For 50 years the mainstream largely disengaged from activism as issues of social, ecological, economic, and racial injustice persisted. Now, at this strange time that has shocked the world, there is more engagement than ever.

At this very moment, a leadership narrative of ‘us vs. them’ is being challenged by a fresh focus on unity. To be sure, there’s never been a greater need for us to come together as we face concurrent and dire challenges on multiple fronts. Yet even with our collective welfare at stake, we are likely to lose this greatest of opportunities to a paralysis caused by ideological divides. The challenge is to find ways to restore relationships across moral, political, racial and religious tribes that can safeguard and build strength from a diversity of views, without allowing systemic oppression to persist. 

So where are the people who are skilled at creating safe spaces to bridge our divides? Who can catalyze or facilitate conversations of mutual learning that nurture inspiring, inclusive, and practical possibilities?

This time asks for a new form of activism that is as focused on building bridges as it is on advocating for change. While we need voices that are willing to ring from the mountaintops, we also need ears that are ready to truly listen. To co-create a promising collective future, we need to develop the capacity to restore and nurture our relationships to ourselves, to one another, and to the planet. We need a revolutionary focus on dialogue that nurtures a collective reinvention of our co-existence. 

In short, to create greater unity and a thriving world, we need restorative activists. Everywhere.