A few weeks ago the Globe had a profile of the organization Mothers Out Front — mothers fighting climate change on behalf of their kids. If you ask me, this is the future of the climate movement right here.
Forget the polar bears. This is about human mamas protecting their cubs. “We are not an environmental organization,” says Wirth, curled up in her sun-lit kitchen in jeans and a gray sweater, colorful kids’ artwork plastering the walls. “The earth is not our symbol. It’s not about the planet, per se. It’s about our kids. Our goal is to make climate change an issue that mothers care about because they are concerned about their kids’ future.”
via Mothers vs. climate change – Magazine – The Boston Globe.
That is exactly the right message — one that I’ve been thinking about for a long time. Climate change is a direct threat to us, and especially to our kids. It’s not abstract. It’s real and immediate, more so every day. People understand the threat of terrorism — the threat of rising sea levels, extreme weather and drought are here and now.
Activist-scholar Marshall Ganz talks about the importance of the particular vs. the abstract in social movements — the importance of telling your story, the things that mean the most to you.
“Movements have narratives; they tell stories, because they’re not just about rearranging economics and politics. They also rearrange meaning. And they’re they’re not just about redistributing the goods, they’re about figuring out what is good.”
(start around 5:00)
The stories of parents — and their concern for their kids — will win the day.