There are many definitions of what activism is, some contradictory, some derogatory, but at it’s most basic, activism is taking action to enforce social change.
There are many ways to do activism, from protests to boycotts. Rebel Wrath does activism through art. You could help us with that by giving a small donation.
Some people think the word activist is too loaded, and should be replaced.
The argument is that activists are experts, and this puts people off becoming involved. Activist doesn’t mean expert, and anyone can become involved. Greta Thunberg was only 15 when she started going to protests. Martin Luther King was 26. Nelson Mandela was 25. Rosa Parks was 42.
The idea that an activist must be an expert is an excuse people use so they don’t have to do anything. Often people don’t become activists until their oppression literally forces them to do so.
Luigi Mangione must have known he would face the death penalty, but he didn’t let fear stop him from doing what he believed he had to.
There is no expectation that someone new to activism must be an expert. Often the best and easiest way to get involved in activism is to join an existing group of more experienced people.
There is even activism you can do by yourself that requires no expertise. Simply changing the way you shop can be a form of activism.
![George M Groutas Michelangelo David Wiki Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Michelangelo_David_crop.jpg
David is a masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture created in marble between 1501 and 1504 by the Italian artist Michelangelo. David is a 5.17-metre (17.0 ft)[a] marble statue of the Biblical hero David, a favoured subject in the art of Florence...David was originally commissioned as one of a series of statues of prophets to be positioned along the roofline of the east end of Florence Cathedral, but was instead placed in a public square, outside the Palazzo Vecchio, the seat of civic government in Florence, in the Piazza della Signoria where it was unveiled on 8 September 1504. The statue was moved to the Galleria dell'Accademia, Florence, in 1873, and later replaced at the original location by a replica...Because of the nature of the hero it represented, the statue soon came to symbolize the defence of civil liberties embodied in the Republic of Florence, an independent city-state threatened on all sides by more powerful rival states and by the hegemony of the Medici family. The eyes of David, with a warning glare, were fixated towards Rome.
Closeup crop of face](https://rebelwrath.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Michelangelo_David_crop.jpg)
Activism is…
Boycotts, petitions, marches, protests, art, sit-ins, walkouts, die-ins (with simulated death), vigils and memorials, rallies and speeches, letter writing and petitions, strikes, voting, social media activism, graffitivism, craftivism and mutual aid.
Most Inspiring Activists
Three amazing activists to be inspired by, and a graffitivist showing the power of activism through art.
Martin Luther King
Black Rights activist and pastor
Nelson Mandela
Anti-apartheid activist and president of South Africa
Mahatma Gandhai
Anti-British colonialism activist
Banksy
British political graffitivist
These are some of the best sites to learn about activism.
FAQs
Does activism work?
Yes. Maybe. Some activism campaigns have been successful in the past, others have not. It depends what you are campaigning for and how you are doing it, and also on the goal. The suffragettes achieved female voting rights, the civil rights movement in the US ended racial segregation, but sexism and racism are still issues.
How do I become an activist?
You identify a part of society that isn’t functioning as you think it should and you take action to enforce social change by joining a movement to change this, or starting your own. It is always easier to join an existing movement, starting your own is really only for when movements don’t exist.
I’d like to get to meet fellow activists, how can I do that?
Join local groups, or talk to people online. Go to protests, and talk to those who are there.
Is activism illegal?
This depends entirely on the laws in the country you are in, but the answer is usually no, however sometimes activists take illegal actions to protest or gain attention. Lately in the UK, Just Stop Oil has been illegally protesting by throwing paint on art in galleries. Many people ask why they don’t actually protest oil instead; they did – they started protesting at oil terminals shortly after their founding, surrounded tankers, and damaged oil pumps. The media didn’t care.
Becoming an activist is easy
- see that something is unjust
- believe it should be changed
- take action to affect change
