We recently had the chance to connect with Milo Grave and have shared our conversation below.
Milo, a huge thanks to you for investing the time to share your wisdom with those who are seeking it. We think it’s so important for us to share stories with our neighbors, friends and community because knowledge multiples when we share with each other. Let’s jump in: What are you chasing, and what would happen if you stopped?
Right now, I’m in school working towards getting my paramedic license. It’s a lot of hard work, and there are a lot of roadblocks I can see in the future, but I know I can’t stop chasing it. Because of how difficult the career is going to be for me to manage, I’ve searched high and low for a different job that I would be content doing instead, but there is none. I don’t necessarily believe that we have a “calling” in life, but if we do, emergency medicine is mine. I simply couldn’t live with myself if I deprived myself the opportunity to continue making a difference in people’s lives on the ambulance, and I’m so excited to do so.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Milo, and I’m a political organizer and content creator from Utah. I’ve worked with many organizations over the past 7 years, most notably Fridays For Future when I was a teenager. Right now, my main focus is an amazing group called Salt Lake City Bakers For Palestine. We have bake sales every week where we sell homemade baked goods and art from local artists, and from Palestinians themselves. We have a few families we work with that live in occupied Gaza, and 100% of the donations we collect go directly to them. It’s depressing and sometimes frustrating work, but it’s also so rewarding to be able to SEE the difference you’re making first-hand, when normal protesting and direct action seem to have no effect. I’ve taken a step back from some of the more active roles that I held when I was younger, and I’m trying to focus on mutual-aid, education, and financial contributions right now.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
I think the Parkland school shooting really changed my view on The United States and our government. Although my views on guns have shifted and changed many times over the years, the undeniable fact that was shown to me during that time was this: The government does not care about you. Becoming educated on issues surrounding gun violence in this country led to me becoming much more politically informed, and aware of other social justice issues facing America and other countries. I think that’s a lot of really hard pills to swallow as a teenager, but I’m grateful that I did not remain ignorant to the fact that there are people that are oppressed, and there are ways to help them.
When did you last change your mind about something important?
I’ve recently had to face the reality that I will never be a morally perfect being, none of us will. I face a lot of guilt over the fact that I need to participate in a corrupt system in order to survive. That guilt follows me to the grocery store, when I don’t check to see if the generic brand food is on the BDS boycott list. It follows me out to a night with friends, reminding me that my $6 cocktail could be $6 worth of food for someone in need. I was focusing so hard on everything I was doing “wrong” that I was discounting what I was doing right. I think leftists in 2025 have a culture that involves a lot of shame, and I internalized a lot of that. I have to continuously remind myself that I’m allowed to live and exist how I need to, I’m allowed to enjoy life, but I also have morals and values I hold very highly, and my actions should reflect those to the best of my ability.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
All social justice movements, most notably today, a free Palestine. Unfortunately, protests and direct action in The United States today is very much treated as a fad. People get fired up for a month, then move on to the next trending hashtag. I am as committed to combating climate change as I was when I started 7 years ago, and if Palestine is not free 7 years from now, I will still be involved in action, and hopefully still be helping out with bake sales for our families. I will never stop resisting until all people are free.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
I think I’m definitely doing what I was born to do, despite being told not to, both in regards to activism and in my career and personal life. Living in Utah and growing up in a conservative family, my involvement with protesting and direct action was a point of contention for a long time, and occasionally still is. As far as my career goes, paramedicine and working on the ambulance poses risks to my health and safety for sure, and my friends and family support that goal, but encourage me to seek another option for a job. But, to quote The Chase by Sleeping With Sirens, “I do it cause I love it, I was born for this. I know this is the reason why I exist, so no, I won’t let go.” I feel as though I was created with excessive, sometimes too much, empathy so that I could go into the world and use it to help all that I can.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linkfly.to/itsmilograve
- Instagram: @itsmilograve (personal) @itsmiloonthestreets (activism)
- Youtube: Milo Grave (@itsmilograve)
