Mighty Tiny Actions Matter!

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a small step.”

Lao Tzu

I am inspired by Pam Slim and what she wrote on Martin Luther King Jr Day. What can we do? Thoughts are after her blog:

“Today on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I am reminded of three things:

• Arizona was the last state in the U.S. to enact MLK Day as an official holiday. We have a lot of work to do in our community.
• Change makers, particularly those who are the most vocal and historically most marginalized, face stress, violence, and even death.
• Strength, momentum and success comes when we realize we all need each other and collaborate.

The other day, a dear friend of mine who spends his life working to make change, showed up in my office tired and deflated.

“I really don’t know if the arc of the moral universe bends towards justice,” he said of the famous MLK quote. “It sure doesn’t feel like that.”

I couldn’t disagree. We can see evidence all around us of continued inequity, strife and unfairness. Even while working every day to make things better.

Do your daily actions matter?

I think they do. Even if and sometimes because change is painfully slow and difficult.

We need to remind ourselves and each other every day that a step toward justice is a step worth taking. It is our covenant with each other to support, protect and see each other.

In tiny ways each and every day in our life and our business we make choices and take action to direct change toward the arc of justice.

This deepens our relationships and visibility in different communities, which also has a positive impact on our business.

TMA Tip #5: Direct the Arc of Justice

Rationale:

The every day choices you make in your business can have far-reaching impacts. We have power to not only make positive long-term change by working together, but to create a feeling of love and support in our connection with each other. In doing so, we feel more safe, strong and supported while doing the work, and those around us (especially the next generation like our kids and extended nieces and nephews) see that change is worth it, and possible.

TMA Recipe:

1. Reflect on the mission of your business. Beyond making a profit, what bigger change does it support?
2. Identify some fellow Architects of Liberatory Change also doing work in this area
3. Share, sponsor, support, nudge and encourage them and their work. This can look like:
   
   -Sharing an article or book they wrote (Like Tricia Hersey’s Rest is Resistance)
   -Contributing to a fundraising effort (like Palabras Bilingual Bookstore here)
   -Volunteering in a political campaign (Like we were thrilled to do for now AZ House Rep Lorena Austin)
   -Bringing their work to your organization (Like Black Women Thriving)
   -Lending an ear and advice when they get in a bind
   -Sending a text with an uplifting or funny GIF when you know they are going through something
   -Sharing your physical space (like we do at the K’é Community Lab)
   -Sponsoring an event, a podcast or a piece of art (like Kerra Bolton’s Return of the Black Madonna)
   -Subscribing to their newsletter to learn more about their body of work (like Zaretta Hammond’s Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain)

My examples are from our own circle of friends, clients and partners. Yours will be unique to your mission, neighborhood and body of work.

Each of these efforts deepens the connection with your community partners and furthers the mission you share.

I wake up every day excited to do community work because I believe it makes a difference.

You matter. Your family matters. Your community matters.

With love,

-Pam”

Tiny Actions As Advocacy

I love Pam’s work and her blog above. Tiny actions matter, and so does advocacy. With Black History Month beginning on Wednesday, our tiny actions and advocacy can carry good work forward for change every day into a long future. A day of remembrance and a month of history aren’t more than reminders that our actions matter. Even the tiny ones. Collectively tiny accumulates to grand and good.

Others doing this work and guidance are Omkari Williams who has an Activist Micro Action Dispatch and Myisha T. Hill who’s book is Heal Your Way Forward and Trudi Lebron founder of the Institute for Equity Centered Leadership

Do your daily activities matter? Beyond posts and retweets? Yes, I think they do to. Thank you Pam, Omkari, Myisha, Trudi, Char and the team, and so many others who guide us every day and remind us that our Mighty Tiny Actions matter! And to recognized that tiny negative actions are super harmful, to call them out, recognize the impacts and do the tiny positive actions. It matters!

Mighty Epiphyte Consulting LLC is full service social and environmental business advising with focus on operations for good, measuring, improving and reporting impacts and guidance through certifications including B Corp! Thank you for being here!

Kim Allchurch Flick | advocate@mightyepiphyte.com