A Point of View: If Not Now… When?

Years ago, as a student at Michigan State University, I attended a student leadership conference where I received a metal chip engraved with the message, “If not now, when?” As a 20-something-year-old, I did not fully understand the gravity of the question until I graduated with my college degree and started my adventure of adulthood. In light of all that is unfolding in the world recently, my mind has returned frequently to this question.  

There have been numerous times in my life where I have found myself asking, “If not now, when?” One of the first came when I was deciding whether to stay in my hometown of Detroit, or move to Baltimore, Maryland. The former would provide familiarity, family, and comfortability, but I also recognized that staying could slow my personal and professional growth. On the other hand, moving to embark on a journey to a new region, city, and community that I was unfamiliar with frightened me to my core. Knowing that time waits for no one, I asked myself, “If I don’t do this now, then when?” I chose to start my journey in Baltimore.  

In hindsight, stepping into the unknown was one of the best decisions that I could have made in my early 20s. Moving to Baltimore, I found myself navigating a new space, learning about its cultures and communities, achieving more, and establishing friends who have become family. Reflecting on my experiences, and as I enter a new decade of life, I must remember the fuel that drove that eager 20-something to take bold risks. Now that I am older, with more life experiences and a larger worldview, I do not ask myself “If not now, when?” as often as I should. Why? Because uncertainty feels frightening, and because my mind jumps to think of everything that may not happen instead of everything that can.  

I often wonder why we fear the uncertainty and the inevitable. Is the feeling of discomfort and disappointment too familiar? Pema Chodron stated beautifully, “It isn’t the content of our movie that needs our attention, it’s the projector.” Too often, we focus on what we perceive from others, as opposed to focusing on what really matters—ourselves, and our capacity to act. If your projection of the world is dimly lit, then the question, “If not now, when?” can only be answered negatively. 

As adults, it is common for many of us to project our skeptical worldviews onto others because we believe that we have assessed all the potential outcomes. However, without the willingness to take chances or risks, we cannot make genuine progress. Our world is ever-changing; we can choose to embrace the unknown and act in service of progress, or stand to the side, complicit. 

Looking at the instability of the United States and attacks on Black communities, now is the time to answer the question, “If not now, when?” Ask yourself, where is your place in the Social Change Ecosystem? In these unsettling times, it is ideal to be everything to everyone. Yet, it is hard to pour from our cup of compassion when we find ourselves burnt out. Deepa Iyer (creator of the Social Change Ecosystem) describes the social change ecosystem through nine roles: 

• Frontline Responders: Individuals who quickly and ably transition into rapid-response mode instinctively and organize resources, networks, and messages. 
• Healers: Individuals who tend to the individual and intergenerational traumas of white supremacy, racism, colonialism, capitalism, patriarchy, and nativism. 
• Storytellers and artists: Individuals who bind the past and the present, channeling the histories and experiences of our ancestors to shed light on what is possible today. 
• Bridge Builders: Individuals who can work across divisions with patience and compassion. 
• Disruptors: Individuals who speak up and take action — especially when it is uncomfortable and risky. 
• Caregivers: Individuals who provide nourishment to organizers, exude concern and love, and create a community of care. 
• Visionaries: Individuals who have the ability to find, articulate, and reconnect us to our north star (or purpose), even when we cannot clearly see the sky. 
• Builders: Individuals who are actively developing the ideas, the structures, and the scaffolding for our organizations and movements. 

As the country is shifting at an abnormal pace, consider the window of opportunity to make change. Is it today? Tomorrow? What could be lost if you push action to next month or next year? What role will you adopt in this Social Change Ecosystem? What will that decision cost you in terms of time or energy – and just as important, how could that cost contribute to changing the world? If we fail to devote reflection to these questions, how can we become champions for ourselves and our communities? If not now, when?