Man Up! Getting Men into the Grassroots

GCP initiative reaches out to male volunteers

By Julie Greenberg and Susan Wagner

Grassroots activists take action to solve pressing problems where others may hold back. In that spirit, the Grassroots Collaboration Project will be launching an initiative tailored for guys. Why men and why now?  Very simply, the reason is that since the 2017 Women’s March, women’s engagement in volunteer grassroots activism has dwarfed men’s engagement. As one male activist recently observed:

At a Zoom meeting last month, I scanned the160 faces and names on my screen. About 20 of them were men. “Typical,” I thought. For the past year, I’ve attended over 100 Zoom meetings of pro-democracy groups. Without exception, when I looked at who else was there, most of the activists were women. And it usually wasn’t even close, most often 75 to 85% women with the. majority of the leaders and facilitators were, too.  

There’s no question that what women activists have accomplished is wonderful! As Robert Hubbell, renowned publisher of Today's Edition, has said, “Women have been the backbone of the Democratic Party and the Resistance every day since 2016… Without them, we as a nation would be lost. We owe to them the victories in 2018, 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024.” 

But the gender lopsidedness begs several questions: How much stronger could our movement be if we had more activist men in our ranks? How important is it that the Democratic Party be perceived as a party protecting the freedoms and rights of women and men? Today’s union picket lines are achievable examples of what Democratic activists can aspire to in our voter registration, voter protection, canvassing, phone banking – every type of voter engagement: men and women of all races and ages acting in concert.

As we head into the summer and fall, we need more volunteers to preserve the best traditions of our country. Most of us don’t want to imagine, never mind witness, massive deportations, a ban on contraception, more violence from emboldened white supremacists. So the Grassroots Collaboration Project invites more volunteers in general, but we invite men especially to take action now.

No Time to Waste

In March and April, the GCP invited groups of men encompassing a full range of experience with political activism to discussions to suggest a way forward, to move men’s realization of the need for more active involvement to volunteering. These discussions laid the foundation for MAN UP, an initiative ready to launch on June 18, to fire up public activism among men. 

In our two discussions, there was a palpable sense of the timeliness of a direct appeal to men to get more active. As one participant put it, I’m tired of just writing checks without getting involved.  As a grandfather of two…I need to be able to tell them what I did.

The men’s discussion advised the GCP to be very direct, practical and tactical in this initiative.  So we adopted the name “Man Up” to be direct and we’ve worked nonstop to develop an online hub for practical and tactical resources on the Man Up webpage on our GCP Website.  These resources include:

• The case for men getting active NOW, an inspiring welcome message people can share; 

• Clear guidance on eight different types of election activities that can boost the chances for Democratic wins, and where and how one can volunteer for them, such as: Joining a standing grassroots group; organizing with other men; doing an activity solo; 

• Information on a monthly Zoom on which men new to volunteering can debrief about  both hurdles and successes.

How You Can Take Action

Sign up here for the Man Up Launch on Tuesday, June 18, 8:00-9:00 pm Eastern. 

• Invite others using https://bit.ly/3URXa1v

• Attend the June 18th launch 

• Invite others. 

• Become familiar with the resources on the Man Up webpage and. . . 

• Contribute your suggestions on how to connect with the channels and influencers in the grassroots communication ecosystem through which the GCP can help spread the Man Up message in a drumbeat that continues through fall.

If you are a man who has joined a grassroots zoom call or a phone bank and felt a little out of place surrounded by a sea of women, check out the resources on the Man Up website to find a way to contribute that’s a comfortable fit and boosts your spirits. 

A Final Note

So much good will come from more men joining the fight: 

• New energy and ideas for reaching out to potential voters;

• More evidence for Biden-naysayers that Democrats are enthusiastically supportive of candidates from the top of the ballot down;

• And a gender balance that makes the Democratic Party brand stronger.

Please step up, men! Use the Man Up guidance to locate or organize a way to volunteer and then participate every week between now and November 5. Get your friends to Man Up too! We hope Man Up will help pave the way for you to become an active and happy volunteer for Democrats, your team for preserving essential freedoms for all!

Women, please spread the word about Man Up to the men in your world who are not yet volunteering – especially those that only need a nudge!

Again, we welcome you at the Man Up Launch on Tuesday, June 18^th, 8:00-9:00 pm Eastern.  Invite others using https://bit.ly/3URXa1v

The Grassroots Connector covers activism from ALL angles. READ MORE