On Activism

And what it means to be an activist

When people talk about being an activist, we think about people who lead large movements. They organise large-scale events, with well-made platforms that reach people around the world.

Often when we think about such activism it is overwhelming. Just beginning to fathom the logistics of such an operation can be discouraging, and makes one feel powerless about their ability to enact change.

In a way, it’s true. Many ground-up movements rely on the support from other members in the community to enact change, and garnering such support can be difficult. Because of this, many people don’t engage in activism, and many people in fact shy away from it. In many people that I’ve met, activism has been limited to reposting stories on social media, with an occasional volunteering event and donation drive.

This was my impression going into Sallie’s Ashes (2025), a documentary that followed three women from Alabama as they advocated for the removal of toxic coal ash pits caused by the burning of coal by Alabama Power.

The documentary follows three grandmothers approaching 80 years of age; instead of enjoying retirement and relaxing in their final years, they started the Coal Ash Action Group (CAAG), which aimed to raise awareness surrounding toxic coal ash deposits and the dangers that this posed to the community.

What really impressed me was that these ladies started from ground zero. No one told them about coal ash, there wasn’t even much news coverage on coal ash, but their love for the environment and the care that they have for nature pushed them to start this movement to reduce the damage to the environment that they really cared for.

Watching them do basic research about coal ash and figure out ways to spread awareness was so inspiring. Watching them make websites and t-shirts and speak to people in their community about the issue (with varying levels of success) touched me to the core, and watching them testify in court was so gratifying, succeeding in getting Alabama Power to remove the coal ash safely.

They remind us that as individuals, we are able to make change in the world. It doesn’t have to be on a global scale (solving global warming, stopping wars, etc.), but it can be something that happens in our community that we care about. No one told these women to start such a movement; they probably will not see the full effects of their actions. But the fact that they are still willing to try, that they are working for humanity as a whole, fills me with so much joy and pride.