doubling down on our engagement in local and state initiatives
In this current political landscape, fans of climate justice and democratic government might feel like we’re facing an insurmountable enemy with impossible odds. But it’s important to remember that the enemy we’re facing is not an amorphous blob of power. It is actually just a few individuals who have been given power, which can be taken away by a large enough group of citizens, acting strategically and simultaneously at multiple levels.
This includes pressuring federal legislators by writing, calling, hosting town halls (like many have done across the state), or showing up to local offices (like hundreds of local Fairbanksans have been doing at these pack the offices events). This might help them to act now, or it might set the groundwork for them to be unseated later. It includes mutual aid efforts to protect people who are being threatened by new policies. And it involves doubling down on our engagement in local and state initiatives to shore up policies that protect people and map a course for the kind of communities we want to build and live in.
Enshrining protections at the local and state levels serves the dual purpose of protecting our communities now, as well as making it harder for federal overreach to damage our communities in the future. And even in less overtly authoritarian federal landscapes, so much of the action that actually affects us happens on the local level. People who want to limit our freedoms have learned this - by packing school boards and community organizations with anti-LGBTQ people, by developing commissions to ban books from schools and libraries, and by getting their people to show up to local assembly committee meetings to spread fear and misinformation about voting systems. There’s one thing they’re getting right - local engagement creates change, and it doesn’t take that many active people to tip the scales in one way or another.
There are so many ways any one person can have a huge impact on this level, and no one person has to do it all. Pick something that feels exciting or motivating to you, and make a habit of it. Show up to borough assembly meetings, even if it’s not a big call to action moment. Make a habit of showing up to school board meetings, FAST planning meetings, or GVEA meetings. Be there in person, if you can. Keep track of the state legislature, call in to public testimony opportunities, and call your state elected leaders. Learn about current state legislation and sign up for text alerts on one or two bills that you care about (two of our faves currently in motion are SB 92 and SB 112 - learn more here). Join the board of a local community organization (like the FCAC council!). Run for local office or apply to a board or commission. Learn how to help get out the vote for local elections. Right now is a great time for us all to all be making active citizenry a habit.
Claim your place as a storyteller of this moment. We all have an important story to tell, and in our current divided media landscape, reaching across the information divide is going to become critical to building a cross-political movement to protect our democratic principles and practices. Humans are wired for story, and it’s one of the best tools we have to actually change hearts and minds. Become comfortable with speaking about how harmful policies affect you and the people you love, and what it feels like to be you in this moment. Tell your story in public meetings.
Over and over, we hear people saying that one of the best actions to take in this moment is to build community. These are some concrete ways to do that. Community is more than just a group of friends - it’s an active and engaged group of people invested in the future of their community and willing to show up to fight for it.
