[The last Friday of each month the Grassroots Collaboration Project teams up with the Friday Power Lunch podcast (a weekly podcast amplifying the voices of the grassroots on politics, culture, and women making change) to produce a program spotlighting the work of grassroots activists to raise awareness about issues, connect with voters, and get Democrats elected.]
You can listen to the audio recording below or watch the video above. A summary of the program is provided below.
The March 29, 2024 Friday Power Lunch explores building community as one of the core values of grassroots work.
GUESTS
ELLEN CASSEDY, Activist and author of “Working 9 to 5: A Women's Movement, a Labor Union, and the Iconic Movie” is interviewed by SUSAN WAGNER. Ellen’s stories resonate with those of us who remember trying to deal with workplace challenges half a century ago. Ellen and Susan speaks about how in 1973, women won rights and respect at the office and changed workplaces throughout America. Ellen reflects on how their lessons learned can help our work today but reminded us to persevere - that the work is never done and we need to keep doing it over and over again.
There are many postcard programs but none receives more positive feedback than the year-round program of NE Arizona Native Democrats. JENNIFER STOKELY EIS, Out-of-State Director, NEAZ Native Democrats, and ELIZABETH REINGOLD, Leadership Team of the Markers for Democracy, were interviewed by FINALE NORTON. They discuss how this program lives its Democratic values every day, speaks the language of the people they connect with, and focuses on building a community of voters instead of promoting campaigns or candidates. Particularly interesting is that the local organizer and their phone number were on every postcard.
One story they told that demonstrated how care in building community transfers positive responses from one communication mode to another was about a phone bank they ran last year. Of the 200 people called, 190 were happy to hear from them. Such a positive response to being called is rare. Volunteers were delighted to be part of this effort, a testament to what the NE Arizona Native Democrats are doing right.
JUDY KINCAID, North Carolina Activist and Founder of Leaflet Every Door, is interviewed by KATHERINE WHITE. They speak about how and why Judy started this program of handing out leaflets which revitalized her local precinct and connects regularly with voters, not just around elections. They talk about thinking of a precinct as your neighborhood and the fact that the 2024 target is to reach voters who are left-leaning but not always voting. Judy reminds folks about Simon Rosenberg’s advice: “Democrats need to get loud”.
ABOUT: The Friday Power Lunch is a weekly podcast produced by the unstoppable women of Network NOVA to amplify the voices of the grassroots on politics, culture and women making change. The program is recorded before a live Zoom audience every Friday at 12pm ET. To sign up to attend the live recording, click here. The video recording is available on YouTube and the audio version is available on Apple Podcast and Spotify. To experience the Friday Power Lunch through the platform of your choice, visit the Friday Power Lunch page.
Community Ignites Us