3 Steps on Becoming A Conscious Citizen

If you know me, or Mandy, you know we love any and every opportunity to show allegiance to our forever first lady, Michelle Obama, so I couldn’t resist the opportunity to give her a plug.

Becoming a conscious citizen is something that is (or at least should be) a priority nowadays. Whether you feel a deep call towards climate change, police reform, veganism, politics, social justice, or all of the above, it can be overwhelming to figure out where to begin and how to pace yourself towards consistent growth & a true lifestyle change.

I’ve accumulated a few steps for success, a few resources, and also a few tips from some of my favorite people who I’ve watched intentionally cultivate their lives towards the causes they care about, and for no lack of better words because these are perfect —— “walk it like they talk it.”

1. Create A Learning Schedule

Sadly, no one person can save the planet in a single day. On the other hand, that also means no one person can ruin it. Thank. God. 

Because of this, if you’re really serious about becoming a conscious citizen, creating a learning schedule is invaluable. Just like a skill, subject, or language — spending regular, allotted time on a topic creates a breadth of knowledge. Setting aside 30 minutes to an hour every Saturday morning could be a great start. A biweekly movie night to watch a documentary could also be super helpful. 

Another idea is joining a weekly or biweekly book club as a great way to find community and keep it fun and interesting as you begin on your journey. Even better — If you have friends who are also interested in learning about the same issue, ask them if they’d like to join in on keeping each other accountable in any of the aforementioned ways. You can turn Saturday mornings into study sessions, and movie nights into an opportunity to get together and hash out thoughts & questions in a safe environment. Plus, it’s truly a beautiful thing to grow in the community.

One example for someone who’s working to be an ally to the Black community to create a learning schedule would be to join in on Rachel Cargle’s educational collective on unlearning race, “The Great Unlearn.” Another amazing option would be to partake in GirlTrek’s Black History Bootcamp (here on Spotify | here on Apple) to learn about different Black women who played a significant role in the Civil Rights Movement while soaking in the sunshine in form of a daily walk. This one is also particularly great for Black women to partake in, especially coupled with their 100 Radical Acts of Self Care.

2. Organize Resources

A huge part of becoming a conscious consumer is having resources. Constantly having to google everything can be overwhelming. But if you create a database of resources, it can alleviate a lot of stress and struggle when you need to know where to purchase something you need, or if a certain ingredient can easily be substituted for another. Set aside some time to bookmark some resources where people have already done the work for you. This way, next time you need them they’re already set aside in a folder in your browser. Plus, once you become well acquainted with them and have built up your own repertoire of resources, you can then easily share them with someone who may come along behind you, looking to learn themselves.

One of my favorite resources I’ve been using frequently in the fight for social justice is Let’s Buy Black The Block. This is a visual platform I created with a few of my closest friends to make it as simple as possible to support and buy from Black-owned businesses. I reference it frequently and have found that for pretty much anything I’m looking for, there’s a Black-owned brand selling it -- whether it be skincare or self-help books on my reading list. 

3. Follow Gurus

Nowadays, everyone has a Twitter, Instagram, and/or an email list that you can keep up with. Though I don’t recommend turning on all notifications, setting an alert to see when someone you aspire to learn from posts, or setting a Google alert for when a new article about them pops up will allow you to stay abreast on the news, and maybe even help keep you excited about the new path you’re on. I have notifications on for Brittany Packnett Cunningham, Angela Rye, and Rachel Cargle because I want to be sure to stay up to date on things they’re sharing.

For those of you who have already endeavored on your own conscious expedition, what have you learned? Any helpful tips you can share? We’re excited about all the growth to come!

xx, 
Sey

Kelsey Lemons

Kelsey, preferably known as Sey, lives by her self-made mantra that “life is much less about what you want to be and much more about who.”

Kelsey is a Southern girl, with a city girl spirit, who has centered her life around hope, culture, and woman power. She loves surprising people with the fact that she's a Scorpio and prides herself on enjoying taboo conversations. She will talk you up without batting an eyelash, and also shut down any negative self-talk just as quick.

She’s a self professed boba lover, who can often be found eating hot fries with chopsticks while continually refuting her friend’s imposing enneagram assignments, and is patiently waiting for Trevor Noah to propose. If you happen to be him, or just want to get in touch, you can find her sharing all of her life’s musings at sheinthemaking.com or amplifying Black businesses at letsbuyblacktheblock.com.