The editor of Countercurrents.org reports that my article on Aung Sun Suu Kyi & the Rohingya Muslim genocide in Myanmar has so far reached 50,463 readers.
As an activist, my commitment is to educate & build solidarity with those suffering oppression & I am so grateful & honored that my journalism can serve that purpose.
Just a personal aside to young activists who feel they have little talent to contribute to social transformation: for decades I thought I had scant talents to contribute but decided justice was so important that I would contribute what little I had. There were moments in my early days of activism when I was mocked by over-confident hot shots for lacking skills. Many women will be familiar with the eye-rolls, elbow pokes, groans used to demean. I don’t say that for pity; it’s just a fact that young activists (especially women & working class) endure. I should say, I’ve outlasted all the mockers because my long-term commitment was to justice & would not be deterred by insult–though I’ll admit I was often made to feel small.
In the process of activism, I had to develop talents like writing & speaking–abilities I never knew I had. I reveal this not to be self-aggrandizing or smug but to assure young activists, especially women, working class, & more timorous ones, that everyone has talents & if you don’t know what they are, you will find out in the process of working to change the world. If in the highly unlikely event you don’t discover your talents, they also serve who only hold the line.
