Activism is not issue-specific.
It’s a moral posture that, steady state,
     propels you forward, from one hard
     hour to the next.
Believing that you can do something
     to make things better, you do
     something, rather than nothing.
You assume responsibility for the
     privilege of your abilities.
You do whatever you can.
You reach beyond yourself in your
     imagination, and in your wish for
     understanding, and for change.
You admit the limitations of individual
     perspectives.
You trust somebody else.
You do not turn away.

June Jordan

This poem originally appeared in the February 1999 issue of The Progressive. It is reprinted here with permission from The June M. Jordan Literary Trust.