What's Your Activist Archetype?

Quiz Questions

• 1.
  A friend is doing a fundraiser for a cause you believe in and are knowledgeable about. The day before the event the main speaker comes down with laryngitis and your friend asks you to fill in. You...

  • A.
    Say, "Yes", as you fondly recall your days as captain of your school's debate team.
  • B.
    Give your friend the names of four other people who would be better, including your 6 year old nephew.
  • C.
    Tell your friend that if she absolutely can't find anyone else you will do it and immediately start to sweat.
  • D.
    Graciously tell your friend that you would rather sit home with a sharp object in your eye.
• 2.
  "Diversity Day" is coming to your kid's school and you are determined to help out. You decide to...

  • A.
    Bake the gluten, nut, and sugar free cookies.
  • B.
    Talk one to one with kids struggling with their identities.
  • C.
    Direct the Muppet inspired puppet show that will teach the lessons on the Diversity Curriculum.
  • D.
    Facilitate the Q&A session with 50 kids.
• 3.
  You turn on the news and learn that people are being denied entry to the U.S. based on their country of origin. You immediately...

  • A.
    Send money to the ACLU and other groups who are taking action to stop this practice. Then you start strategizing other actions to take.
  • B.
    You write a letter to the editor of your local paper about how this country was founded to be a refuge for those fleeing violence and tyranny.
  • C.
    Tap the most powerful connections you have and begin organizing a protest march on Washington, D.C.
  • D.
    You pull out your phone and start calling everyone you know to come to a meeting at your home to create a coordinated plan of action for your community.
• 4.
  You are on the subway and see ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) officers asking brown people for proof that they are in the U.S. legally. You...

  • A.
    Calmly engage the officers in conversation in hopes of distracting them so that undocumented people can get off at the next stop.
  • B.
    Start filming the officers on your phone and livestream it to social media.
  • C.
    Quietly move to the next car and warn the passengers that ICE is on the train.
  • D.
    Stand up and, using your "outside" voice, tell everyone in the subway car that they are not legally required to speak with the officers and that the officers DO NOT have the right to search them or their property without a properly executed warrant.
• 5.
  As far as activism goes your favorite thing to do is...

  • A.
    Attend a protest march. I want my voice heard and I love the communal energy.
  • B.
    Write a, "Letter to the Editor", or call/email my elected officials.
  • C.
    Organize a protest. I'm still bitter that I missed the anti-war movement and Woodstock, sigh...
  • D.
    Start a movement!
• 6.
  You go online and see that an influencer in your area of activist interest has put her foot in her mouth in a big way. That's okay, we all make mistakes. But she's not owning it and is, instead, claiming that those calling her out are being unfair. You feel that she was wrong in what she said and you...

  • A.
    Quietly watch and see what others are saying but don't add you opinion to the mix.
  • B.
    DM her and initiate a private conversation.
  • C.
    Directly and publicly engage with the influencer in an effort to move the conversation to a broader one on the difficulties of social justice work and how we all need to be aware of our unconscious biases.
  • D.
    Start a frank conversation on the responsibility that influencers hold and tag her.
• 7.
  You are watching the news and see 16 year old Greta Thunberg addressing Congress about climate change. You find her so impressive and you think...

  • A.
    This is the way to do things. Get noticed on a huge stage so I can make the difference I want to make.
  • B.
    Her work is so inspiring to me, I bet there's a way to replicate her work on a much smaller scale. 
  • C.
    Yikes! She is incredible but the mere thought of addressing Congress makes me break out in hives. I'm happy stuffing envelopes in the back office. 
  • D.
    Wow, this kid is amazing! I don't have what it takes to do what she is doing but I am absolutely willing to be a foot soldier in her army.

