On Movements. On Moments

I promised to write more about the title of this blog.

Its simple, really. While I'm living it out, activism, is a series of moments-- a planning meeting today, a teach in later, an email if I find the time. The history of activism, on the other hand, seems more like a series of movements-- the abolitionist movement, Civil Rights movement, the Asian American movement. The point of this blog, then, is to examine how these movements and moments become each other. What significance does one hold for the other?

Take for example a town hall/meeting that took place on UC Berkeley campus last week. Panda Express wants to open a store on the campus, and some people have gotten very upset. This meeting was a moment in time (and for honesty's sake, I should say that I was not there. I was told about it the following day by a friend of mine who was.). This moment will also become part of a movement. Maybe a part of the environmental movement, since one of the issues presented was the environmentally non-friendly practices of Panda Express. Maybe it will become part of the fight for immigrant rights, since the Panda Express take over is part of a larger move that is pushing small, primarily immigrant owned family businesses off campus.

My point is, the way that movements frame moments is important. What is at stake? What movements have the opportunity to converge at each moment? And on the opposite side of that question, how do we define movements within each moment? Can we do it consciously?