Sometimes A Revolution Wears Shorts

Sometimes the most powerful advocacy wears shorts.

This photo is of my paternal grandmother, Audrey, and her coworkers at the Southern Bell Telephone office in Valdosta, Georgia, circa 1945. They were protesting the lack of air conditioning in their workplace—a good-natured, self-reported demonstration staged during their lunch break or a Saturday afternoon. No work missed. Just a group of full-time women making a point with a little humor, a little scandal (shorts in 1945!), and a lot of heart.
They called the newspaper themselves. They wanted to be seen. And they wanted to be heard.

In philanthropic work, we often feel the urgency of the causes we champion. But this photo reminds me that sometimes the best conversations—the ones that actually move people—are the ones that leave room for laughter, for humility, and for others to make up their own minds.

Yes, the cause matters. But so does our humanity.

Let’s never forget that advocacy can be joyful. That change can start with a smile. And that sometimes, shorts are the perfect uniform for a revolution.