The Antidote to Despair Is Community
Mwandeyi Kamwendo is an articulate, positive, and matter of fact person. She works as an advocate for fighting climate change. I found her to be a refreshing change from previous interactions I’ve had with climate activists. She spoke with true passion, yet she was calm, cool, and collected as she discussed climate issues. I found this attitude quite impressive, because the current state of our climate is anything but calm, cool, and collected. Growing up in foreign countries before moving to the U.S. for college gave her a very clear view on what it means to be a U.S. citizen. “Advocacy is a privilege,” she stated, as is being able to create your own open-ended definition of patriotism. She noted that the U.S. is a powerful country and that “with great power comes great responsibility.”
She talked a lot about how important community is, stating, “Empowerment comes from connection and exchange of ideas.” Even working in your local community with local leaders is super important and is an easy way to start participating in advocacy and sparking real change. I think this was new and surprising advice for most of us, as there was an awkward silence after she asked us if we knew who our county district supervisors are. She spoke clearly about how easy and productive it is to start advocating in your community: “The antidote to despair is community.”
She spoke with an assuredness and satisfaction in her work, without urgency or ego, with an understanding that true change takes time. She said that it can take generations and that it’s an honor to work both with people who have been working for social change for years and with younger generations who bring new perspectives and recognize new problems. She is the first person we’ve talked to who added to the sentiment that we are tired of hearing, “You are the hope.” She said, “You are the hope, and you will never be alone.” There will always be people younger than you who are joining the struggle to create a better future.
She approached activism in a refreshing and logical way that left me feeling at ease with the slow rate of progress and how important it is not to feel overwhelmed by the tragedies of the world. Everyone should become involved wherever they can, as “our superpowers are our own unique stories and experiences.”
-Lucy Yen
Our Greatest Power Is Our Stories
Mwanedeyi Kamwendo spoke about activism, and her words carried great weight. What struck me during the interview is how she reminds us that our greatest power may be the stories we carry with us. Stories shape how we see the world and how we reach one another. Stories are not just words; they are tools. If we can find the part of our story that speaks to someone else, we can build connections, and that’s where change starts.
She spoke about how the internet has made the world smaller. What happens far away touches us now, whether we notice it or not. And while this connection brings challenges, it also brings strength. We can share our thoughts, hear from others, and grow. We do not have to agree, and being challenged makes us better. Mwanedeyi reminded us that knowledge is what truly drives change. To lead, to grow, or to speak with meaning we must learn, and learning involves listening.
Taking the time to see the world through someone else’s eyes is not a weakness but the first step toward real understanding. I really liked what she said about young people. The world tells us that we are too young, too new, too unsure to be helpful. However, she says, the young are the leaders of tomorrow. They may not have long histories, but they have something else, a vision of what the future can be, as they are not trapped by old ways.
-Gage Saul
Empowerment Comes From Connection Despite Difference
Today we spoke with climate activist Mwandeyi Kamwendo. It was really valuable to speak to somebody early in her career here in DC, and to get specific insights into her college and early career experience. As young people, we enjoyed hearing a view of activism from the perspective of another young person. Mwandeyi is incredibly articulate, and of the people we interviewed this week so far, she is one of the most adept at hearing exactly the question that is being asked and specifically addressing each point of the question.
Mwandeyi encouraged us to value our unique voices and perspectives as young people, explaining that we have a lack of experience but not a lack of perspective. In fact, in activism, young people’s perspectives are extremely valuable, maybe even because they lack that experience. She made it clear that our superpowers are our unique experiences and stories, and that we are who we are. She told us we need to be very clear about our values and rely on moral clarity to help us make decisions. When talking about the current state of our country and the new administration, she said, “Don’t take this moment as a reason to stop engaging, but rather as proof that our voices are important.” I think this is crucial because it can be very easy to give up hope in times like these instead of realizing that our voices have never been more needed.
A theme that came up later in the interview is the extreme level of global interconnection we are experiencing now, whether economically, politically, or digitally. While it is very useful for activism in some ways, it is also dangerous because the effects of actions in one region or country are inevitably felt all around the world. She stated, “The climate doesn’t recognize borders.” Often we feel isolated, that our actions aren’t going to affect others or ourselves, but the truth is that everything is connected. Even the people who aren’t currently affected by climate change are still in the same boat as everybody else. Although our actions can have negative effects around the world, they can also have positive effects, and given our high level of global connectivity, good actions also spread quickly: “Empowerment comes from connection and exchange of ideas.”
These themes have been prevalent throughout the interviews this week. Change is much easier when we’re not alone and when we’re able to look past our differences and collaborate. She advised against assuming that everyone agrees with you, and instead urged us to be open to new perspectives, because doing so only strengthens us.
-Rosemary Konviser
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