Galvanizers, Gatherings, and the Audacity to Try

Three moments—an anthem, a strike, a rally—reveal what it takes to move people. Can we still build something that powerful today?

While traveling to Belgium last week, three stories crossed my path. None of them were new, but each hit a chord so familiar it echoed like muscle memory.

Together, they stirred something deep: awe, possibility, longing.

The first, in the news: a series of rallies sweeping across the U.S., led by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders. Rooms packed with thousands, standing room only. The message? A fight against oligarchy, for working people.

The words feel honest. Calming, somehow.
Like someone saying out loud what many of us whisper.

“I believe that every American should have stable, dignified housing; health care; education - that the most very basic needs to sustain modern life should be guaranteed in a moral society.”
-Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

The second, on the plane: a film about the Icelandic Women’s Day Off in 1975 “The Day Women Stood Still”. Ninety percent of women stopped work, paid and unpaid, for a single day, to protest various forms of discrimination against women in the labor market and draw attention to women’s contribution to Icelandic society. Factories and schools shut down. The country paused.

They did it again in 1985.
And again. And again in 2024.
Six times….so far.

Last Friday was a peculiar day in Iceland. The women disappeared from their workplaces, abandoned their homes, and left the childcare to the men while they gathered by the thousands at a meeting in downtown Reykjavik, where they held speeches, sang, and were happy.
^{The 1975 Icelandic ‘Women’s day off’ in Nordic print media}

It’s become part of the fabric of that nation’s push for equity.
And they are still having to fight.

The third, on a random Netflix feed: We Are the World. The song and The story.

The audacity of Lionel Richie and Michael Jackson to imagine gathering the biggest musical talents of a generation after the American Music Awards, and getting them to sing, once, together, for a cause.

Famine relief in Ethiopia, yes.

But also a moment of creative, cultural solidarity that still stirs something in the soul.

“It just brings tears to my eyes because some of us are not here anymore. Also, it was our innocence. We actually were making a difference, so to see the naive version of ourselves, when we actually had an aha moment that we might take all this celebrity and change the world … I’m just emotional about it because I get to watch my kid being born again.”
-Lionel Richie

I didn’t go searching for any of these. They just showed up.

And they all gave me a similar feeling.

The same one I get when I hear the chorus rise in We Are the World, not because of what the song says, but because it exists.

The diversity and life experiences of all those voices, together in one room, are quite extraordinary if you stop to think about it.

Because someone had the nerve to believe it could happen.

So what is that feeling?
What is it I’m recognizing?

Dissecting the Spark

All three moments had galvanizers.

Not just charismatic figures, but ones willing to put their reputations, labor, and logistics on the line. To coordinate, to ask, to push.

To build trust among people who didn’t have to show up, but did.

They shared other traits too:

• A Collective Call: Each event was framed as “we,” not “me.” Not just a cause, but a chorus. A strike that said we matter. A rally that said you’re not alone. A song that said this affects all of us.

• Simplicity & Symbolism: One day off work. One concerted tour (still going on). One song. The formats weren’t complicated. They were executed well, but at their core they were emotionally legible. Digestible. Sharable.

• Timing & Context: These didn’t emerge from a vacuum. They landed during tension, upheaval, and uncertainty. People were already stirred. What these events offered was a place to direct that energy.

Follow-up, or Lack of It: And… what happens next?
For all the power in the moment, momentum is essential, but hard to sustain.

Movements must offer next steps.

Otherwise, it’s like awakening from a dream and trying to pull the details into consciousness. Then, forgetting about it entirely when the real-life day begins.

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So What…Now What?

Here’s the part I wrestle with: If you stir people into action, you need to channel that energy somewhere. The worst thing you can do is get folks hopeful and leave them hanging.

This is where I often freeze or feel left out in the cold.

My strengths are Wonder and Invention. I see the patterns. I imagine the possibilities. But galvanizing? Herding humans toward a shared goal? That’s not my zone of genius.

And Discernment, choosing what’s worth doing next, that’s often a guess in the fog.

So I’m writing this not as a blueprint, but as a breadcrumb. A question.

Could we do more like this today?

Could a new “We Are the World” emerge from the artists of our time?
Do we even have that kind of social glue anymore?
If not, what DO we have?

Or have we moved into so much I-ism that it’s always someone else’s problem?

I’m too busy.
I’m too desensitized.
I’m overwhelmed, so I don’t pay attention.

At some point, we HAVE to make a move, and wake up to the fact that if we don’t, they win, and they keep winning.

Could we take a day off, paid and unpaid, and have it matter again?

Will rallies stir us and organize us enough?

And if we’re not the galvanizers, what is our role?
Maybe we’re the amplifiers. The documentarians.
The connective tissue between people with conviction and those with organizational, logistical, and networking skills.

Is it I?
Am I the one who needs to act?
Is it you, too?

If not now, when?

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An Invitation

If you’ve ever gotten that feeling—that internal hum of yes, this matters—then maybe you’re part of this story too.

Maybe we don’t need another global song or one perfect rally.
Maybe we just need more people, masses of people paying attention to what moves them… and then doing something about it.

I know you’re busy, and so am I.
But if we just put our heads in the sand, we won’t have the umph needed to change anything.

5 minutes for an email, a phone call to your legislators.
Not just one though. One a week! Or every two, or once a month.

What is it worth, and what can you we do?
A podcast. A spreadsheet. A mural. A vote.

Because one thing these three stories prove is that transformation rarely starts with institutions. It starts with people—real ones—who decide to show up.

Because we can’t win if we don’t play.

What You Can Do (Right Now)

If something in this story moved you, dredged up a memory, pissed you off, or gave you pause, don’t let that spark fade.

Movements are made not just by big gestures, but by ordinary people taking small, consistent steps.

Here are three ways to begin:

1. Call or Email Your Elected Officials

It might feel like shouting into the void, but it’s not.
Every call and message is recorded—and those tallies matter. Lawmakers use them to gauge support, justify their votes, and build momentum for or against legislation.

Even if a vote has already happened, your input can be used retroactively to show public support or dissent.

• Find your Senators: senate.gov/senators

• Find your Representative: house.gov/representatives

• Not sure how to start? This guide has helpful scripts and tips.

Whether it’s about climate legislation, gender equity, healthcare access, or something else, you have a voice. Use it.

I’ve started doing this, and it only takes a few minutes!

In case you’re wondering: as good as it may feel to call representatives who aren’t yours, their staffers almost definitely won’t record your call, so you’re wasting both your time and theirs. Call your own rep as often as you like, but let’s leave other lawmakers’ phone lines open for constituents. That’s just the way it works!

2. Join a Movement Bigger Than Yourself

There are grassroots groups across the country working toward climate justice, equity, and systemic change. One to explore is the Sunrise Movement, a youth-led organization building people power to stop the climate crisis and create millions of good-paying jobs in the process.

They offer on-ramps for all levels of involvement, from one-time actions to local organizing chapters.

3. Be the Galvanizer in Your Circle

Maybe you’re not a rally leader or a songwriter. That’s okay. You are a neighbor, a friend, a coworker, a parent. What if you shared this article with someone and asked, “What do you think we could do?”

Host a conversation. Organize a potluck. Forward a voter registration link.
Post a question online, or a thought-provoking meme, photo, or drawing.

The point is: don’t underestimate your influence.
Change doesn’t always look like a stadium chant.
Sometimes it’s quieter.

But it counts.

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