I just had a delightful dinner with some dear progressives here in the Tri-Cities. We had a conversation which I can only imagine is just like thousands of other conversations across the country. It can be summed up to "Now what?!"
Here, during the election, we had this fabulous (unexpected) outpouring of progressive activists! Our county here in West Michigan was one of the redest counties in the country in 2004. The last time our county (Ottawa Co.) voted for a Democrat was when they voted AGAINST Abraham Lincoln! And here, in our section of this EXTREMELY conservative area we came within 21 votes of beating John McCain. People are still reeling from this shocking progressive surge.
So yes, "Now what?!" Everywhere I turn I am getting this question.
I guess I am left asking what brought this unlikely crew together. Undoubtedly we had MANY reasons for coming together behind this transformative candidate. But because we all had different specific motivations, ending the war, environmental concerns, supporting the first African-American candidate, the economy, women's rights, gay rights, desire for a young fresh candidate, health care, fed up with the Republicans, etc. It would seem impossible to unite this diverse group again prior to the 2012 re-election campaign (yes we are already excited.)
One of the keys to Obama's success (in my estimation) was his ability to excite and mobilize the Cultural Creatives. And the way he was able to do that was by appealing to their shared progressive values. Cultural Creatives is a term to define an emerging and growing demographic which is estimated to be 50 million strong here in the States. The term was coined by Dr. Paul Ray and Dr. Sherry Anderson.
Here are just some key values that define Cultural Creatives:
- love of nature and deep caring about its destruction
- strong awareness of the planet-wide issues (i.e. global warming, poverty, overpopulation, etc.) and a desire to see more action on them
- willingness to pay higher taxes or spend more money for goods if that money went to improving the environment
- heavy emphasis on the importance of developing and maintaining relationships
- heavy emphasis on the importance of helping others and developing their unique gifts
- volunteer with one or more good causes
- intense interest in spiritual and psychological development
- see spirituality as an importance aspect of life but worry about religious fundamentalism
- desire more equity for women in business, life and politics
- concern for the violence and abuse against women and children
- want politics and government to spend more money on education, community programs and the support of a more ecologically sustainable future
- are unhappy with the left and right in politics
- optimism towards the future
Paul Hawkens, author of Blessed Unrest, writes about a similar global movement that is happening right now. You can watch this brief video here.
I believe the work regarding the Cultural Creatives and the work of Paul Hawkens is the first step in knowing where to go next. I believe it is the answer to why we came together, the most unlikely characters spending hours to work on, what was for many, their very first political campaign.
So as the conversations continue here in the Tri-Cities it is revealed some want to support local Democrats, while others want to take on an issue- health care, LGBT rights, green jobs, Michigan's economic woes etc.
And truth be told, I want all of this to happen! I want to see all of these great progressive agendas moving forward here and on a national level. But as the volunteer coordinator for this area, how do I manage to give people the opportunities to do all of that? How do we stay connected with each of us choosing our unique work and stay in touch and supportive of what others are doing and keep that feeling of being a part of something so huge.
ALLISON'S SOLUTION:
We need a Change Network. We need to use the technology and tools that made the Obama Campaign for Change all possible, and let people use it to continue the progressive agenda. Each community is different, but with the tools of MyBO we could list groups and organizations that are already doing this work. We could call this MyChange. In our area the Alliance for the Great Lakes, The Lakeshore Ethnic Diversity Alliance, and local candidates could tell their stories and put out a call for action and volunteers. People could plug into areas where they are needed and connect with others with similar interests. They could personalize email notifications and just learn of volunteer or action opportunities based on their region or interest. Of course this Change Network would also be a platform for policy and educating the public.
I really believe this network of Cultural Creatives is seeking this sort of local community connection and centralized action. The Change Network can be the Facebook of activism. And would continue to build and grow the movement for integrated progressive action which would be of huge benefit to the Democratic Party and the American people.
Thirteen million signed up for email alerts from the Obama Campaign. Instead of asking what do we do with this list, we need to be asking how to we mobilize the citizenry to produce the change that Obama inspired us with. Let's keep these new activists moving, and I believe understanding the values of the Cultural Creatives, just might be the answer to doing so.
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