Why Taking Actions?
Since early in life I have been bullied and discriminated against. As I grew older, I've experienced racism and witnessed many injustices. Instead of remembering my bad experiences, I thought that it would be important to talk about these social issues that affect us all. My desire to help others and the planet has inspired me to try to make a difference and contribute to a world without violence and hate. I knew that if I wanted things to be different I could not wait for others to do something; instead I needed to take the step. I wanted to make my life more meaningful by doing something that matters.
After more than 5 years contemplating the idea of starting a campaign, I started Taking Actions on October 16, 2010. My main idea was to spread love, promote tolerance, and encourage others to be kind to one another despite of our differences. Then I realized that the motive that pushed me to start Taking Actions was actually "the wanting" to do something for what I deeply believed in. I did not want to bind anyone into a single area of action, rather to motivate people to be more proactive, by taking actions, whether it was against or in favor of something. I knew that any action, even if small, could be a catalyst to make a big difference. Taking Actions meant positive steps toward a better future.
After more than 5 years contemplating the idea of starting a campaign, I started Taking Actions on October 16, 2010. My main idea was to spread love, promote tolerance, and encourage others to be kind to one another despite of our differences. Then I realized that the motive that pushed me to start Taking Actions was actually "the wanting" to do something for what I deeply believed in. I did not want to bind anyone into a single area of action, rather to motivate people to be more proactive, by taking actions, whether it was against or in favor of something. I knew that any action, even if small, could be a catalyst to make a big difference. Taking Actions meant positive steps toward a better future.
How are we Taking Actions?
- Sharing our message of compassion and raising awareness through social media to motivate people to take actions and make the world a better place for all living beings.
- Performing actions to encourage people to spread love, embrace diversity, promote peace, protect the environment, support equality and practice kindness.
- Organizing different projects to inspire people to take care of the environment, stand up for human rights, and eliminate prejudice, hate, and violence.
- Participating in protests, marches, rallies, demonstrations, and other forms of activism to demand change and voice our opinions.
- Supporting, helping and connecting with other individuals, groups and/or organizations that are already taking actions to make a difference.
- Empowering people to do something in support of a good cause or against what they think is wrong.
- Performing actions to encourage people to spread love, embrace diversity, promote peace, protect the environment, support equality and practice kindness.
- Organizing different projects to inspire people to take care of the environment, stand up for human rights, and eliminate prejudice, hate, and violence.
- Participating in protests, marches, rallies, demonstrations, and other forms of activism to demand change and voice our opinions.
- Supporting, helping and connecting with other individuals, groups and/or organizations that are already taking actions to make a difference.
- Empowering people to do something in support of a good cause or against what they think is wrong.
The Name
When I was brainstorming possible names for this campaign, I came across different options, including: A Tolerance Project, Diverse Society, Let's Make A Change! and Stand-Up Actions. Then, one day a friend asked me, "What do you really want to do with this campaign?", and I replied "I just wanna do something. I am tired of sitting back and let things happen without doing anything. I want to take actions to raise awareness and make a difference." I did not want to have this campaign about a specific subject, and I knew that my vision was to encourage others to make a positive change by taking actions. I wanted the slogan to express that we should think out of the box and be more accepting, because our differences make us who we are. That is why I chose, "Taking Actions: Opening minds in a diverse society."
The Logo
I spent several months trying to come up with a design that would represent the vision of this campaign. One of my stronger ideas was about the super-continent of Pangea, representing that we are all one, and that we all come from the same place. Then, I thought it would be a better idea to create something from scratch, a unique design. I wanted to design something that I could get tattooed on me. Inspired by tribal designs, I scribbled random lines (1), and then I connected them (2). After I mirrored the design (3), I added a circle to the middle as it looked empty (4). When I saw the design from far, the middle of the figure looked like a person, so I decided to separate and adjust some of the lines to make it more clean (5). The result resembled a person surrounded by abstract lines. I used different colors to represent what the campaign was about (6).
The figure in the middle represents all living beings. The thought process behind the colors were: red for love, green for the environment, blue for diversity, yellow for kindness, pink for equality and white for peace (when on a dark background).
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The logo was registered in November 2011. "The logo displayed on this website is a registered trademark of Palmar, Abrahan 'AJ'. Nothing contained on this website should be construed as granting, by implication, estoppel, or otherwise, any license or right to use this logo without the written permission of Palmar, Abrahan 'AJ'. Your misuse of this logo, or any other content on this website, except as provided herein, is strictly prohibited." |