetoric that was really awful to gays. My friend Brien and I made a sign that said, “This man needs a hug,” with an arrow pointing to this leader and we just stood next to him. And our loving sign next to his hateful signs made him look silly. And impotent.
Apparently, the activists in Portland are doing the same thing with lots of blow-up animals and dancing outside the ICE building. It is hard to see liberals as dangerous and the city as crime infested when activists there are dressed up as pink dinosaurs and dancing. Oh, and naked! Some 1,000 Portlanders rode bikes naked through the streets, prompting GOP Speaker of the House Mike Johnson to say, “Most recently, the most threatening thing I’ve seen yet was the naked bicyclers in Portland who were protesting ICE. It’s getting really ugly.”
For me, messaging is important, optics are vital. Which is why I am always respectful and non-violent in my protesting. I recommend a civil disobedience training for all activists, even if you are not a marcher or sign-waver or doing sit-ins. I see it as amateur activism when people start yelling at the police or the opposition, because you cannot get the high ground back once there is swearing and screaming and throwing things and violence. It detracts from your cause.
As an animal cruelty investigator who has gone on many factory farm facilities and documented animals in great distress, I follow what my activist friend Chris DeRose of Last Chance for Animals taught me. He says, “It is not about you, it is about the animals, and your emotions only get in the way of what you are there to do.” So be peaceful in all your interactions, no matter how upset you are.
So, this weekend, get out and protest peacefully. Maybe add humor to your sign. Include what you want for America, instead of just what you don’t want. Whether you are in a large group, a small group or by yourself outside your home, it all counts. It all makes a difference. If you are worried about holding a sign, hand out cookies or flowers to other activists, or drive by a protest over and over and honk your support, – once one person honks, other drivers do it, too, and it really helps the energy. The important thing is to do something, and I am excited to hear what your plans for Saturday are.