By Nicholas Wang
We are inching closer to Article 25’s Day of Action on October 25. If all goes according to plan, it will be a monumental day for this brand new organization, which was founded within the past year by university students who had a simple idea for a grassroots global health advocacy organization. From that idea came the long, grueling process of formulating a tangible vision and plan for what this organization would look like and could accomplish. Long meetings both in person and over Google Hangout, hours upon hours of research and organization, aggressive network-building, and coordinated social media blitzes have all led up to a single day: October 25. There are events planned all over the world in more than 40 different countries with thousands of people attending and participating, from accomplished professionals to eager students to families and individuals that lack access to basic healthcare, all united in the belief that health is a human right. Quite the accomplishment for a young organization like Article 25.
But I think that oft-told narrative I outlined above ignores a key point: before there was the simple idea for a grassroots global health advocacy organization, there was a feeling, an emotion. It surfaced during classroom discussions, in assigned readings and documentaries, while traveling to and observing different neighborhoods and cities and countries, during conversations with classmates, friends, family, teachers and faculty, about politics, economics, policy, health, and society. It was the feeling that there was something wrong with the world, that it wasn’t quite fair that some people were born with access to health and others weren’t, that location, income, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or religion could become a factor in determining whether you died young or old. And it was the emotion of frustration and anger at the world and the system for allowing this to happen, coupled with an overwhelming desire to do something about it. It inspired enthusiastic conversations between the young students who founded the organization, and permeates all of the events that will occur on October 25. We all feel this same passion, rooted in frustration and fueled by optimism and hope for the future: that there is something wrong and we should do something about it.
I know I felt that passion when I first heard about Article 25 and our Day of Action back in June. As Amee Amin and Jason Pace told me more about this organization and what they were hoping to accomplish, I sensed that this was not just a worthy cause and a worthy use of my time. It was something of a calling, an indescribable force that drew me in and made me want to shout from the mountaintops that health is a human right and we can do something about it. This organization empowered me to take my global health education to the next level, to step up my commitment, to join with these other like-minded individuals and create the change we want to see.
As the weeks went on, and the logistics got more and more complicated, and my mind started drifting towards the ever-approaching start of my senior year of college, I admit that the passion waxed and waned, often replaced with the dull regular reminder that I needed to get work done for Article 25. It was routine and often clerical and not as exciting, thrilling, or romantic as I had secretly envisioned it to be. To make matters worse, we are a team that is spread out all around the country, from Boston to Los Angeles, and bonding and building community via Google Hangout is difficult.
But now more than ever, with the Day of Action upon us, I think it is time for us to rekindle the spirit and passion and enthusiasm that we all once had. That is the core of what drives us to spend hours planning events and detailing logistics and sending dozens of emails. When you strip everything else away, what remains is that feeling that something is wrong, and that coinciding emotion that tells us to be both angry and hopeful. Our emotions are what will make the Day of Action meaningful and memorable, and are what will help this incredible organization continue long past October 25. If you are not yet part of our movement but feel the way we do, we encourage you to join us on our Day of Action, wherever you might be. You, like me, should feel excited, enthusiastic, and empowered about being able to make a tangible difference in our world.