Of Self Preservation and Social Media

I am passionate about a number of things but the big ones tend to revolve around women (feminism), environment and politics. It’s the interconnection of feminism, environmentalism, politics, activism and spirituality – otherwise known as [modern] ecofeminism.

My personal soap boxes include reproductive justice (including abortion, birth choice, breast feeding and maternity rights), the right to naturally cultivated, organic food (including Anti-GMO, right to grow, raw milk, farmers collectives) and environmental health issues, specifically in women (including EDCs/Breast Cancer and patriarchal dominated research funding).

Given the recent passage of that sneaky little thing referred to by many as the Monsanto Protection Act, the Anti-GMO movement has been my hot button this week.  I am helping to organize the March Against Monsanto for New Brunswick, NJ.  The lead organizer asked me to be one of the speakers at the rally. At first I was terrified (I haven’t dug into that type of public speaking since college), then I was psyched and said yes. Then I analyzed it from a conflicts of interest and office politics perspective and told her I would have to think about it.

I love advocacy rhetoric.

Show me a cause to fight for and I want to know and understand the words you use in your fight, if they work, why and how.  It’s the exhilarating part of campaign work for me. I love being an active participant in democracy; speaking out and fighting for the things I believe in. After all, Democracy is NOT a spectator sport.

But right now, I love my financial stability a bit more. My resurgence into political activism is failing miserably. I feel like a bad activist.

Being caught in the press on video advocating against Monsanto and collectively GMO and GM  may be down right dangerous for my job security.  How do you fight the big man, when the big man indirectly pays your bills? A non-profit institute of higher education pays my bills directly but their bills get paid through research dollars and a significant amount those research dollars come from biotech.  I have only been here a year…I may need to get some time under my bootstraps before I start shaking the tree.  But I am not giving up. I emailed my Executive Director as well as the Director of Conflicts in the Office of General Counsel to get their thoughts. However, OGC may have their hands full right now given the latest athletic scandal.

SIDE NOTE: when are people going to wake up and realize that Athletic culture is FUCKED UP?? It’s BROKEN.  Freaking fix it already.

So I will wait to hear back from my director and OGC to see whether or not I can take advantage of an incredible opportunity  to speak in front of 100s of people on a day that 1000s of Davids protest Goliath. If they don’t think it’s the best idea, I will continue to help organize and I will attend, I’ll just stay out of the spotlight. It’s totally frustrating and disheartening, but at this moment, self preservation is key.

Now, getting back to my happy place.

I’ve been doing some awesome work with the Phi Sigma Sigma Foundation on their Communications Committee. I am spearheading a rebranding campaign for them including color palette, logo rules, voice/tone and the whole shebang. I’m also working with another volunteer to give the blog (and website) a visual and content facelift.  I love this stuff. I was up last night until midnight jamming on content, editorial calendars, layout and SEO.

I don’t know where this mega nerd in me came from, but she’s hot.

I think she probably came from B-School. Thanks, Marie. Even though I don’t run a business anymore, you definitely flipped a switch in me! The more I look back on my time spent with LBG the more I realize what I loved was the branding, the social media the digital campaign work. Understanding that is making it easier to let go a little, more and more each day.

I already need to pick my classes for Fall 2013…given my love for everything social media, I think I am starting to fall into the Digital Media side of the program more and more. The director of the MCIS program actually predicted that this would be where I would end up.