A Hole in the Wall for Social Change

Published here.

Picture this: it is a frigid day in Cambridge, MA and in a small, tucked away building there are walls covered with dark wood and lime green paint, a group of around 30 people, ranging from ages 20 years old, up to 80 years old, shout and cheer for a man that goes by the name of Tim McCarthy.

A group of largely older women, with a few men and students mixed in, have been gathering here every week since Sept. 13 to hear a variety of influential speakers covering topics about women’s rights and social change.

At the Democracy Center in Cambridge, on Nov. 15, Boston’s WomenExplore held their last lecture of the series “Struggles, Strengths, and Strategies.” During this last meeting, Paula Chandoha opened up about her personal experience with change before Tim McCarthy spoke about maintaining momentum in social movements.

The women, and the few men, of Boston’s WomenExplore group, love Tim McCarthy, a Harvard professor and social activist. “I think this is my tenth time coming to you… I live across the street, so it would be hard to say no” McCarthy said as the room joins him in light laughter.

Change needs a “willingness to stay conscious,” and amid the chaos of change, “stay informed… but learn to not get saturated in it.”

Chandoha spoke for 30 minutes to get the audience warmed up with the topic and the environment before passing the mic ov(ps ur so cute hehe)er to Tim McCarthy.

From here, McCarthy spoke for an hour about his personal experiences and about the five points that he chose to share: tell your stories, understand the issue and “find your squad,” provide solidarity, embrace people who could become allies, and pay it forward.

McCarthy stresses the importance of answering “why?” when sharing your story. “We all have an answer to the why question and if we don’t then we have to find the capacity to develop it. The “why” answer is what instigates action.

McCarthy said “often we talk about the movement part,” which is what makes change, but the social part of the movement is necessary.

McCarthy said that solidarity starts with momentum, but is not sustained there. Providing solidarity to someone, or a group, creates allies.

Directing his words at Chandoha, McCarthy said that he cannot understand her struggles being a female, but he can “commit to recognizing the injustices and discrimination” that she faces.

Addressing the situations where they offer solidarity to a group that one does not personally identify with, McCarthy said, with passion from having personal experience, “those are the moments that test your solidarity… when you’re not getting a trophy for the group you are showing up for.”

McCarthy recalls a conversation with his mother where she said, “I don’t think I will live to see the first woman president.” He commented on the depth of seriousness in her voice. She was not exaggerating.

“For those of us involved in long term work, we can’t be motivated by a complete result” McCarthy said.

“The momentum doesn’t need to go from a trickle to a tsunami.”

During the Q and A portion of this lecture, an older woman acknowledges that it is much easier to not be out to not be engaged.” Both Tim McCarthy and Paula Chandoha agreed that she is right.

Yet, McCarthy said “but when you do take action you are no longer alone.”

When he came out as gay, the people that he had offered solidarity to were there for him.

Chandoha spoke about how it got to a point “where it was so painful to hide.”

Following McCarthy’s lecture, Lindsa Vallee, a consistent presence at WomenExplore and the one who introduced both Chandoha and McCarthy, said that the organization’s goal is to expand the horizons of individuals and create an “open and vibrant” environment.

After each lecture, anyone who wants to help plan for future meetings can stay and participate. Vallee said the organizers are all equal and everyone is welcome.

They put up things in the community that they are concerned about and “look for common threads.” Once they see the recurring concerns, they will ask “does anyone know a person that could talk about this?”

From there, they learn what resources are available, about the history of the topic, and where they “fit into the story.”

Community members like Lindsa Vallee and influencers like Timothy McCarthy have helped to initiate conversations in a range of communities. 

WomenExplore is giving a space for voices to be heard and things to be learned.