March/April 2006

Editorial

Being Led by the Next Generation

By Ethan Vesely-Flad

These are hard times for U.S. political progressives. Each week, new evidence is uncovered of despicable ways that our government is spying on us; but even more shocking is that most people don’t seem to care – so long as the “right folks” are being wiretapped. 2006 has ushered in a rightward shift in our third and final branch of government, as a conservative Supreme Court now joins hands with a triumphant White House and Congress. And the recent deaths of several prophetic leaders – including Coretta Scott King, Rosa Parks, Betty Friedan, and Balfour Brickner – have led many to wonder aloud if we have reached the end of an era of social activism.

Yet a new day is dawning in the peace and justice community, one that offers hope in the midst of our despondency. Young people in their teens and twenties are bringing renewed spirit and vigor to the movement. This is happening here in the United States, where young people are leading environmental justice groups, living wage ballot initiatives, prison abolition efforts, international human rights campaigns, and much more (see feature, p. 5), and also across the globe. While in the Philippines last August, I was profoundly moved by the empowerment of college students: they have mobilized throughout the country to protest the militarization of their communities, the targeting of Muslim and indigenous minorities, and the Filipino government’s alliance with the U.S. armed forces and corporate interests. Youth-led groups, like Karapatan on the southern island of Mindanao, work passionately to protect human rights in the face of military occupation.

And it’s not just energy that our young people offer; they also are developing creative, imaginative solutions. As Eli Pariser, the young founder and executive director of MoveOn.org, wrote in the Nov/Dec issue of Orion:

I’ve had the opportunity to talk to many people who were supposed to know what’s going on: hip-hop impresarios, top pollsters and strategists, presidential candidates and CEOs. In these circumstances, I heard a lot of formal ideas about the right way to do things, and it fell to me as the young guy in the room to ask why we were doing things the way we were. I usually figured that I was just missing something, but often my question was met with silence, and then maybe a grin – and sometimes with a “Gee, I don’t know.”

As a member of the so-called Generation X, now in my late thirties, I increasingly find myself to be one of those silent types – being led by those younger than I.  And while their challenging questions sometimes embarrass me (“Why didn’t I manage to connect those issues together?” “Am I greater obstacle to battling institutional racism than a source for overcoming it?”), I primarily find their form of leadership to be an inspiration.

Perhaps the most positive change that the next generation has brought to the movement is an emphasis on horizontal, shared leadership. Civil rights organizer Ella Baker, whose work deserves much greater recognition, has profoundly influenced many young people by emphasizing group-centered leadership over charismatic leadership. Here at the Fellowship of Reconciliation, that focus on relationship-based anti-oppression work – often raised and modeled by our cadre of dynamic young interns – has been a critical challenge to our staff and organization.

In that vein, I’m very pleased to have collaborated with our communications intern, Virginia Wilber, in co-editing this issue of Fellowship. This publication owes a tremendous amount to her hard work and influence, and her own voice is found in an editorial on page 4 and a fascinating interview with young international activist Camilo Romero on page 8. We both are eager to hear from all of you.

—Ethan Vesely-Flad, editor@forusa.org