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 Activist & Advocate
First Published: Oct 2004
Last Update:
Oct 2004
Author: Martina Correia
The term activist, according to Webster's Dictionary, means a person that
practices his theory based on military action, yet the word activity means
intensity, energetic action or movement.
The term advocate means to speak in favor of, a person who argues for a cause,
a defender or intercessor.
The International Movement to Abolish the Death Penalty as a Human Rights
Violation requires both activists and advocates. In this movement there would
be no activists without there first being an advocate and a group of people to
advocate for.
These two positions, advocate and activist, are somewhat intertwined, yet so
very different.
The human side of us all, wants in some way to stand up for what's right, to
help those less fortunate. Many times that means the oppressed, enslaved and
those deprived of the basic human dignities we all expect from one another.
Usually we either see this violation first hand, or we have heard someone
speak of this violation, stirring up an inner fire we all have and compelling
some of us to act or react, thus creating an Activist.
There is one key element in the momentum of the activism a person or group of
persons exhibits: that is the tenacity of the Advocate. You see, it is the
advocate that fuels the fire of the activists.
Thus we understand, activists will come and go, with the changing of the
political climates, the resolutions of their causes, or just from the
exhaustion of the struggle or movement. Yet the Advocate, the motivator, the
defender, the intercessor will hang on like a pit bull, never giving up, never
giving in, drawing in a never ending pool of activists. A true advocate will
usually champion several causes, and work with various types of activists.
Most activists pick a single cause to which they exert all their energies. The
advocate uses both intellect and action to further the cause. The activist
strives on the intellect of the advocate to motivate the activism.
Finally a great Activist eventually evolves and becomes an even greater
Advocate.
Martina Correia
Dedicated to my brother Troy Anthony
Davis, factually innocent on Death Row in
Georgia who made me the ADVOCATE I am today.
About the Author:
Martina Correia is the 2004 recipient of the National Coalition
Against the Death Penalty's Outstanding Community Service award.
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