On Our Thankful List: Smart, Thoughtful Activists
We’re thankful for so many things this year. It’s been a challenging 2011, to say the least, but when you know that you have so many good people standing with you, it makes it a lot easier.
Take this smart young woman, for example. Morgan Humphrey recently returned from an activist boot camp in Virginia, and she was kind enough to share some of what she learned there. Check out her guest blog post below.
—————–
During the 2011 mid-term elections, Erin Houchin, Mackenzie Szymanski and I, three interns from Planned Parenthood of Indiana, participated in a Get Out the Vote (GOTV) boot camp hosted by the Planned Parenthood of Virginia Political Action Committee. Along with 24 other pro-choice activists, we spent four days engaging with voters about the Nov. 8 election, encouraging them to vote for Virginia State Sen. Edd Houck. We canvassed door-to-door, phone-banked and conducted two visibility events. Between Saturday afternoon and Tuesday afternoon our group of women in pink shirts knocked on more than 4,800 doors and made over 13,000 calls to identified potential supporters of the senator.
Sen. Houck consistently votes pro-choice and is a long-time supporter of Planned Parenthood. His position as the chair of the Health and Education Committee has been crucial in preventing anti-choice legislation from advancing to the floor of the Virginia State Senate. During the 2011 legislative session, for example, his committee blocked anti-choice efforts such as fetal personhood laws, mandatory ultrasounds for women seeking abortion, restrictions on comprehensive sex education and targeted regulations against abortion providers (TRAP) laws. Because of his outward support for Planned Parenthood and pro-choice voting record, Sen. Houck was targeted by the No Excuse Ministry PAC, an anti-choice organization, during his campaign.
The GOTV boot camp was an incredibly rewarding experience. I learned a great deal about the inner workings of a political campaign and the unique vocabulary associated with organizing and campaigning. I also learned tips for door-to-door canvassing, from the obvious (“smile and make eye contact”) to the less obvious (“shake the fence before you open it!”). With experience, I became more comfortable and confident in engaging voters, and I was able to balance following a script with having a conversation. I learned the importance of asking supporters when they plan on voting — a casual question that prompts them to consider the logistics of getting to the polls.
Sadly, I also learned what it’s like to work hard on a campaign and lose. Though I know our efforts were not pointless, it has been a difficult process, internalizing the senator’s loss and how that reflects on my abilities. The Republicans now hold a majority in the Virginia Senate and anti-choice measures are expected to follow in the upcoming legislative session. Despite ending on a negative note, the hands-on knowledge and skills I acquired will be invaluable during the upcoming legislative session in Indiana, and the 2012 election. Additionally, I connected with 24 inspiring women activists, from Maine to California, who I can contact for ideas and support in my future work for reproductive justice.
——————-
If you’re interested in getting involved, and participating in events like the one Morgan described above, be sure to email us at advocates@ppin.org. We’d love to add you to our PPIN activists list!
Happy Thanksgiving! And before we go, we have to ask, what are you thankful for this year?
