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In light of the current American political climate, there has been an influx of involvement in the conversation via social media. Social media has been one of the many places where our voices have and can be heard, but there are many people who are ready to put those 250 characters on Twitter into action.
Getting involved can be overwhelming, and it can definitely be hard to find platforms for you to support or even begin in politics as a career. I've searched Twitter for some of the most influential active political accounts and have complied a list of some of the different companies and organizations that aim to create leaders and give resources to their supporters as well.
1. The Collective PAC
The first company I want to start with is The Collective PAC, which was launched in 2016 with the goal of working to fix the challenge of African American underrepresentation in elected seats of power throughout our nation. The Collective PAC's focus is to increase the number of African Americans in public office at all political levels. They have also successfully supported 53 candidates in winning elections on local, national and federal levels, such as Keisha Lance Bottoms (Mayor of Atlanta), Ilhan Omar (Congresswoman) and Aja Brown (Mayor of Compton).
So, how can you get involved with The Collective in their plight to help turn the numbers back in the favor of the people? Give. Raise. Run. You can get started by going to CollectivePAC.org. Visit their donation page and give from the heart in support of the cause. You can also host events for the PAC at any level, from house parties for 10 plus or large receptions for 50 plus; the size does not matter but the message and support definitely does. Hosting an event for the PAC can be a great way to network with the community and an opportunity to learn more about what the concerns of your peers are. In-turn, that can then help you in your personal activism.
The PAC also has the Black Campaign School, which is a national conference where over a 1,000 promising candidates who are running for office at all levels come and are paired with political strategist, trainers and communicators. The candidates are trained with a curriculum that they state is culturally relevant and speaks to the specific challenges of Black candidates and operatives while running for office.
2. The Brown Girls Guide to Politics
The next form of entry into the world of politics is just knowing more and finding resources to help you to progressively and informatively become apart of the conversation. If you are just looking to get started, The Brown Girls Guide to Politics is a sure fire place to start. thebgguide.com is a blog for women of color who want to make a career in politics and supporting women of color already in politics. They provide numerous resources such as a listing for 2020 presidential campaign job opportunities with candidates such as Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris and Cory Booker. They've also complied their own resource list, that they call "BE THE CHANGE," with various organizations looking for people who are ready to volunteer and make this world better for us all.
3. Girls In Politics Initiative (GIP)
In today's society, knowing your rights as well as being informed on how the country you live in works politictly is a necessity. Kimberly Mitchem-Rasmussen, who is the founder of GirlsInPolitics.com, understood this and created an organization that would teach our young girls just that.
GIP is an organization that educates girls from the age of six to 17 in civics. They travel around the country hosting over 100 classes and events. They offer programs, such as Camp Congress for Girls, where each girl runs for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, Senate and President. They teach them how to build their own platforms and campaigns on the issues they find to be relevant. They are taught different voting processes and are given the opportunity to tackle the fear of public speaking at a young age.
How can you get involved? You can head to their website and find dates and locations and send your child, or any little girl who is interested, to these classes. You are helping by providing hope for our futures through the education of young girls. Also, ladies, if you thought you were left out, fear not. They offer classes for women as well.
4. VOTE.RUN.LEAD.
The last way to get involved is with VoteRunLead.org, which is an organization that trains women to run for office — and win. They have trained well over 30,000 women and is the largest and most diverse campaign program in the country. Their goal is to ready women with the right know-how, and aims to empower these women to run for what they believe in and build a campaign bases on their passions.
How can you get involved? For starters, they offer something as easy as becoming a part of their Facebook community, which will allow you to network with other women who share your interest, allowing you to learn so much and gain many resources that you may not have received had you not met certain new friends through this networking tool. They also provide resource as well as events tailored to help you prepare to run. In addition, they offer in-person as well as online training from voter mobilization to tips and tools on how to leverage Facebook for your campaign.
There are so many ways to make sure that your voice is heard and to become a change in the world. There is no limit to what you can achieve, and if being a Black man or woman in politics is your goal, these are some of the best avenues and organizations to help you achieve that dream. Whether it be to stay informed or to get active right now all it takes is a click to get you started.
