My Work on the U.S. Election
Dear Co-Counselors,
Thank you for all the encouragement, high expectations, and rigorous counseling that have fueled me in the past six weeks. I’ve done a lot of work, focusing my efforts on a Congressional district in Georgia (USA). One of my personal goals was to bring more people in with me. That has been a big challenge to my chronic distress and different from what I’ve done in my past activist projects.
In the past six weeks, I’ve written to about a hundred people each week, offering encouragement, perspective, and specific invitations to do this work together. I started with family and friends, but people I knew from work were eager to join when they learned what I was doing. I came up with [thought of] creative ways for people to participate and appreciated every little thing anyone could figure out.
One highlight is that it has led to much more close contact with far-flung [distant and dispersed] friends and relatives than ever before. Weekly Zoom meetings have strengthened connections with cousins, childhood friends, work colleagues, and neighbors.
I just sent this to everyone:
Dear Friends,
I am feeling so appreciative for everything you have done to help turn our country and our world in a better direction. Thank you for all your support and encouragement. In the past few months, I’ve tried to figure out how to do more than I ever have before, and many of you have, too. It looks like we have no shortage of opportunities to continue to learn and grow in the coming times—and I’m looking forward to doing that with you.
One of the many lessons I’ve learned is how much we need everybody. A successful campaign needs so many different things, so many different skill sets, and there is a place for everybody. Many of you contributed money—that really mattered! Others of you were generous and warm on the phones. Others plowed through monotonous tasks. Some of you were data fiends; others brought friends and family. One woman needed an hour and a half of one-on-one tutoring to use Zoom. She couldn’t make many calls, but it turned out [resulted that] she had organized a fundraiser with a hundred attendees!
A lesson has been how you never know what will make a difference. People I thought hadn’t even read my e-mails showed up to phone bank!
One of my greatest honors was when I called the number of an elderly African American man whose absentee ballot had been rejected. His daughter answered the phone and explained that her father had been very sick but had desperately wanted to vote. And there had been a glitch [problem] in how his absentee ballot had been filled out. Her father had passed away, after insisting his daughter make sure that his vote was counted. Despite the fact that she was organizing a funeral for the next day, she was determined to make sure his dying wish was granted. We were able to figure out a solution, and Mr. S—’s vote may end up being decisive in a Democratic victory in Georgia.
It looks like we will have many opportunities to learn how to build better and more effective coalitions and campaigns. I look forward to doing that with you.
Brookline, Massachusetts, USA
Reprinted from the RC e-mail discussion lists for leaders of women and for USA political issues
(Present Time 202, January 2021)