Activism is any intentional effort to change society, politics, the economy, culture, the environment and so on. While most people use activism and social activism interchangeably, social activism refers to activism focused on social issues, like gender equality, racial justice, human rights and much more. In this article, we’ll dig into several forms of social activism, the kinds of issues social activists focus on and real-world examples of social activism.
Social activism refers to efforts that address social issues like gender equality, racial equality, LGBTQ+ rights, child welfare and more. Activism includes marches, strikes, letter-writing campaigns, boycotts and community organizing.
What are the forms of social activism?
There’s more than one way to get involved in social activism. A person’s interests, abilities and opportunities vary, which can affect which forms of activism they engage with. Here are seven of the main efforts:
Marches
Marches are public demonstrations where people gather and walk to draw awareness of a social justice issue. Marches often include signs, banners, music, speeches and other elements that advocate for the group’s message.
Strikes
Workers and employers often negotiate wages and benefits, but if negotiations stall, workers may go on strike and not return to work. Labor unions often organize strikes, while supporters can help by donating funds, protesting with workers and pressuring the company to meet the worker’s demands.
Sit-ins
During sit-ins, people occupy a space and refuse to leave until certain demands are met or until a designated time. Protesters may sit in a business, a government building, a park or other areas. Die-ins are similar but involve participants pretending to be dead. Sit-ins and die-ins draw attention to social issues like human rights violations, public health crises, state violence and so on.
Petitions and letters
Individuals and activist groups use petitions and letters to raise awareness of an issue and express their concerns and requests to governments and other relevant parties. Petitions require signatures from supporters, while letters can either be pre-written and signed, or crafted by individuals.
Boycotts
When a company or country engages in unethical or harmful practices, activists may call for a boycott. Supporters refrain from buying or using products from that company or country. The hope is that a boycott’s financial pressure will force the company/country to change its practices.
Digital activism
Digital activism involves the use of technologies like social media, email, online videos, digital investigations and more for social activism efforts. Digital activism is a newer form of activism with many pros (it can mobilize supporters from around the world) and cons (it can encourage passivity).
Community organizing
Community organizing empowers and mobilizes community members to take direct action on social issues. Things like neighborhood associations, tenant unions, labor unions, mutual aid organizations and art and culture collectives all count as community organizing. Community organizers seek to address inequalities, improve people’s well-being and bridge divides within communities.
Interested in learning more about activism’s different forms? Check out our article on 13 types of activism.
What issues do social activists focus on?
Social activism encompasses a huge variety of concerns in the political, economic, cultural and religious spheres. Anything that impacts individuals, communities and society as a whole can be considered a “social issue.” Here are seven examples:
Gender equality
Gender equality is achieved when all genders get equal rights, opportunities and treatment. Gender discrimination holds society back from equality, so social activists work on ensuring everyone gets access to public resources, education, healthcare and everything else they deserve.
Racial equality
While “race” is not a genetic reality, people’s access to privileges, opportunities and equal treatment are still affected by their race. Activists seek to end racial discrimination in all its forms, including racial injustice in policing, housing, healthcare, employment and more.
Environmental justice
The state of the environment has a major impact on the well-being of humans as well as animals and plants. Environmental justice focuses on this impact, which tends to affect marginalized communities the most. Environmental justice activists address issues like indigenous land rights, the disposal of hazardous waste, air pollution and more.
LGBTQ+ rights
LGBTQ+ rights are human rights with a focus on members of the LGBTQ+ community. Activists work to end discrimination and ensure equal treatment, which includes the legal recognition of same-sex relationships, employment and legal protections, healthcare protections and the right to safety.
Child welfare
Child welfare focuses on children’s rights, including the right to education, healthcare and safety. Social activists focused on child welfare advocate for services and programs that empower and protect kids’ well-being, as well as the well-being of their families.
Public health
Public health refers to efforts to promote and protect the health of communities. It’s an organized effort between all sectors of society, like researchers, governments, healthcare organizations, community groups and others. Activists work to improve healthcare access, address health disparities and empower communities.
