Q&A With Naomi Goldstein
Photo By Ella Bailey
what cause(s) do you advocate for?
I work with climate and racial justice orgs, and am currently working with a local Defund the Police org. I do a lot of my organizing through art and zinemaking!
how did you first get involved in your organization(s) or collective(s)?
Photo By Ella Bailey
I started getting involved after I went to a climate strike in the spring of 2019. I saw how the organizers had such a shared sense of purpose, and how effectively they were able to connect to the crowd and how the elected officials and passerby they were targeting had to stop and listen. I started getting involved with Boston Climate Strike, and as I got more involved in organizing spaces, I learned more about activism, togetherness, people, and making meaningful connections!
what capacity do you work in and what does it mean to you?
I usually work with art and activism. Art is so important to me, just as social issues are, because it is so accessible. There are so many different forms that different types of people can learn from and create. There’s street art and graffiti, there’s visual and performance art, zinemaking (one of my personal faves), there’s singing, songwriting, community building, and infinitely more. Anything you want can be art and that’s one of the most powerful things in activism: letting people share, learn, and care for each other in the ways that work best for them. No one is “perfect” at art, and no matter how many art classes you take or museums you visit or privileges you have that allow you to do these things, there’s no objective “better” or “right way”. You can have never thought of yourself as a creative person and pick up a pencil to draw, or a computer to write, and you can change someone’s life with your creativity.
how do decolonization and anti-racism live in the work you do?
I try to bring decolonization and anti-racism into all of my work. As a white activist, I need to recognize my privilege and when to raise and lower my voice. I try to find a balance between speaking out and learning/listening, because as a white person, that’s something I need to constantly be doing.
if you could say one thing to an activist just getting started now, what would it be?
Photo By Ella Bailey
Do what works best for you. Anything can be activism: art, having hard conversations, working locally, or LITERALLY ANYTHING you can imagine. We all have a different role to play, and the movement can’t exist without individuals coming together and bringing their individuality.
Don’t be hard on yourself. Capitalism teaches us to be hard on ourselves if we’re not “productive” or “efficient”, but the most important things are to take care of yourself and take care of your community in your work and in your life.
Find other organizers. My best and closest friends I have found through organizing, and organizers can be the best people out there. Don’t start from the ground up if there’s local organizing that you want to be a part of (or even change for the better). But if there’s nothing that feels right, don’t be afraid to work together to start something new. Don’t feel like you have to insert yourself into a community or group if something feels off — it took ages for me to find the right people and organizations.