Quiz Outcomes

• 1.
  The Headliner *

  Image Source

  Illustration credit: Octavia Ink of Pretty in Ink Press You are The Headliner. You are in your element in a leadership position. Taking action is what you do. Standing up and speaking, to 10 or 10,000 feels the same to you. You are comfortable in the spotlight and you know that this gives you the opportunity to powerfully connect with large numbers of people. You have a big vision and it’s second nature to go out and talk about that vision. Bringing people into your cause is so satisfying. Not for the attention you get, but for the impact that you can make. You understand the burden that comes with being the face of a cause and you accept that because what you are fighting for is so important to you. There may be slings and arrows coming your way but they will not deter you. You have a job to do, a cause to fight for, and people to inspire and lead. Headliners include: Greta Thunberg, Martin Luther King, Jr., Winston Churchill, Malala Yousafzai, and Jane Goodall. You are The Headliner. * You may find that you have characteristics of more than one archetype, it happens. We all contain multitudes, and circumstances have an impact on what we will do. Embrace your main type and know that, given the right circumstances, another side of you may show up most strongly.
• 2.
  The Organizer *

  Image Source

  Illustration credit: Octavia Ink of Pretty in Ink Press You are The Organizer. You have mad organizational skills and your idea of a very good time is being able to put those skills to use in a cause that matters to you. You are the person who prefers to stay behind the scenes but will step into the spotlight if need be. Your superpower is creating a detailed plan of action to move your group towards it overarching goal. You are happy working with The Headliner and giving them the support they need. You know how valuable your ability to step into the spotlight is when the Headliner needs a break. Then you are more than happy to go back to working behind the scenes. You fill the gap between the Headliner and the Producer. Keeping things on track for the Headliner and translating the Producer’s plan into actionable steps that your community can implement. Without you things would get messy really quickly. Organizers include: Rosa Parks, Representative Elijah Cummings, and the mom at the PTA who creates the brilliant spreadsheet to keep everything and everyone on track for getting funding for the arts from your city council. You are The Organizer. * You may find that you have characteristics of more than one archetype, it happens. We all contain multitudes and circumstances have an impact on what we will do. Embrace your main type and know that, given the right circumstances, another side of you may show up most strongly.
• 3.
  The Producer *

  Image Source

  Illustration credit: Octavia Ink of Pretty in Ink Press You are The Producer. You are happiest engaging in small groups and love supporting the more outgoing members of your community and want little attention on yourself. Your emphasis is on holding the image of the big picture so that others can play their essential roles in your common effort. You are great at seeing how the parts fit together and making sure that nothing is falling through the cracks. At the end of the day the thing you want most is to accomplish your community’s larger goal. You’ll be the one, just offstage (exactly where you like to be), cheering the loudest when that goal is attained. Producers include: Producers are rarely well known and that is exactly how they like it. You’ve almost certainly met some but, unless you were paying close attention, you might not notice how critical to the success of your cause they are. You are The Producer! * You may find that you have characteristics of more than one archetype, it happens. We all contain multitudes and circumstances have an impact on what we will do. Embrace your main type and know that, given the right circumstances, another side of you may show up most strongly.
• 4.
  The Indispensable * 

  Image Source

  Illustration Credit: Octavia Ink of Pretty in Ink Press You are The Indispensable. You want to do the work of making social justice a reality from as far out of the spotlight as possible. You know that without the support of the millions of people who feel just as you do nothing changes. So you are there, behind the scenes. Maybe you are out marching with your family and your friends, the friends you know and the dozens, or millions, who feel as you do whom you haven’t personally met. Maybe you are answering phones, stuffing envelopes, making coffee, making posters, making your voice heard in your way by being one of the many. By bolstering the numbers of people who are committed to your cause so those with the power to make a difference can’t ignore you. You shun the spotlight, but that doesn’t mean that you aren’t dedicated to change. Don’t underestimate your importance. Without you, and the millions like you, nothing happens. Indispensables include: Every person at a march for climate action, women’s rights, criminal justice reform, and every other social justice cause. All those behind the scenes, down in the trenches doing the unglamorous work everyday. Those whose names we will never hear but without whom nothing would get done. You are Indispensable. * You may find that you have characteristics of more than one archetype, it happens. We all contain multitudes and circumstances have an impact on what we will do. Embrace your main type and know that, given the right circumstances, another side of you may show up most strongly.