Housing affordability
Everyone has a right to safe, decent housing, but affordability is a persistent issue. When social activists address housing affordability, they focus on issues like costs, housing shortages, discriminatory policies, unsafe building practices, income inequality and so on.
To learn more about social issues, check out our article on 40 top-rated social issues courses.
What does social activism look like in the real world?
There are countless examples of social activism throughout history, and while many are famous, there are just as many smaller acts that never get recorded in history books. While we’re going to focus on more well-known case studies, it’s important to recognize that social activism happens every day:
Marches
Marches have been an effective strategy for many years. One of the most famous occurred in 1930, but the roots began in 1882. The British government, which controlled India, made it illegal for Indians to collect or sell their own salt. This forced Indians to buy from the British, who charged a high tax. Decades after this unjust law, Mahatma Gandhi and allies organized the “satyagraha,” a series of non-violent actions. In 1930, he and his followers walked for 24 days to the sea, speaking to thousands of people and encouraging others to join his march. The Salt March represented a powerful act of resistance, and in 1947, India gained independence from Great Britain.
Strikes
On October 24, 1975, 90% of the women in Iceland went on strike. It wasn’t just a strike from work; women also went on strike from house chores and childcare. The event was called “Women’s Day Off.” Thousands of women went into the streets calling for equal rights with men. Banks, factories, schools, nurseries and stores had to close, while men were forced to experience just how important the women in their lives were. Five years later, Iceland elected its first female president. Progress continued with more women in politics and more progressive policies. Today, Iceland is the world’s most gender-equal country.
Sit-ins
In 1960, four Black college students tried to buy a hot dog at a lunch counter in North Carolina, but they were refused service because the counter was “whites only.” They came back and sat at the counter until the store closed. Soon, more students joined the protest, and the sit-in movement began. It spread across the segregated South, and soon, stores began to change their segregation policies. In 1964, President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act, which outlawed segregation in businesses.
Petitions and letters
Apartheid was a formalized system of racial segregation in South Africa beginning in 1948. Social movements against apartheid soon arose within South Africa and then spread internationally. Supporters of the anti-apartheid movement often wrote petitions and letters. The Anti-Apartheid Movement in England wrote to their government calling for policy changes, support of Nelson Mandela and other interventions. In Michigan, USA, many students and faculty wrote letters to the University of Michigan urging the school to divest. Apartheid ended in 1990.
Boycotts
In the 1970s, Nestle, a massive Swiss-based food corporation, marketed its formula to women in the Global South as the most nutritious option for their children. However, as Corporate Accountability describes, mothers in these areas didn’t always have the proper sterilization tools or clean water that ensured the formula’s safety. By not considering these factors and pushing the product, Nestle engaged in unethical marketing practices. In 1977, activists and church groups organized a boycott of infant formula makers, especially Nestle. It went on for 6 ½ years until Nestle finally agreed to comply with the World Health Organization’s infant formula sales code. Boycotts against Nestle have continued over its formula, as well as its practices regarding palm oil, cocoa, water extraction and human rights violations.
Digital activism
Activists use social media to post videos, share graphics, and educate followers on every conceivable social issue. People with advanced technological expertise can also harness their skills for digital activism. Watchdog group Citizen Lab conducted investigations into customers of the NSO Group, an Israeli cyber-intelligence firm. Citizen’s Lab reports found NSO Group-created spyware on the devices of human rights activists and journalists across the globe. Without this digital activism, it would be impossible to know what human rights abuses occur thanks to technology.
Community organizing
Mutual aid is a common form of community organizing. The Black Panthers in the United States are a good example. In 1966, Huey Newton and Bobby Seale founded the Black Panther Party for Self Defense, which focused on police brutality against Black people in Oakland, California. Seeing how hunger afflicted Black children, the group started the Free Breakfast Program in 1969. That year, they fed over 20,000 children, and in a Senate hearing, a state official had to acknowledge that the Panthers fed more kids than California did. The program eventually had to close after the FBI targeted the Black Panthers, leading to raids, arrests and murders, but the Free Breakfast Program remains a model for community organizing.
