On Halloween weekend I supported someone completing the NYC marathon. I shared a moment with another spectator that gave lessons on barriers and rebellion.
I was near the finish line on the sidelines. Spectators are blocked off by gates. The section I was at had an extra barrier. I noticed it and thought "why is this here?" It wasn't protecting anything. Just an added layer to keep that section further from the race.
[Picture the photo in front of a race sideline barrier. I didn't get a picture that day]
I thought the barrier made no sense, but didn't do anything about it. I thought of a Black woman removing it and didn't feel I could get away with it. Then the right person came.
Someone else saw what I saw. An older white woman with more social capital to risk. Also there to support a runner she saw. She spoke out loud what I said in my head. The barrier was silly (because it didn't protect anything), annoying (because it kept us from the real sideline), and needed to be removed. Her words awakened me, but I wasn't ready to take action yet.
She tried pulling it up and wasn't strong enough on her own.
Then she said the magic words:
"I need another rebel."
That activated me. I accepted the challenge and recruitment. We unlatched the barrier together. Because strength grows in numbers.
Then we got closer. To our runners. And each other.
The normies didn't understand. "Now I can't see!," yelled a spectator still behind the barrier after me and the Elder Rebel walked through and got to the true sideline. I invited the spectator to join us past the barrier. Because there was nothing stopping her and her crew.
We'd liberated not just ourselves. Everyone else was free too. Several others joined us.
My lessons from that moment are:
- Notice the limits. Respect them but challenge the ones that need challenging.
- Speak out loud about the barriers. And your needs!
- Collaborate to increase your strength.
- Use your social capital appropriately!
- You can't take everyone with you on your journey. The spectator who yelled at us stayed behind the barrier even after it was lifted. Some people will choose to stay behind needless barriers for a sense of "order."
It all started with four little words. That led to collaborative rebellion.
The only way to start a revolution.
