By any means necessary #ADA

“…By Any Means Necessary”

The above quote came at the end of a much longer sentence by the late Malcolm X.  This partial quote is often used when describing a situation where ‘stuff’ has to get done no matter what!  When I reflect on my sessions with my Fellow these are the words that come to mind, and ‘resilience’ is what I also think of.

When we started the journey, we were full of excitement and wonder as to where the experience was going to take us.

I was wondering if I had anything new to give and ways that I could rise to the challenge of supporting these people who had the task of managing, programming and marketing their centres, while at the same time contain my excitement of this unknown.  My Fellows were trying to work out what was expected of them, also excited by the prospect, wondering what and how much was going to be expected from them, plus, I should imagine, how they were going to fit everything in given the workload they were committed to.

Well, having lost some people along the way for various reasons, the last man standing, (really - I should say ‘woman standing’) showed incredible resilience.  Having to deal with adversity both at home (in the guise of a loved one being very ill), having to deal with that, but more to the point having to deal with loosing their partner Fellow who moved onto another job, cope with a very new manager, programme a multi-use space and diversify their audiences who, in the locality are poles apart and come from a very different socio-economic background.

Despite all of this my Fellow was steadfast in the midst of the tsunami of events that kept coming and managed to find the energy, imagination, strength, humour, time and in-house support to get most of the tasks done ‘….by any means necessary’.  She demonstrated great leadership skills by not buckling under the pressure and finding a way to complete most of her tasks so she could graduate and will continue to utilise the learning in her organisation.  In fact, anywhere she goes now or into the future, this learning will serve her well.

I would like to commend her on her resilience and steadfastness and like the young women in the picture, continue to be a great example of how to keep going in the face of adversity.

Don’t get me wrong, we still have to make room for our vulnerabilities as we continually strive to acquire, establish and hold onto balance in our lives.

I don’t always practice what I preach 24/7 but I correct myself when I become aware and if I miss the point, I have great friends and family that will put me straight.

Anyway, we must not forget our achievements and we must keep selfcare at the forefront of everything.

Take Care All!

Image: Young Girls Selling Nuts in The Gambia. © Pauline Bailey 2018

Pauline Bailey, Visual Artist, Director, Producer and Mentor on the Audience Diversity Academy.