President Obama delivered the call. Here’s my answer.
An organizer’s response to President Obama’s speech at the 2016 Democratic National Convention
I came to politics kicking and screaming. But last night, watching the President speak as I sloshed around in puddles of my own tears, I have never been more confident that getting involved in the civic process is the one thing we should all be doing.
Like so many, I thought politics was nothing but dirty. That it belonged to corrupt politicians who bred and wielded haters, trolls that spouted talking points they had swallowed whole as truth to seed divisiveness into the body politic. I am one of five children, and as the baby, I just wanted everyone to get along — a goal that quickly disintegrated when my family’s diverse political perspectives were unleashed around the dinner table. Shhhh, I would urge. How about the weather?
But when the Twin Towers fell and I saw the inevitable and unfortunate course our country was charting, I felt powerless. I suddenly understood why stuffing topics I found uncomfortable was not just irresponsible, it was dangerous. If we didn’t speak up and demand accountability for the spread of lies, who would? If we didn’t organize, what pressure would our leaders feel to do the right thing?
I know people cried out. I know there were efforts. I know that many legislators did what they believed was best based on the information they were told. Perhaps it was just that I was too young to understand how to harness my frustration constructively. But it wasn’t until then-Senator Obama began his run for president that I — like so many millions of Americans — felt something different. He believed not just in a platform, but in a movement.
That’s what finally did it. I volunteered — I organized; I made calls; later, I signed up for that new-fangled Twitter thing and tweeted my little heart out. I made friends — family, now — that like me, had seen the dust and ink of founding dreams written in American history books come to life in a visceral way.
I realized that at its core, politics doesn’t have to be about attention — and I don’t know how to say this in a way that trumps cliche, but I discovered that it truly is about our children and families, our hopes and dreams. It’s about recognizing that spark in each of us and giving it the air to flame into enterprise, art, nurturing.
And President Obama has delivered on that promise. He has kept the movement, the organizers, the community organizing in neighborhoods across the country alive. Last night, as I watched my hero leave the stage, I thought it was only appropriate that another one was emerging from the wings.
That’s the way Hillary Clinton has always been. She’s spent her whole life fighting for communities, whether or not that has made her the media’s darling. She’s weathered insults and dismissal to a degree I, as a young woman in a more gender-progressive but still difficult time, can only imagine. And she’s been there, by President Obama’s side, to make the tough calls that have helped keep Americans safe and prospering in an increasingly complicated world.
“That’s America. Those bonds of affection; that common creed. We don’t fear the future; we shape it, embrace it, as one people, stronger together than we are on our own. That’s what Hillary Clinton understands — this fighter, this stateswoman, this mother and grandmother, this public servant, this patriot — that’s the America she’s fighting for.” — President Obama
There’s so much progress to protect. It’s clear that we can’t let someone like Donald Trump destroy the gains we’ve made — but this election is about more than that. With Hillary, we have an opportunity to continue building our grassroots movement. We can continue manifesting the spirit of those history books, because she knows how to fight — and she’s not afraid to fight for what’s right.
For all my organizer friends, and for all of those who have yet to make the delightful discovery that civic engagement can be the realization of hope — I share one powerful quote that stuck with me from President Obama’s speech last night. When he felt he was falling short, there was one thing that he returned to:
“It’s every American who believed we could change this country for the better, so many of you who’d never been involved in politics, who picked up phones, and hit the streets, and used the internet in amazing new ways to make change happen. You are the best organizers on the planet, and I’m so proud of all the change you’ve made possible.
“Time and again, you’ve picked me up.”
It’s time to pick Hillary up, y’all. Get involved — and let’s get her to the White House.
— Alex
