Here’s an article I wrote that was published in the Urban Alliance for Sustainability’s December newsletter. Enjoy.
“Whoever you are, whatever you are, start with that, whether salt of the earth or only white sugar.”
-Alice Walker
Unfortunately, the struggle for social justice is all too often thought of as a movement conducted on the societal plane by professionals in court, government, the media or the marketplace. While these are often the dramatic loci of action, where the stakes seem highest, and where battles are waged in the public arena, often over long periods, they are not the only places to build power. Nor are professionals the only people who can work toward social justice.
Each of us can build power in our everyday social interactions, in the conversations and meetings with family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers. Each of us has the chance to be designers of our own social realities, ones that foster the conditions for health and happiness – no bullhorn required.
In fact, your own social circle may be the best place to start the journey to social justice, because this is where you can have the biggest impact. Why? Because this is where you have the most freedom to act. And because business, political, and artistic innovations always emerge from intimate, local contexts like your circle of friends. You can take action in your social circle today.
The idea can be boiled down to this: power is not something that is “out there” or for tomorrow. It is something available to us here and now. It is within us and around us in our social networks. You have it and can build it wherever you are and whomever you are with. It’s a potentiality that can be cultivated consciously.
While this may seem like a bold claim, there is a lot of evidence that this is true. Some of it can be found in the research on social capital. Social capital is made up of three things – social connectedness, trust, and reciprocity. While social inequalities often stem from systematic oppression, a wide range of social outcomes are linked to social capital including education, health, contentment, crime rates, and prosperity.
For example, before Robert Putnam wrote Bowling Alone, he conducted a decade long study that explained, among other things, why Northern Italy is more prosperous than Southern Italy. Putnam found that Northern Italy “did not become civic simply because they were rich. The historical record strongly suggests precisely the opposite: They became rich because they were civic.” In other words, Northern Italy became richer because it had more social capital – people were better connected, trusted each other more, and helped each other more across family lines than people in Southern Italy.
Another striking example is explored in the book Heat Wave by sociologist Eric Klinenberg. In July 1995, a disastrous heat wave hit Chicago killing over 700 people. Part of the book explored differences in the death rates of North and South Lawndale, two adjoining neighborhoods with similar socio-economic status, climate, and numbers of elderly living alone (the highest risk group in the heat wave). Despite the similarities, South Lawndale’s death rate was 75% lower than North Lawndale’s. Klinenberg attributed the lower death rate to higher social connectedness and support in South Lawndale, which he referred to as a “growing little village.”
These stories inspired a few friends and I to start The Abundance League, a nearly three-year experiment in consciously building social capital among San Franciscans interested in social sustainability. The name Abundance League suggests that the richness of our lives depends on working together. We figured that since social capital seemed to play such a big role in determining quality of life, we should learn as much as we could about creating healthy social environments and practice doing it ourselves.
Our monthly meetings are set up to do just that. The meetings have three parts – announcements, a main presentation, and ensuing discussion as well as lots of time to mingle before and after. Announcements set the stage for the entire meeting. Each participant gets three minutes to talk about three things – their passion or project, what they need to move their passion or project forward, and what gifts (skills, contacts, knowledge, etc.) they can share to help other members move forward. For the main presentation, we bring in speakers to give in-depth talks about their efforts in social sustainability. The information shared in announcements and the presentation stimulates an ongoing exchange of contacts, knowledge, and support between participants. Helping each other is an explicit expectation, one that is enthusiastically lived up to by participants.
I have received a great deal feedback from those who have attended regularly that this simple monthly meeting has been very rewarding. We’ve not only had fun and learned a lot at each meeting, but we’ve weaved a social web together. Over time, we have forged new connections, gained deep knowledge of each other’s dreams, and ignited a cycle of exchange that throws off many benefits such as jobs, collaborations, cross linking of each others’ projects through board memberships and volunteering, consulting projects, speaking opportunities, donations to each others’ causes, other social outings, and new friendships. We’ve built social capital in a fun and natural way, letting the format and intention of the meeting do most of the work.
I’ve learned many lessons from co-facilitating the Abundance League. Here are a few ideas to try in your social circle:
- Weave. Talk stock of your friends. Do they all know each other? If not, foster friendships between them. It will make your friendships even stronger. And make a habit of introducing people, even if you’ve only just met them.
- Include. If you already have a tight circle of friends, find ways to bring new people into your circle or link to other groups. This will bring new ideas, opportunities, and connections into your life.
- Mobilize. Let your friends know what you stand for. If you have a cause or passion, share it. And find ways to involve them.
- Connect. Bring your friends together regularly. Because of differences in place and schedules, it can be difficult to meet up with your friends one at a time. Host a regular event.
- Help. Nothing speaks louder than action. Find ways to help your friends, and in the most meaningful ways. This requires that you to discover what’s most important to them. Make mutual support an explicit part of your social circle.
- Share. Make a habit of loaning and giving. Possessions can be a point of connection. Exchanging books, CDs, and DVDs is a great place to start.
- Enjoy. The benefits of your efforts won’t come immediately. Relationships take time. Make the process fun and the benefits will come in their own time.
By experimenting with these simple techniques in your everyday life, you can build social capital and put the “social” in social justice.
Time magazine’s March issue listed the idea of “common wealth” as the number one idea that is changing the world.
