How to build a new world locally

July 18, 2024 6:00 AM

What if in addition to a traditional "Get Out the Vote" campaign, your work also created a stronger community? What if you could turn a bunch of stolen corrugated signs into a block party? In "How to Build a New World Locally", organizer Madeline Talbott describes a strategy of using dedicated volunteer precinct captains to GOTV for progressive candidates in Chicago. She provides an optimistic path for fighting fascism by working very locally.

The Forge is a publication dedicated to sharing organizing strategies. There have been several Asks recently about what someone in the US can do to fight fascism, and the The Forge is a great source of inspiration.

posted by tofu_crouton (10 comments total)

this work should be joyous, after all
posted by HearHere at 6:08 AM on July 18 [5 favorites]

Yeah, baby! I have been banging the mutual aid drum everywhere I go as a bulwark against negativity.

You don't have to start from scratch as I guarantee there are organizations in your very area who would love to have you come on board. Just set your ego at the door and roll up your sleeves. I have joined Mutual Aid Katarokwi here in my city as well as supporting a "farmer's market" for folks who have no money or little money.

Again, marginalized communities have never expected to be treated well by any government in power so they've been doing mutual aid on various scales for ever.
posted by Kitteh at 6:13 AM on July 18 [5 favorites]

Great call out, HearHere. That should have been my post title. I have covid and posting this felt like walking up a flight of stairs but I hoped that by posting it, I could hear other people's success stories.
posted by tofu_crouton at 6:16 AM on July 18 [7 favorites]

tofu_crouton, your post title was good. for success stories, my experience is having better & better conversations with people around me

sending my best wishes for your swift recovery!
posted by HearHere at 6:21 AM on July 18 [2 favorites]

Community building is so important to tackling local issues. It's the front line for just about all aid and assistance, and a community can speak louder than an individual.

I would hope that GOTV efforts are already underway everywhere, but that's just one of many tasks of a progressive community. If TFG is elected, local cohesion will be an important, and perhaps the only means of protecting and supporting those subject to MAGA persecution.
posted by Artful Codger at 6:39 AM on July 18 [5 favorites]

I work with social workers at my current job. One of them picks up food from various businesses and grocery stores to hand out when she makes the rounds at tent encampments/shelters/etc. She knows those places are going to throw that food out anyway, and as she says, "No one wants to talk to a social worker if they're hungry!"
posted by Kitteh at 7:07 AM on July 18 [4 favorites]

Gosh, this is great.

I really liked this bit:

At one point when Bridget was worried about the captains hitting too few doors, rather than call them out for their slow start, she created an ambitious collective goal with a short deadline.

“Hello, precinct captains,” Bridget typed into the precinct captain text thread one evening. “We’re considering a goal of 400 signatures over the next two weeks. Is that the right goal?”

What a great way to do that! Offering a goal, suggesting it for consideration, actively inviting feedback, instead of just top-down directives. Inspiring.

And their success with the Bring Chicago Home action was just great.

But maybe my favorite part was the math at the end:

There are approximately 175,000 voting precincts in this country, averaging about 1200 voters in each. If we want three precinct co-captains in each one—this work should be joyous, after all, so why not do it with good people, rather than alone?—we would need something like 525,000 precinct co-captains.

I read about organizing efforts and I think, "that'll take SO many people. It'll take SO much effort." But 525,000 people - while a lot - is pretty small when you think about all the people who have turned out for protests (as she mentions), all the people who are deeply worried about what the future may hold.

It does seem like one huge but surmountable barrier for people is just the prospect of knocking on other people's doors ... and it seems like that could be overcome by just a simple apprenticeship - start with people who have done some door-knocking and pair them with new folks, so they get some good examples of how to have the conversations and ask the right questions.

There's so much to think about here. I'm so glad I got to read this.

Thank you so much for posting this, tofu_crouton! I'm sorry to hear you have covid and it was an extra effort to post this - I hope you're feeling better soon!
posted by kristi at 7:49 AM on July 18 [4 favorites]

This is wonderful. Thank you for this post.
posted by pattern juggler at 8:18 AM on July 18 [1 favorite]

Thanks for this, I appreciate it that it included a discussion around how to engage and involve busy parents with children.
posted by Wretch729 at 12:34 PM on July 18 [2 favorites]

This is great. I've been thinking I should try to start neighbor get-togethers of some kind, at least with the nearest houses. Most of them have young kids. (And the one neighbor who is retired and regularly talks to people to is a Republican.)
posted by mersen at 6:49 AM on July 19 [2 favorites]