"After all, Ginger Rogers did everything that Fred Astaire did. She just did it backwards and in high heels." -- Ann Richards, 1988 Democratic National Convention
Mary Beth Rogers, a longtime political ally and colleague of Ann Richards, likely shared the same sentiment Richards shared at the DNC. A star in the realm of Texas women's politics, Rogers became an activist, author and political leader, paving the way for many women.
Richard's quote may come off as cute and even a bit silly, but in reality, it was likely instigated by a bit of bitterness, and possibly even a bit of anger. Women had been forced into the back seat when it came to US politics, waiting to be given the right to vote and still waiting to hold the highest office. Women have to enter into this new, once off limits arena with a plan, and with, well, a greater motivation.
Rogers' book, Cold Anger, isn't about the women's political movement, but her motivation to write about social change through the eyes of the Industrial Areas Foundation and COPS, likely stemmed from her own personal encounters with people who made her flat out angry. She was able to work through those experiences when she it was likely suggested that she couldn't make it as a woman and now she examines the motivates of Ernesto Cortes through literature, which he suggests is one of the most important factors to one's life.
For both Rogers and Cortes, their anger, their drive, their motivation, came from early experiences where they either experiences inequality, disrespect or a lack of power or had an emotional attachment to someone who did. Rogers generated books and public policy from her anger; Cortes generated community movements and social change from his.
Rogers takes an ethnographic approach to social movements in Texas, learning from those involved, their motivations, their hopes. It seems as though most people involved in making change had significant moments in their life where there was nothing more to feel than anger. It takes an emotion so strong to make one change how they approach life, how they approach society and how they approach change to make things really happen.
In most cases, it's one or a few people who share their anger with others and are able to create a community ready and willing to fight for something so meaningful. If correctly put to use, these leaders can generate a group of people ready to fight for something meaningful, within the correct boundaries and without getting too out of control. However, anger, used incorrectly, can reverse the initial hopes and motivations and instead create a whole other set of motivations for the opposing side.
Anger, both hot and cold, is necessary for social change to get started. Someone has to have a strong emotional attachment to the issue and make that relational to others around them. Even more importantly, those with the initial motivation, needs to keep it reigned in so as to not watch it run out of control.
Mary Beth Rogers and Ernesto Cortes are both great examples of using injustice experiences to work towards a greater good.
