Last week, we had the incredible opportunity of visiting Strong Families New Mexico. Our goal was manifold and included doing exchanges with other fierce organizations such as Young Women United, building organizational and individual capacity for Forward Stance, and of course, eating delicious (and spicy!!) food.
But one of the most memorable moments was an event Forward Together co-hosted with Young Women United to explore the topic of civic engagement and it's relationship to our various communities.
We used theater of the oppressed to explore the ways that the electoral system and processes for voting both support and undermine the voices, needs, and power of our communities. We built skits from our dreams of less oppressive classrooms, as well as our frustrations around the difficulty accessing the polls because of things like work, citizenship, culture, and a lack of resonance.
So why still vote? Here's why:
mai doan is the SAFIRE Organizer at Forward Together.