Get in the Voting Booth, Get in the Ring

By Maya Mackey

In the wake of the news of Kamala Harris being anointed by President Biden as the favored Democratic Presidential nominee, I am beholden to thoughts of community-based care and wellness. Where does  yet another “most important election of our lifetime” leave those of us desperate for actual change?  Change that affects us locally?  Specifically? More immediately?  

Every election cycle, I like to remind my friends and social media followers that the work doesn’t end when you cast your vote that fateful Tuesday. I know now, better than I ever have that the gap between what I profess and where my labor rests needs to close. So, I have fully committed to doing a better job at doing the work. For those who are courageous enough to dream bigger than the status quo and think outside the “lesser of two evils” scenario, I offer a few starting places and philosophies to consider.  

Last year, I trained with the New Leaders Council, a progressive organization that raises up leaders on the left to make an impact in their communities–whether professionally or through a personal love of activism. It was there that I was introduced to the Social Change Ecosystem Map, created by Deepa Iyer. The colorful model resembles a web and asks you to ascribe yourself a role in the fight for social change. 

There are Weavers, people who can connect the dots and create connection between people, ideas and organizations where others only see opposition. There are Experimenters, and we need them to think outside the box and create new systems, new schools, new laws and new philosophies that can push us all forward. We need fearless people who aren’t afraid to try something new, and are resilient enough to keep trying until they find something that works. Frontline Responders mobilize and organize people and resources and spread urgent messages and information in real time. 

Visionaries dream of new possibilities and lay out steps to get there. Builders do the leg work of creating the dreams of our Visionaries. Builders are the ones who materialize our vision and make them functional and sustainable. Caregivers provide practical support and nourishment to prevent burnout for our leaders. They will be the ones handing out water and food at the protests, bandaging our physical wounds, providing shelter and refuge when needed. Disruptors take uncomfortable and risky actions to shake up the status quo, raise awareness and build power. Healers recognize and tend to our collective and individual traumas. They restore our spirit by providing emotional, spiritual or practical care. They create our safe spaces in the world. 

Storytellers craft and share our experiences, cultures and desires through art, music, literature, dance or film. Guides teach, counsel, and advise using discernment and wisdom. Surely you can find yourself in one of the above roles, or semblance of them anyway.  You can also weave in and out of different roles, depending on the initiative you are fighting for. Perhaps the job you’re at provides an opportunity for you to become a storyteller and share a message that inspires people to give money or volunteer time to a cause in need. It’s your life and only you can assess where and how you want to apply these gifts but I implore you to do so because we need you in this fight. All of you.

The ecosystem of social change, and finding your place in it, is imperative to feeling empowered. It is essential to existing as a human being that has to live, love, and interact with others. But it is not enough to stop there. What good is a visionary that only dreams but does not vote or donate to mutual aid funds? 

The fight for liberation and freedom requires many tools. The only way to sustain this work is to be diligent with using all the tools in our arsenal.  Pick a cause you care about outside of a once-every-four-years election. There must be a cause you commit to regularly that fervently takes up your heart space if we are ever going to reach such lofty ideals as rebuilding a nation. When donating, volunteering, or submitting a public comment at your Board of Supervisors or City Council meetings, or whatever project or initiative you decide to take on, start small.  

Before we can run, we must walk and before we begin to walk, we must master crawling. 

It could be as simple as picking a consistent calendar date to do a beach clean up. Volunteer to work the polls this November and help ensure there is no voter fraud or discrepancies taking place. Drive somebody to the polls if their excuse is that they don’t have transportation. Volunteer to babysit for a few hours so overworked and overwhelmed parents can take time off to cast their vote. If you’re an excellent researcher, go through your US bills that are pending and translate them into accessible language so that your friends and family members know what’s at stake and begin to invest in what happens in their own backyards. 

It is often our local politicians we have a better chance of reaching anyway. If you’re reading this, I believe you are an intelligent person and you can use my ideas to generate your own and see how you can begin to make a difference. Today. 

Apathy and resignation will never lead us to where we want to go.