Action/Reaction

Last Saturday, I attended a political rally in support of reproductive justice for all. A couple hundred of us gathered in front of the steps of the Legislature to hear speeches, raise our voices in collective chants, and tell governments of every stripe in no uncertain terms to keep their moralistic laws off our bodies. I have been to many such demonstrations, but this was the first where I thought some serious trouble might be brewing. 

I was standing up front. To my right stood a man who appeared slightly out of place — he wasn’t wearing a T-shirt with a supportive slogan, he wasn’t chanting along with us, and he seemed unsettled by one of the more outspoken speakers. He gestured towards them as he talked intently with a yellow-safety-vest-wearing young man who stood behind the concrete security bollard. Then he began to move. 

He headed behind the security line, along the front of the main speaking area, and walked purposefully up the steps towards the speakers’ area. As he was moving in that direction, I thought, uh oh, what’s happening here? More usefully, a handful of others (possibly event organizers) moved with serious intent towards the man, to head him off and to be a protective buffer between him and the speaker. 

We all saw what was happening, but there was no panic — not among us below the steps, nor among those at the top — because simple, powerful, collective action was being taken to do what was right and necessary. In addition, Security was alerted, but by the time they had arrived from inside the building, the speaker had taken it upon themself to talk with the man. And then I saw the man move away, apparently satisfied or, maybe, merely mollified. 

His individual action was concerning, but its impact on me paled in comparison to the power of the collective action by the handful of others, and I thought to myself, What a good world it can be: When one, possibly quite bad, action by one person spawns a reaction by a handful of others that is exponentially more powerful and more productive, it proves that by working together good things can happen. As the African proverb goes, “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together”. 

I am neither Pollyanna the Positive nor Lion-Heart the Brave, but I believe that individuals, working together, coming together as one, can change bad things into good and good things into great. And that, I suppose, makes me Gertie the Collective Groupie Gal, and that is a moniker I’ll gladly wear. 

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Land acknowledgement: I respectfully recognize that I live on the original lands of Anishinaabe, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota and Dene peoples, and on the homeland of the Métis Nation.

Photo by Gary Bendig on Unsplash