R is for Rural Activism #AtoZChallenge
My 2025 A to Z Challenge theme is activism. I’ve been a Black Lives Matter activist for over a decade. I’m not an expert. I do have experience to share and I’m hoping to learn from your experiences, too. We’re all in this together.
I grew up in a small town in Missouri. I’ve lived in a suburb of St. Louis for decades. Last month, I had an opportunity to speak to Democrats in the county where I grew up. That presentation, and the discussion that followed it, is what motivated my theme for the A to Z Challenge.
I learned a lot. Rural activists struggle to find community and take greater risks when they speak out.
Rural activists are keenly aware of their lack of anonymity.
One woman lost a friend of 40 years because she was spotted at a Black Lives Matter protest in front of the county courthouse in 2020.
Rural activists can’t lobby in their representative’s office in Jefferson City and allow him to assume they voted for him — he knows who they are. That’s why I visited him during my trip to the state capital. I used my anonymity to get in the door.
If they raise a big stink with letters to the editor or public statements in city council meetings, they risk fall-out with their neighbors. And, let’s not forget, their neighbors are more likely to have guns than my neighbors.
Here are some things that have worked for my rural friends:
- Follow Jess Piper and other rural activist leaders
- Share information and frustration in a private on-line group
- Arrange quiet gatherings at libraries and churches as Democrats or just as concerned citizens
- Carpool to protests in nearby cities
- Join with Democrats in neighboring counties for events and camaraderie
I signed up for the Rural Democratic Leaders Conference to see if I could learn more.
What do you know about rural activism?