A Brief Note to Those on the Fence About Whether it’s Worth Your Time to Speak up for Something

By John Reuwer, World BEYOND War, May 27, 2025

I reminded myself of an important truth this past week. In these times of threats both large and small to our freedom and well being from powerful governments and corporations, it is useful to remember that ordinary people do have agency. Ultimately the rich and powerful few are dependent on our obedience and cooperation to maintain their position.  In the U.S. many of us have been so comfortable for so long that when something goes wrong we are tempted to think there is a little we can do about it. The powers that be can make it very burdensome for us to advocate for ourselves and the voiceless.

This week, I engaged in two small acts of persistence in an attempt to maintain a semblance of dignity. On Monday, a group of us concerned with how are tax dollars are being used to harm rather than protect people organized a sit-in at U.S. Senator from Maryland Angela Alsobrooks’s office. Despite her refusal (?inability) to meet with us for the past four months, our determination paid off. After three hours of polite but firm occupation of her office in Washington DC, and various attempts by her staff to dismiss us, we secured an appointment with the senator.

The next day, I faced a different challenge with the giant telecommunications company Verizon. After an agent attempted to transfer my cell service from an old phone to a new one, for bizarre technical reasons I was left without a working device. After an hour on the phone and 45 minutes in one store, I was directed to the “corporate” store considerably further away. There, I spent two hours working with both in-person staff and a remote technician on their phone. When they gave up and told me to return another day, I stood firm, reminding them that I came into their store with a working phone and was not leaving until I had a working phone. They ignored me for a while longer, but eventually a manager appeared who resolved the issue within an hour.

While these endeavors consumed a lot of my time this week, and neither were of much consequence in and of themselves, they left me feeling empowered. Tackling both the federal government and a major corporation in one week highlighted the power of persistence we have to hold powerful entities accountable. When the odds seem against us, remember Margaret Mead’s wisdom: