What’s Your Role in Social Change at 100 Seconds to Midnight?

Ear readers, press play to listen to this page.

It is 100 seconds to midnight.

“It is 100 seconds to midnight. We are now expressing how close the world is to catastrophe in seconds – not hours, or even minutes. It is the closest to Doomsday we have ever been in the history of the Doomsday Clock. We now face a true emergency – an absolutely unacceptable state of world affairs that has eliminated any marginFor me this space of radical openness is a margin a profound edge. Locating oneself there is difficult yet necessary. It is not a “safe” place. One is always at... More for error or further delay.”

Press Release—IT IS NOW 100 SECONDS TO MIDNIGHT – Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

100 Seconds to Midnight: The Need for a Human-Centered Education

NeurodiversityNeurodiversity is the diversity of human minds, the infinite variation in neurocognitive functioning within our species.NEURODIVERSITY: SOME BASIC TERMS & DEFINITIONS Neurodiversity is a biological fact. It’s not a perspective, an approach, a... More is one of the most powerful ideas of our generation. We are in an era of mass behaviorismUltimately behaviorism provides a simplistic lens that can’t see beyond itself.Why is the doctrine of behaviorism still being used, at all?How can ABA be the gold-standard for autism when it... More and unvarnished eugenicsEugenics is the scientifically inaccurate theory that humans can be improved through selective breeding of populations.Eugenics is an inaccurate theory linked to historical and present-day forms of discrimination, racism, ableism and... More. We need allies in the fight for the right to live and learn differentlyOur friends and allies at Randimals have a saying, What makes us different, makes all the difference in the world.Randimals We agree. Randimals are made up of two different animals... More.

Everyone needs to get aboard the solidarity against ableismable·ism /ˈābəˌlizəm/ nounA system of assigning value to people's bodies and minds based on societally constructed ideas of normalcy, productivity, desirability, intelligence, excellence, and fitness. These constructed ideas are deeply... More train, yesterday.

We are in an era of unvarnished eugenics.

Gwen Snyder on Twitter

Our Volunteer page lists• Progress in human understanding has become increasingly complex and overwhelming.• Checklists help prevent serious but easily avoidable mistakes.• Checklists should be as short as possible, include all essential steps... More some roles in social change.

• Weavers: I see the through-lines of connectivity between people, places, organizations, ideas, and movements.
• Experimenters: I innovate, pioneer, and invent. I take risks and course-correct as needed.
• Frontline Responders: I address communityWhat I have always been hoping to accomplish is the creation of community.Community is magic. Community is power. Community is resistance.Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from the Twenty-First Century https://www.amazon.com/Disability-Visibility-First-Person-Stories-Twenty-First-ebook/dp/B082ZQBL98/ https://www.amazon.com/Disability-Visibility-Adapted-Young-Adults-ebook/dp/B08VFT4R9T/... More crises by marshaling and organizing resources, networks, and messages.
• Visionaries: I imagine and generate our boldest possibilities, hopes and dreams, and remind us of our direction.
• Builders: I develop, organize, and implement ideas, practices, people, and resources in service of a collective vision.
• Caregivers: I nurture and nourish the people around me by creating and sustaining a community of careThe activities that constitute care are crucial for human life. We defined care in this way: Care is "a species activity that includes everything that we do to maintain, continue,... More, joy, and connection.
• Disruptors: I take uncomfortable and risky actions to shake up the status quo, to raise awarenessAcceptance means training mental health service providers to look at autism and other disabilities as a part of a person's identity, rather than a problem that needs to be fixed. Acceptance... More, and to build powerThe 20th Century political scientist Karl Deutsch said, “Power is the ability not to have to learn.”I quote this statement often, because I think it’s one of the most important... More.
• Healers: I recognize and tend to the generational and current traumasIn expanding our definitions of trauma, we must make sure we see trauma as a structural issue, not just an individual one. Scholars now recognize what people from marginalized communities... More caused by oppressive systems, institutions, policies, and practices.
• Storytellers: I craft and share our community stories, cultures, experiences, histories, and possibilities through artThe arts are not a way to make a living. They are a very human way of making life more bearable. Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly,... More, music, media, and movement.
• Guides: I teach, counsel, and advise, using my gifts of well-earned discernment and wisdom.

The Social Change Ecosystem Map (2020)

Our volunteer page also lists some roles we need help with.

What’s your role in social change?

Oh, the shadows of doubt are in many a mind
Lookin' for an answer they're never gonna find
But they'd better decide 'cause they're runnin' out of time
For these are the days of decision

Oh, the games of stalling you cannot afford
Dark is the danger that's knocking on the door
And the far-reaching rockets say you can't wait anymore
For these are the days of decision

In the face of the people who know they're gonna win
There's a strength that's greater than the power of the wind
And you can't stand around when the ice is growing thin
For these are the days of decision

I've seen your heads hiding 'neath the blanket of fear
When the paths they are plain and the choices are clear
Oh with each passing day, boys, the cost is more dear
For these are the days of decision

There's many a cross that burns in the night
And the fingers of the fire are pointing as they bite
Oh you can't let the smoke keep on blinding all your sight
For these are the days of decision

Now the mobs of anger are roamin' the streets
From the rooftops they're aimin' at the police on the beat
And in city after city you know they will repeat
For these are the days of decision

There's been warnings of fire, warnings of flood
Now there's the warning of the bullet and the blood
From the three bodies buried in the Mississippi mud
Sayin' these are the days of decision

There's a change in the wind, and a split in the road
You can do what's right or you can do what you are told
And the prize of the victory will belong to the bold
For these are the days of decision
Yes, these are the days of decision

Days of Decision by Phil Ochs

Volunteer

Further readingThere are three types of reading: eye reading, ear reading, and finger reading.The Dyslexia Empowerment Plan: A Blueprint for Renewing Your Child's Confidence and Love of Learning Most schools and... More,