We Protested, We Voted, Now What?
By: Reneé Claire Blanchard
The election cycle alone has been demoralizing and exhausting in 2020. I don’t fault those that want to look away now and focus on staying COVID free and healthy. Though I ask you to stay uncomfortable for a little longer. Until you are able to find something that you can envelope into your everyday life that keeps you an engaged citizen. So that you're involved in protecting our communities isn’t just showing up when there are nationwide protests and elections. Something that perfectly fits your values and the time you have to make our democracy work for everyone. Stay with your desire to create a more peaceful, more equitable city for just a little longer.
How Did We Get Here?
Many see how our country has developed as a failing experiment that no longer works for them, some see it as capitalism out of control, and still some see our democracy as a verb, an action, a continual push forward, for what the constitution promises us, a more perfect union.
After the deaths of Trayvon Martin in 2012 in Florida and Mike Brown in 2014 in Ferguson, MO and the launch of the decentralized but powerful movement Black Lives Matter, community organizers, mainly Black women, strengthened their communities’ demands of holding police and city governments accountable for the consistent murder of unarmed Black people. Additionally, the growing engagement of white people in calling for racial equality brought greater media attention and also resources, like money and social media posts that reached new people.
One of the impacts of this work is the protests we saw nationwide in June 2020. Another impact is that through all levels of government historic numbers of young and more diverse officials were elected in the general election in November, including in District Attorney offices. District Attorney's such as those in Los Angeles and New Orleans, campaigned to end the death penalty, mass incarceration and cash bail. At the same time city councils across the country began passing budgets and resolutions to take money away from massive police department budgets to fund more productive childhood and family services.
The uprising for Black lives in 2020 was a perfect storm of years of organizing on different issues, heightened frustrations due to a struggling economy for most households because of the steady transfer of wealth to the top 1% of earners throughout the past 4 decades, and the historically high unemployment due to COVID-19. The impact of watching medical professionals wearing garbage bags for PPE as nearly 300,000 Americans died of COVID and police departments dressed for war to squash mostly peaceful (and constitutionally protected) protest was shocking to even those who never protested a day in their lives. The years of work by community organizers made sure folks that showed up to these protests had concrete messages and tasks to take home with them. The uncomfortableness of this moment for so many created a pathway for more people than ever before to pay attention and get involved to protect Black lives and dismantle white supremacy. Organizers were prepared for this moment.
Then we participated in the 2020 general election which resulted in the highest turnout the US had ever seen in an election.
Now What?
I know from personal conversations that so many people are tired. We are simply exhausted from 2020. But I ask you to stay uncomfortable just a little longer. Get grounded, but stay uncomfortable.
While we may be tired, many of us are looking to stay engaged on the issues we championed or learned about during the protests. Maybe it wasn’t the first time you learned about how big your city’s police budget was compared to its children and family resources, but it was the first time you didn’t have a huge to do list waiting for you to distract you from it. Maybe it wasn’t the first protest you attended, but it was the first time you had the space to look into your own internalized racism. COVID-19 changed our lives and our communities, but the work on the issues has been happening without us for a long time.
While large scale protests have died down, organizers are still working day in and day out in your community. The work isn’t done just because protests are no longer being covered by national news organizations.
Here are four ways to stay involved
Local Mutual Aid Organizations.
One of the bright spots of COVID, has been the increase in person to person giving led by mutual aid organizations. Mutual Aid is defined as a voluntary reciprocal exchange of resources. It is considered a type of political involvement as people within a community take responsibility for each other through lessening the burden that local policy may have put on them. Mutual Aid participants work through creative means to create strategies for meeting the needs of its members. It is distinct from charity, often quoted among its members as “solidarity, not charity”
You can search in Facebook or Instagram for groups to join. Then get out into the streets by giving what you can, when you can. You can make meals or drop off fruit and water to a community fridge. Donate monthly to community organizers helping pay rent and emergency expenses. Give when and what you can. Take what you need.
2. City Council Agenda and City Budgets
All politics is local. As the counting of ballots continues into December for the 2020 election and as the ugly and unfounded calls of fraud continue to be kicked out of the courts for no evidence, local political leaders are taking a national stage in protecting our democracy. Many states, like Louisiana, have created pathways to keep as many people out of participating in politics as possible. We have multiple run offs, which have shown to drop participation, right when our communities need it the most. We don’t have voting on Sundays because Black churches used to bring their congregations to vote right after sermons ended. We Southerns get a lot of ridicule for how racist and misogynist our laws and politicians seem to be, but let’s be very clear. The majority of Southerners have been disenfranchised from participating in elections and everyday policy making. It is our responsibility to find ways to change these laws instead of heap judgment (and our own white supremacy) onto communities who have been always been on the losing end of American politics.
It’s easier than ever to participate in City Council meetings now that they have almost uniformly moved online. In New Orleans, each city council agenda is released with a deadline, usually the day before, to comment on each specific agenda item. Recently the City Council budget was reviewed. Each resident (with accessible internet - hello Save Our Libraries) was able to review the proposed budget and then submit a comment that would be read at the meeting. You can do this every single time!
Budgets are our values. Where the money is prioritized speaks volumes about what our city cares about most. The importance of the city budget is highlighted in this time of financial insecurity. Now is the time to get involved! Make your voice heard and get your friends and family to do the same.
3. Contact Your Political Leaders
Between the 2016 and 2020 elections, we were encouraged more than ever to reach out to our elected officials on various issues. The big one was healthcare. We learned some important points about what works.
Call and write only your own official. You can find out who that is through a simple google search
Calls work the best, but postcards are easier and something you can do while watching tv. Keep a stack of postcards out in your living room and write every week on the issues you care about. When friends can come over again, get them to do it too. Or hand them a stack for their own home.
The sticking point here is that the elected officials listen to those that make the most noise and they can be held accountable. This article talks in depth about what kind of accountability works.
We just have to create a routine to participate in our democracy that works for us. Take a couple minutes right now and think of three ways you can regularly make contact with your elected officials.
4. Run for Office: There are a ton of organizations looking for you.
Emerge Louisiana
Emily’s List
Higher Heights for America
Ignite
Get Her Elected
Victory Institute
She Should Run
Let’s be honest, our country’s current group of elected officials is freaking shitshow. A lot of that is gerrymandering. (google it!) We have learned, this year more than most, that a lot of the elected officials are not very smart. Literally. You are indeed smart enough to win and legislate. If this is in any way interesting to you, check out the organizations above and see what they have to offer. They are all holding information sessions and ways to learn about how to start the process. Maybe you won’t run yourself, but maybe you have a skill that you can lend to others who will.
Stay uncomfortable just a little longer with me.
