Annie Danger, 25, bookstore employee
1) “Revolution is defined differently depending on the culture and ethnic background of the person asked, but the context in which I hear it the most is almost always in marketing terms. The café up the street is called Revolution Café. It’s also a cultural shorthand for leftist and has become more like a joke, because it’s so far away from our real experiences here in the U.S.”
2) “I would like to see a shift of consciousness, and actively change how you are as a citizen, change your way of living.”
3) “Revolution starts with self-compassion.”

Sophia Cambell, 36, yoga instructor and musician
1) “Revolution is to give voice to underserved communities, to collectively find a voice and to speak up for themselves so that change will arise.”
2) “We need a revolution here in America. George Bush needs to be overthrown, in a non-violent way.”
3) “I want to achieve economic stability for myself, for my personal empowerment, and I also want to have a voice to speak for other people who need it.”

Ronnie Hunter, 21, student
1) “Our people (African Americans) need to rise up. The government has lost sight of what the people need.”
2) “We need a revolution, but we need to throw out all the existing politicians to make a real change to the American society. Now it’s the old, rich bloodstreams that have power. Like the Bush family or the Kennedys, for example. People live better lives in Europe because the governments there work more for the people. We think because we’re a superpower that we can do no wrong, but people here, minorities, are forced to sell drugs to make a living.”
3) “My people need to unite, like in the 40s and 50s. Since the 80s and the crack epidemic, African Americans just want to put each other down. Our mindset is a mess. We need to rise up together and make a change for our kids. But it will take a long time. My kids will probably have to take over my job in doing so. We are like crabs in a barrel, we only get so far before we are thrown down again.”

Gregory Bolds, 29, cook and construction worker
1) “I think of the dictionary term ‘change’.”
2) “My people need to make change. I see the state we’re in. Black people need to bring it around. Revolutionize the laws. People can get a life-time prison sentence for selling drugs, but not for child abuse.”
3) “I’m the only one who can change anything for myself. I don’t want my children grow up the way I did. I want them to get an education and learn more about how to deal with life.”

Gilbert Guerrero, technology and communications director
1) “Revolution would be to completely overthrow everything—with no exception. Everybody got to give up something, but most people would not be comfortable with that. Who knows if revolution will ever change anything?”
2) “Revolution in the government is the most important change. It’s not serving the people; it’s serving the corporations. The government doesn’t listen to the real needs of the people, and they don’t feel that they have to be responsible. There is no accountability.”
3) “An underground revolution where people would refuse to participate and not hope to change a rotten-to-the-core system.”