The hardest part of changing the world around you is making the decision to attempt it in the first place. It’s even more difficult when you hear stories of people from different walks of life losing their economic means to provide for simply expressing a counter-viewpoint.
Even in anonymity, there’s the fear your secret will be uncovered — and that secret becomes the main weapon your opposition will threaten to bludgeon you with.
Libs of TikTok creator Chaya Raichik decided to disarm her opponents by revealing her identity this week on Fox Nation’s “Tucker Carlson Today.”
The real-estate agent from Brooklyn built a huge following on Twitter and other social-media platforms by anonymously spotlighting progressives’ own voices — especially teachers bragging about bringing sex and gender-identity talk/indoctrination into their classrooms.
After she “stumbled upon this whole platform” of disturbing videos, she told Tucker, she thought, “I just need to disseminate this. It’s just so bizarre and dangerous. I just need as many people to see this as possible.”
Her efforts infuriated liberals like Washington Post writer Taylor Lorenz, who revealed Raichik’s name, though not her picture.
“I have never done any in-person events. And I am choosing to do that now because I feel like over the past few months, I have done so much,” Raichik explained of her reveal. “I’ve helped educate people, I know that I’ve helped create legislation to tackle some of these issues. And I think I have done all I can. And I am ready for the next step.”
Sometimes in life, you’re called to do something that isn’t in your nature, compelled nevertheless because you believe it’s the right thing to do. The risk of ostracism, threats of physical harm and attacks on your character don’t measure up to the guilt you’d feel by ignoring your instinct to act.
As simple as it may seem on the surface for Raichik to re-upload videos originally published on TikTok, it’s always hard to not let your fear of exposure override your call to action. You’re left with an internal dialogue filled with questions revolving around if any of this is worth it while praying that none of your loved ones is hit by the shrapnel from the assault aimed in your direction.
I understand what this internal dialogue sounds like because I also made the decision to put everything at risk to attempt to change the world around me for the better.
I spent nine months writing a book questioning narratives you’re not supposed to question while slowly accepting the possibility that my entire world could come crumbling down around me. I was willing to risk friendships, public character assassination and even the loss of employment because I believed the call to action was more important than my comfort. I had to use my voice to expose elites who use blacks as political leverage, instilling in us for their own benefit a victim mentality that makes too many believe we can’t succeed.
Regular people have the power to become something extraordinary in our society, to create real change and to challenge power structures that have been shielded from scrutiny. Raichik isn’t an Ivy League-educated journalist, and I don’t even have a college degree, yet we’ve been able to effectively shed light in ways other prominent voices couldn’t.
Many of us sit on the edge of possible greatness but are stifled by the fear of the unknown ramifications and doubt that our voices can make a difference. We’ve been trained to become insecure about the power of our voices and believe the rare shocking cancelations are the normality.
We should be more fearful of the lack of a coherent answer to our children’s question: “Why didn’t you do anything?” As a father, I couldn’t accept the idea of telling my son I was too scared to risk my momentary comforts to try to contribute to the betterment of his future or explaining why being anxious of the unknown restrained me.
Raichik did what we are all capable of doing: something. She found a way to contribute to conversation and to help people become aware of some of the predators in our society.
Now it’s your turn. You’re being called.
Adam B. Coleman is the author of “Black Victim to Black Victor” and founder of Wrong Speak Publishing. Follow him on Substack: adambcoleman.substack.com.
