Y’all. I’m literally SO tired of this shit. I’m ready to hurt feelings and/or get canceled bc I’m not afraid of a single damn person on this damn website. Anyways, prefacing this with credential talk so y’all know I’m not just talking out of my ass even though it feels gross:

I was radicalized very early on. I grew up going to ceremonies, hearing elders tell stories about Sand Creek and Wounded Knee and the death of Lalá Sitting Bull, and their own involvement in AIM’s occupation of both Wounded Knee and Alcatraz

My father grew up in a Black Panther household, and my paternal grandmother still refers to Rosa Parks as her auntie and visited with her until her passing. I have another grandma who is still down to get arrested "for the cause!" to this day, despite being in her NINETIES

Personally, I’ve been heavily involved in internet activism for thirteen years and started attending physical protests and events around the same time. I made my first Twitter account in 2009, and mainly used it in conjunction with a charity/awareness org I was very involved with

I got a scholarship that year (primarily because of that involvement) to a program in Ghana where I, alongside students from across the world and local peers, went in on voluntourism and the White Savior Complexes and even how BIPOC can perpetuate the real harm caused by both

In the mid 2010s, I was part of a BIPOC group that spread across various social media platforms, where we jokingly dubbed ourselves the Keystroke Warriors, and went back and forth between calling out racism and cultural appropriation and sending jokes and making memes about it

In the almost decade since then, I’ve had incredible opportunities to learn and grow and have made a ton of mistakes along the way. But I’ve also been lucky enough to be in positions where I could lift up and support organizations on local, national, and international levels

I’ve been a part of at least five different marches in DC just since the current administration took over. I've also both attended and helped organize protests and other awareness-related events in three (maybe four?) states, for both local and national movements and causes

I’ve taken and led multiple NVDA trainings. I’ve lobbied to Congress on multiple occasions, and been invited to the UN and other places considered "high-profile" because of the work I'm involved in or adjacent to. I've had opportunities to meet people that I hardly believe myself

I was also both pepper sprayed and water cannoned in the face, in addition to being shot at with rubber bullets, as a water protector at the NODAPL camps on my own reservation back in 2016/2017. Anyways, with that goddamn TEXTBOOK out of the way, I feel it necessary to say this:

I have never in my life seen anything like I have on corpsetwt of all places. It’s honestly so wild to me because in thirteen years I’ve never seen people get literally bullied or shamed off an entire platform because they aren’t actively engaging with a particular call to action

And I absolutely get it. People are passionate and desperate to spread awareness for injustices that are happening right now. But turning an actual meaningful call for awareness into an irresponsible witchhunt against people who aren’t doing what YOU think they should to support?

The lack of discernment is astounding. There are SO many, valid reasons why people may not participate in online activism. Legal reasons (including legal status), disabilities, mental health, and their own personal safety are just a few of the ones I’ve actively encountered

We really going with the mindset that some of these limitations make them ignorant, or uncaring, or deserving of personal attacks against them and their character? Really? That's what y'all are choosing right now? Y'all detracting from YOURSELVES

Literally, since the very beginning, all of the activism I’ve been involved in has been fully entwined with humor and lightheartedness. I’ve gone from holding signs and chanting and crying with my BIPOC relatives to laughing and joking and dancing within minutes of each other

I’ve been in NVDA trainings where they emphasize the importance of these moments, and the dangers of burning out when you try to just live and breathe your activism. I've BEEN there. I've felt incredibly guilty for not going to EVERY protest, not supporting EVERY cause

During a national BLM conference call last year, we were point-blank told that they UNDERSTOOD that everyone has their own life and shit going on, and that each person should just to do what they could without the expectation of cancelling the rest of their lives for the movement

Have I gotten angry and annoyed when someone (purposefully or not) ignores something I’ve shared in awareness in favor of posting a selfie or a funny video? Absolutely. But, do I actively know that person well enough to understand the intricacies of their life? Absolutely not

I had my years (!!!) of constantly spamming celebrities' social media accounts with links and videos, as far as literally bothering Oprah until she talked about something on her show. I've seen movements fall to pieces and lose countless times. I've seen some glorious victories

What I've NEVER seen before is a small group of people taking it upon themselves to dictate and police the content that other people choose to post and share on their own accounts and criticize and shame them for straying "outside" those "boundaries". It's legitimately wild to me

In no way am I saying to NOT engage online. The internet was my jumping point into full-fledged (and watchlist-worthy) activism and I value all of the time I’ve spent and the communities I’ve found online. Speak up. Retweet links. Spread awareness. Encourage others to do the same

But can we PLEASE move past this performative-ass bullshit where y'all just spam petitions and links over and over and guilt trip and shit on other people for not doing the same while patting yourselves on the back for Being Such Good Activists Because No One Else Cares About Us!

Being aggressive and trying to manipulate or guilt people into caring does not actively help the cause you're trying to spread awareness for. If someone isn't saying shit, fill their silence with your voice instead. You can't incite genuine change with performative bullshit

I'm over seeing people being attacked and accused of being anti-Black for not posting a LINK??? Personally, I haven't posted a single goddamn link yet today. PLEASE someone drag me, I BEG YOU. My Black Indigenous ass would LOVE to hear all about how terrible of an activist I am

So, I might eat dinner, then I'll update a fb group about how the conference call about getting the local statue of a slave owner removed went, and then I might think about the impact that losing so many fluent speaking elders will have on my community and language revitalization

I'll check in with some other activist friends (who have been also sharing links online today, somehow WITHOUT detracting from an important cause) and see what I can personally do to help in the most productive and meaningful way that I can. It's rather revolutionary, obviously

This is just my perspective as someone who's been doing this for a decade and a half. And I genuinely hope that people can unlearn this behavior and instead focus on meaningful and, most importantly, SUSTAINABLE ways to create change and spread awareness. Cause this AIN'T IT