If this year has shown us anything, it’s that activism works. From
the women’s marches to the airport protests to the town halls, we’ve now seen
firsthand that when people stand up and make their voices heard, it can have a
tangible impact. Even so, it's easy to let yourself feel like it's impossible
to make positive change as an individual, that making serious change is only
reserved for certain special people.
Two people whose stories counter that notion are iO Tillett Wright and Melody Ehsani. Wright and
Ehsani weren't born into extraordinary circumstances or handed their platforms.
They simply dedicated themselves to activism in their respective ways. Together
they offer a dual portrait of how people from different backgrounds and life
experiences forge activist identities to drive change.
iO Tillett Wright
is an author, photographer, writer, and activist living between Los Angeles and
Joshua Tree. His 2016 book Darling Days
is an intimate memoir exploring gender and identity through his
life growing up in 1980s New York City. In 2010, he launched the Self-Evident Truths
photo
project, for which he is gathering 10,000 photographs from all 50
states of individuals who identify as anything other than 100% straight or
cisgender. Upon reaching his goal, he will display the images on the National
Mall with the aim of humanizing a vast community that experiences ongoing
discrimination.
Melody Ehsani
is a designer living in Los Angeles. Known for her iconic store on Fairfax
and collaborations with brands like Reebok, Ehsani commits a portion of all
proceeds from her creations to the advancement and education of women. In
December 2017, she will debut a new collaboration with Reebok, in which she
worked alongside indigenous groups in Standing Rock, Guatemala, Lebanon, and
Japan to create a profitable, sustainable business model for these communities’
talents in beading and weaving.
At a time when
“activism” has become a
buzzword, hash-tagged, and included in countless influencer’s bios, Wright’s
and Ehsani’s stories demonstrate their dedication and support for marginalized
communities. As two people on the front lines of the contemporary movement, we
wanted to know how these activists have stayed inspired, grounded, and rested
over the years of making change, so we hit the road one recent Sunday and
headed for the desert, a place of peace, perspective, and reflection.
Left: iO Tillett Wright, Right: Melody Ehsani
Can
you briefly describe what shape your activism takes?
MELODY EHSANI: For me activism is about using
whatever is at your disposal to make your voice heard. As a designer, I often
create wearable pieces that have messages attached to them reflecting themes of
justice, equality, encouragement, power, and mirroring for groups or
individuals who often don’t have enough of a voice.
I also host
monthly events at my L.A. retail store
because it’s really
important to me to create community, even if it’s on a micro level, because it
will affect the macro.
iO
TILLETT WRIGHT: I’ve
been working on the Self-Evident Truths
project for the past six years. I also travel a lot talking to groups of adults
and kids about expanding their circles of normalcy—getting to know others they
perceive as different so they can overcome the myth-based fears they have and
create empathy, dismantling discrimination.
"Activism is about using whatever is at your disposal to make your voice heard." —Melody Ehsani
Where
is your head at right now about the current political climate and the role of
activism in it?
MELODY
EHSANI: Probably the
same as most people. What can I do? How can I do more? It’s really easy to
feel helpless. However, the truth is, we always have resources, and no major
movement has ever come from the top down. It’s movements that start at a
grassroots level that create big change. I try to remember that while what
I’m doing feels small at times, it’s actually creating change and having an
impact.
iO TILLETT WRIGHT:
Activism is all
we have in this moment. It has proven itself to be effective when we take to
the streets, so we have to keep doing it. If the government is going to pass
laws that don’t reflect the inclusivity of the world we want to live in, we
have to find ways to circumvent them and create that world.
Was
there a specific moment or turning point when you committed yourself to
activism, or was it a gradual immersion, or is it something you’ve always
felt?
MELODY
EHSANI: It’s something
that I have always felt. That term has meant different things to me at
different points in my life. I went to law school (I later dropped out) because I thought, if I
want to fight for justice and human rights, I must be an attorney. That’s what
I had learned from my culture. But I had to break away, figure out what I loved
to do, and then find my voice. I never thought of it as "activism,” per se. I think “activism”
has become more of a general term these days because we're waking up to the
fact that in order for things to really work, and for us to move the needle
forward, we need everyone to participate.
iO
TILLETT WRIGHT: It
was a gradual immersion. It started with being appalled, then led to a search
for what I could contribute, and then once I’d made an impact, I realized it
was the most valuable thing I’d ever done. I think it’s really important to be aware of
giving people the right to tell their own story and fight their own fights—to have
their back, be an ally, but let people speak for themselves and say what they
need. Often people write to me and tell me
that I’ve made them feel less alone. Sometimes it’s as extreme as them saying
they wanted to commit suicide until they realized they weren’t the only one.
Those moments take my breath away.
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