Arlene Hosea
WJBC Forum
I knew that in my retirement, one thing that I wanted to do was to get more involved in my community. I had a desire to get more involved in social justice advocacy so I decided to try to do more since I had the time. I believed that I could help my community be a better place for all. I attended various community meetings, helped with events around social change and awareness, joined committees; I was investing in my community and giving back.
Then something occurred in our community that nudged my social awareness, I felt I had been silent too long. I asked myself, what should a person who says that they want to advocate for social justice say or do? I decided to talk to my husband to get his take on what was stirring in my head and heart. He listened; he understood my issue and concurred. That gave me strength and courage to take the next step to speak to someone outside my protective walls of home and family. It was time to take that first step… I had to say something! I knew that I could not advocate for that which I believe is right if I remain silent.
But, I also knew that if I choose to speak up, I will make myself vulnerable to the dreaded “what will people think of me?” “What if they do not see my point or worse, maybe my view is truly the wrong view?” I decided to take the road of vulnerability and just put my thoughts out there because the worst that could happen is that someone would disagree with me. I would just need to get over that part and move on… I was experiencing my first crisis of conscience!
As I sit here today and think about what it means for me to say that I am an advocate for something or someone, it is even clearer that in this world we do not get to choose what our society, its institutions, nor its people hand advocates of social change. We do not get a menu to select items that are what we desire, are served the way we like nor do we see the costs upfront to determine if they are reasonable. In the world of social justice advocacy, you get what people give you and it may not always be palatable. I know that we can change the world in so many ways and you do not always have to be on the battle front, marching for change, there are more subtle ways to bring about change.
However, my belief is that silence is not the way, so I am grateful for my crisis of conscience and proud that regardless of all of my fears, I did take a risk because I believed it was the right thing to do. I also believe that we all should be advocates of social justice, although it has its risks, it is what will make our society better.
Arlene Hosea was born and raised in Bloomington. She retired from Illinois State University and is on the Board of Directors for Special Olympics Illinois. She has also served on the Town of Normal Human Relations Commission, The Baby Fold and the YWCA Board of Directors, and is a leader in Not In Our Town: Bloomington/Normal. Arlene resides in Normal.