Finding our Place in the Social Change Ecosystem

Every week as we share our concerns I hear folks say “I’m worried about the state of the world, and I wish there was more I could do.” The problems are so big, and we are so small in comparison … I know I feel that way. But remember, we are all part of the interconnected web of life. We do nothing alone.

Last year, when the new administration took office, social media was filled with posts about what we MUST do, as if, for example, calling your representatives daily was the only way to be a good citizen committed to social change. When this diagram appeared in my feed, I felt a sigh of relief. I’ll be honest  -- I hate talking to strangers on the phone, and it didn’t seem like those hundreds of postcards my neighbors and I had sent were having any impact we could see. But some things that didn’t look anything like protesting or lobbying did seem to make an impact- remember when the Athens congregation opened the church the day after the election for our neighbors to share lunch and their feelings? Even though I joined on Zoom I could FEEL the power of that. My friends and I shared news about the boycotts and spending blackouts we would participate in, and some of those boycotts have made a difference too. 

Around this time last year I organized a couple of neighborhood trash pickups (we live in downtown Ithaca, and so when the winter snows melt, it reveals months of litter. Yuck) because I had this sense that we were going to need to strengthen our local communities, to build capacity for what we could do together. During that first trash pickup a neighbor called out to us, on that almost pleasant early spring day, and asked what we were up to. I looked and realized we had strayed a bit far from the sidewalk into her yard. She wasn’t concerned about that -- she was excited that we were out picking up trash in the neighborhood. We introduced ourselves, and by the end of our talk had added her and her housemate to our neighborhood text message group where we alert each other to emergencies and ask to borrow a cup of sugar. Later that summer, when the city repaved our road for the first time in 40 years, she organized a block party and invited the mayor, who (we were amazed) came an did a ribbon cutting on our little block. There we met even more neighbors, and the Mayor listened politely to my concerns about the increasing number of vacant houses in our neighborhood. It didn’t change what was happening in Washington, but that trash pickup has strengthened our neighborhood connections and our capacity to respond.

In this year’s UUA common read, Depa Iyer, a long time part of social change groups, goes deeper that framework that I saw on social media, describing the many ways we can pitch in. I’ll go through them pretty quickly  and I invite each of you to consider as we list these, are there any that you often play in the groups you are a part of? Are there roles you are drawn to or would be interested in trying in the future? 

Front line responders- “we address community crisis by assembling and organizing resources, networks and messages.”

Right now in Ithaca, a building that houses at risk people was condemned because broken windows in the only exit stairwell made it unsafe. The front line responders include those who immediately jumped in to find out what folks who’d suddenly had to leave their homes needed, from diapers to pet food. They are organizing donations, tracking the responses of the landlord and the timeline of the city and helping coordinate a way forward.

Visionaries “We imagine and generate our boldest possibilities, hopes and dreams and remind us of our direction”

This vision could be as simple as “what if the Valley had it’s own pride celebration?”

Builders: “We develop, organize and implement ideas, practices, people and resources in service to a collective vision”

That’s all the folks who said- great idea, how can I help? They set up tables, planned menus cooked the food, built a mailing list.

Disrupters “we take uncomfortable and risky actions to shake up the status quo, to raise awareness, and to build power”

Like the folks blowing whistles and putting themselves in front of ICE agents in their neighborhood, or folks asking hard questions in the city council meeting.

Caregivers “we nurture and nourish the people around us by creating and sustaining a community of care, joy and connection.”

The folks who host our social hour are caregivers. The folks who reach out to members and friends when they are hurting are caregivers.

Experimenters: We innovate, pioneer and invent we take risks and course correct as needed.

The folks who helped us pivot to zoom worship during covid, and then helped create the systems we use for multi platform worship are experimenters

Weavers: we see the through-lines of connectivity between people, places organizations, ideas and movements.

Those of us who help connect with our partner congregations, and other partner organizations in our community are weavers.

Storytellers: We craft and share our community stories, cultures, experiences histories and possibilities through art, music, media and movement

Like the author of our children’s story this morning

Healers: We recognize and tend to the generational and current traumas caused by oppressive systems, institutions, polices and practices.

When we hold our Transgender Day of Remembrance service, we are taking the role of healers

Guides: We teach, counsel, and advise, using our gifts of well-earned discernment and wisdom.

Anytime you use the wisdom you have gained through your own experience to support people in that role today you are being a guide.

I invite you to take a moment to reflect- did any of these roles resonated with you? Are there roles you have played? Roles you would like to learn?

Now at the center what connects all those roles is our values. That’s what brings us together, and what guides the work we do. In our UU tradition we have 6 values with love at the center And I would argue that because we live in a world that is not always guided by these values, whenever we come together around our values, we are social change makers. And whether you are the person who makes the coffee, or makes worship, brings lasagna to a person recovering form surgery, the one who helps us share a vision for a better world, the one who keeps us connected, or the one everyone calls when there is a crisis and they aren’t sure what to do -- making the world a better place takes all of us. Just as this valley needs the river and the maple trees, the bird, the insects, the fish, mushrooms, the good bacteria in the soil and us too.

As in any ecosystem, we try to keep things in balance. If you have a group with too many builders and not enough visionaries and disrupters, you end up getting stuck in your ways and forgetting where you are going, or not noticing when you have lost your way. A group without any experimenters will definitely not be able to keep up with changing times, and a group with only visionaries will never get where they are going. It’s good to think from time to time about the balance of our ecosystem, and notice what is missing.

Sometimes folks who have been doing a role for a while need step back and take a different role. This helps to avoid burnout, but also makes space to invite new voices, and welcome new people into roles they might be ready to try.

Our churches also have a role within the larger eco-systems of our communities.

Unitarian Universalists have often been disrupters since our very beginning, sharing our heretical ideas that God loves everyone, or that black lives matter. During the flood of 2011 The Athens congregation was a front-line responder going from house to house asking what neighbors needed. When we offer our community meal we are being a caregiver and weaver. Each week when we gather for worship we are storytellers, and when we provide infrastructure for one of our community partners, like the Endless Mountain Pride, we are builders.

The good news this morning is that whatever your skills, your experience, there is a place for you in the ecosystem of this congregation, and in the larger movement woven together of many smaller ecosystems working to create a more just, compassionate, sustainable world. Together we and all our human and more than human neighbors co-create the world we long to see, with love at the center.