Accessible Activism - Why I'm writing this book
What I want to promote: Vote Forward.
This post is a deviation from my usual content.
I’ve begun work on a new book tentatively titled Accessible Activism: Making a Difference From Your Comfort Zone. My goal is to foster more political and social activism by offering a variety of ways people can engage in activism from the comfort of their home. It supplements, but does not replace, other important forms of activism.
I wrote a book in the past of which 50% was derived from my past blog posts. So, in the same mindset of “writing in public” I thought I would begin to post sections of the book as I do first drafts hoping that it will lead to better second and final drafts of the entire book.
I don’t have a timeframe for completion of the book. These related posts might be sporadic and far apart. But I thought that maybe this public airing of my rough drafts might spark my energies while also contributing to what I hope is a better end result.
For each such post, I will promote a link to one method of engaging in accessible activism. At the end of the post, I’ll comment on the link in more detail. I’ll also open up these posts for comments to the non-subscribing public which I don’t usually do. Feel free to comment because your comments will perhaps improve future versions. Thanks in advance for reading this.
About This Book
I started thinking about writing this book in 2020 in the era of Covid lockdowns during which I was unable to physically go many places. I mostly sheltered in place for months. Life being the variable thing that it is, I dropped the idea of writing the book for a long time and am only now in early 2023 working on it.
I’ve come to see how important this book’s message is, even as day-to-day life has returned to some normality.
We have lately dealt with some contentious and volatile election cycles. These elections determine the fate of the United States in so many ways: reproductive rights; climate change; our economy; civil rights; and so much more including the survival of our democracy itself.
My history throughout my adult life has included various forms of activism. Activism for political candidates – local, state, and national. Activism for LGBTQ rights. Activism for better HIV care and prevention solutions. Activism for better public health services, especially for gay men. Activism for better acceptance of all consensual sexualities and relationship options.
Activism is part of my DNA. It is part of who I am. So, being confined to my home for months during the worst of the pandemic required me to adapt to being a different kind of activist. With the exception of taking a calculated risk during the pandemic to march with Black Lives Matter protesters in one of their biggest San Francisco protests, all of my activism was done at home, most of it in front of my laptop or phone.
Because I’ve had to adapt my activism, I’ve done a lot of research and investigation into various ways I can be an effective activist without physically putting myself in real-time government meetings or in my representatives’ offices. This book documents much of that research and investigation sprinkled with my personal experience with some of these strategies. Many people have also kindly given me some great suggestions and feedback that’s made its way into the book.
Welcome to accessible activism (thank you to my friend Laren Leland for the suggestion of that phrase). There is so much you can do that can affect our laws, elected officials, the collective social conscience, and government policies without placing yourself in harm’s way or marching into a legislator’s office. Perhaps you’re an introvert and being engaged with activism in safer surroundings is appealing. Perhaps physical challenges keep you from engaging with in-person activism. Perhaps your free time is limited and this better fits into your schedule.
With that said, I feel I need to be clear. These approaches to activism do not replace boots-on-the-ground activism. Sometimes we need to march and protest. Sometimes we need to knock on doors. Sometimes we need to make appointments with our governing representatives and plead our case for a cause. When a government’s neglect of its people reaches a certain level of heinousness, we might need to physically rise up in a mass of protesting millions.
Please do not assume the activism approaches detailed in this book are a replacement for other kinds of activism. However, they can still be quite effective. If this type of accessible activism fits within your comfort zone best, then know you can indeed affect change.
About Vote Forward
Vote Forward was one of the ways I engaged in political activism during the height of the pandemic. Starting in 2017/2018, they have done randomized trials and rigorous experimentation to figure out whether handwritten letters to voters will increase voter turnout. It turns it, they do. You can find out more about that here.
Vote Forward has proven that these letters can indeed increase voter turnout by enough percentage points to significantly impact an election. We’ve all seen how close some election vote counts can be. Efforts like this to increase turnout by even a few percentage points can tip the result toward progressive causes and candidates because typically the greater the voter turnout the more progressive-leaning the results.
During recent election cycles I have downloaded Vote Forward template letters, added my own handwritten message to the voter, then mailed hundreds of them per the timeframe requested by Vote Forward. Some letters are most effective when they land in voters’ mailboxes around a certain date prior to an election.
You need access to a printer to print the letters and you’ll need to supply your own blank #10 envelopes and First-Class postage. So there is some cost associated with this effort. But for those who are able to do so, it’s a great way to increase voter turnout from the comfort of your couch or kitchen table.
You can use this link to access all my writings and social media and ways to support my work.