We are born social beings. Even though our media culture's messages often emphasize materialism, mindlessness, and an almost-manic individuality, we hunger to belong "in community," to make a difference on the world in which we live. This commitment to fostering communal connections and positive social change, I believe, is the essence of "activism."

Let's reclaim the word "activism." Activism means replacing cynicism and apathy with hope and engagement. Activism means involving oneself in the community, carrying out the necessary work of building and sustaining our families, schools, communities, and places of worship.

Activism involves speaking out, and writing, and organizing, and telling new kinds of stories, and keeping those with whom we live and work energized and inspired.

Three media-related activist projects:

• At the national level, creating, along with hundreds of other organizations and individuals, the Action Coalition for Media Education (ACME), an independently-funded continental coalition championing critical media education, independent media production, and grassroots media reform and justice projects. Here's to independently-funded critical media education!
• At the state level, publishing a monthly newspaper, blog, and multimedia web site called Vermont Commons, the educational arm of a separate group called The Second Vermont Republic, a citizen-supported organization exploring the idea of peaceably dissolving the most powerful empire in world history - the United States - into smaller and more democratic political units. Here's to economic sustainability and political devolution!
• At the local level, helping run WMRW 95.1 f.m., our Mad River Valley's independent non-commercial low-power community radio station. Here's to independent media production!