If We Advocate…A Deeper Dive

In the Communities section of People of All Colors Together Jersey City’s (PACT JC) website, you may have already perused my original work entitled “If We Advocate”. Increasingly, I’ve been asked to provide the backstory of what prompted me to write this piece. Unbeknownst to me at the time, reading Dorothy Law Nolte’s poem “Children Learn What They Live” as a child (ahem, yes, it was that long ago) would inspire me decades later to write “If We Advocate”.

If we advocate peace, we help to heal the world.

If we advocate war, we have forgotten the lessons of history.

If we advocate love, we appreciate beauty in all its forms.

If we advocate hate, we diminish our evolution.

If we advocate enlightenment, we sense the urgency of sharing wisdom.

If we advocate ignorance, we fear the voice of reason.

If we advocate interdependence, we understand the importance of needing each other.

If we advocate separatism, we fear losing our identity.

If we advocate self-centeredness, we sever our nexus to society.

If we advocate altruism, we become part of the solution.

If we advocate compassion and sincerity, we hold the keys to the existence of humanity.

“If We Advocate” is the culmination of life experience, my attempt to rationalize why people advocate for things I consider counterintuitive to life balance, community, and humankind. By default, or de facto, I am often the mediator, arbitrator, nexus, or voice of reason personally as well as professionally. At times, it can be a challenging or exhausting role, but it is one I feel deeply about, and I hope others appreciate my receptiveness and empathy in understanding their journey.

Alternatively, each line introduces advocacy for a more progressive viewpoint, followed by a counter-narrative that notes the outcome of a path of least resistance despite having viable alternatives. There is a theme of aspiring to the best of ourselves throughout the poem, though I remain cognizant that we are all individuals with a variety of perspectives, beliefs, and experiences that are not linear or homogeneous every waking moment. Achievement may be the end result, but the actual time invested in learning and the process of achieving is likely where the most valuable experiences arise.

In my life, I prefer to advocate for something rather than advocate against something. I see it as striving for the same outcome, but with a different level of connectedness. If I am passionately advocating for interdependence because it promotes cooperation and unity, it is much more empowering than advocating against dependence, which often results in separatism, isolation, or dissimilarity.

The last line of my poem was deliberate in not having a counter-narrative because I wanted to end on a positive note. In retrospect, if I were to add an alternate line to end on, it would read: “If we advocate unkindness and duplicity, we have forfeited our ability to reach higher individually and collectively.” In 2026, that line would resonate highly with many, though perhaps not as much as it would have years ago when times seemed markedly less pessimistic.

Piqued interest occurs when something is brought to my attention and I want to know more about it. Passion for a topic derives from my concern or piqued interest. Advocacy is the result of something I feel passionate about. Themes of empathy, social justice, accountability, and humanity continue to be topics that deeply resonate with me.

Advocacy is a quintessential part of my being. My advocacy has become increasingly focused on ensuring that those who have been historically marginalized or underrepresented are acknowledged and better represented whenever possible. Peace, love, enlightenment, interdependence, altruism, compassion, and sincerity are not just qualities and practices I advocate for, but are also things I try to demonstrate in my interactions with others daily.