You don't write because you want to say something; you
write because you've got something
to say.
to say.
The function of art is to do more than tell it like it
is- it’s to imagine what is possible.
How can one not speak about war, poverty, and
inequality when people who suffer from these afflictions don't have a voice to
speak?
One
of the most powerful types of persuasive writing, in my opinion, is writing for
social change. As with personal journaling, it is likely one of the most
common types of writing, because as the eminent American novelist F. Scott
Fitzgerald pointed out, “you write because you have something to say.”
And
who doesn’t have something to say? The
average person doesn’t translate their thoughts and opinions on social issues
into fiction or lengthy nonfiction narratives. But they do write letters to the
editor or respond to editorials and features in periodicals and online
journals, or to television newscasts and op-ed shows with telephone calls and
social media. This illuminates the importance of literacy in society. Writing
to foster and encourage improvement in the world affirms our individual humanity
and our place in the circle of life.
And
writing for change is a good way to hook young students on persuasive writing.
Years ago, I did a long-term sub as an English teacher in a charter school
whose students were mostly unsuccessful in larger public schools and were
taking a go at computer-based education in smaller classrooms. Whether they
held liberal or conservative opinions, they loved the English Comp unit in
which they chose a recipient for a letter about any social justice issue large
or small that they then had to write, edit, sign, and mail. There wasn’t a
single student who fluffed off on the assignment.
There
are a variety of issues that affect most people, if not everyone on our small
planet: ongoing problems with the world’s
petroleum-based economy, terrorism, domestic violence, poverty, homelessness, and
environmental degradation. These issues merit perennial attention, comment, and
action. And sometimes these diverse issues are inextricably linked in amazing
ways!
In
the US, we’re seeing a resurgence of interest in civil rights as
neo-conservative and a few neo-liberal politicians, especially in the
Republican-controlled Congress or Republican-controlled states, attempt to roll
back the clock on hard-fought and already settled policies affecting women, especially in regard to abortion and birth control. Other hot-button issues of
the day are voter registration and voting ID issues, self-defense / firearm
laws that sometimes lead to the questionable deaths of young people people of
color, poverty and minimum wage reform; police brutality and community policing
issues; and Middle Eastern politics, especially relating to the recent declaration
of war on the West by the Islamic State.
An
issue that surfaces periodically in American affairs but is coming to a head
due to its inextricable connections with civil rights, racism, and questionable
self-defense laws, is police overuse of force, as well as citizen abuse of U.S.
self-defense laws. We’re seeing many cases popping up like bad dreams across
the USA, as tensions mount in response to shooting deaths by police or
citizens of young people of color. One of the most controversial cases in
recent weeks is the shooting of eighteen-year-old Michael Brown by Officer
Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri, a case that brought thousands of people
and the mainstream media to the streets of this small community. The spotlight
remains bright there as a grand jury deliberates whether or not to charge Officer
Wilson with responsbility in the homicide. As I write and edit this essay, a
jury in Jacksonville, FL is hearing the final arguments in the retrial of
against Michael Dunn, the infamous white shooter of a black teen. Self-defense or irresponsible action with underlying racism and anger? [Note: Dunn was convicted of first-degree murder in the killing of teenager Jordan Davis on Wednesday, October 1, 2014.]
Certainly
the police use of force issue isn’t restricted to minority communities,
for there are high-profile cases across the country that involve women and
children and white victims. One case that brought a flurry of writing and activism
in my neck of the woods is the police beating of white, homeless,
thirty-eight-year-old Kelly Thomas in Fullerton, California in 2011. The
killing, completely captured on video, stimulated my writing ire because of the
particularly brutal actions by three officers and the negligence of three others.
It was difficult to accept that it took a full year to arrest two officers and
terminate their employment and even harder to accept the not guilty verdict in
January 2014.
There
are a host of other issues that capture my attention, but I’m particularly vocal,
or should I say prone to set my opinions to writing, in response to social
justice and civil rights cases. I’ve written
many a letter to the editor of newspapers, as well as letters to police chiefs,
presidents and prime ministers of nations, heads of corporations, and to my city, state, and local
representatives.
My
writing process is simple: experience concern or outrage in response to an
issue or the news of the day, sit down at the computer or with pen and paper and
mentally work it out into a coherent letter or essay. I
could say more specific things about this genre, but writing for social justice
is as natural as thinking or speaking, and it’s easy to find your voice for
this purpose. All it takes is a lotta heart, a desire to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves, a commitment to create the
highest and best circumstances for all, and some attention to writing organization
and detail.
Here
are some resources and sites of interest for emerging and expert writers, and
for writing teachers and students:
Photos February 2014, 5000 Angelenos for Kelly
