6 Do's and Don’ts of Attending MMMC
DO be a little nervous.
I can’t recommend my own course of action (i.e., being so nervous on the way to Nashville that I couldn’t even watch the flight map on the plane, which is my favorite show), but it makes sense to be a little nervous. If you’re doing it right—that is, bringing vulnerability and an open mind—you’ll leave the conference as a different person than how you entered it, and that’s a little scary.
DON’T worry about the social dynamics.
I was certain I would live out the nightmare of having no one to sit with at lunch. I pictured myself walking around the dining hall, tray in hand, and eventually having to sit in a bathroom stall with the tray on my lap, Mean Girls-style. I’m thankful to say I was wrong. Turns out the people at MMMC are… nice? I made real friends. On day 2, I chatted with the person sitting on my left at the plenary session–by that night, we were laughing our heads off like we’d known each other five years.
My act in the “No Talent Show” was encouraging people to become friends with one another. I stressed the importance of using someone’s name after you learn it. What started as a one-off line in this half-silly act grew much bigger when I started hearing people use my name a lot more in conversation. I watched fellow MMMCers open up about wanting to make lasting connections, and not play at getting to know one another, but actually get to know one another. I was moved by the vulnerability this took.
DO come in with some idea of why you’re there.
Everyone had different reasons for coming to MMMC. My own goal was to better understand the inner workings of other chapters: their membership structure, how often they meet, and their campaign goals. Other attendees came to form grounded–and sometimes scary–redistribution plans, move Zoom connections to real life, or soak up the wisdom of movement leaders. I’m happy to say I did gain insight into other chapters. In doing so, I met my fellow New Englanders. We agreed on wanting our chapters to be more cohesive, and we excited ourselves at the idea of bringing back region-wide Zoom calls.
DON’T shut yourself off from getting something entirely different out of the experience than what you came in expecting.
I got many of my chapter-related questions answered–hurray! I left with so much knowledge to bring home to my chapter. What surprised me was that was only a fraction of what I came away with. Looking back at MMMC from three weeks later, the two greatest treasures I’m keeping from the conference are the relationships I started building and a budding confidence in my capacity as an organizer.
DO talk with the speakers from outside of RG.
Meeting fellow RG members and staff? Wonderful. Also getting to have dinner with presenters and deep diving into their organizing and movement strategies? Even better! One night I was lucky enough to share a dinner table with DaMareo Cooper (Co-Executive Director of Popular Democracy) and Jacob-Clifton Albritton (Major Gifts Officer of Movement for Black Lives). DaMareo shared advice on organizing effectively, one piece of which was to bear in mind that in any given room, 50% of the people will be there because somebody asked them to, while the other 50% will be there because you asked them to. And if you’re trying to bring someone into the movement who’s not on board yet, you just might be the wrong messenger. It’s okay; it’s not personal.
DO follow up.
I am a teeeeeeerrible texter. I can go months without responding to someone (even though I will remember it and stress about it every. single. day.). I have many flaws, but this is truly one of the most egregious. If you’re anything like me, you’ll mean to follow up–you really will mean to!—and then you’ll stew on it for eons and not actually send the message. My advice is to get the ball rolling before you leave the conference. Sign that redistribution pledge. Make those group chats. Send out that When2Meet.
This brings me to my final point: even if you didn’t get to attend MMMC this year, you can renew your dues before the end of the year. Have you renewed your dues this year? If you can’t remember, you probably haven’t. (Check for sure on the self-service portal.) And if you mean to do it later, you’ll probably forget. (It wasn’t until writing this email that I actually renewed mine.) You can renew or pay your membership dues here.
I hope you’ll renew your dues, and in doing so, continue to make RG a political home for yourself. I also hope in this coming year, you’ll feel the energy I felt leaving the conference. I’ll end with this excerpt from the journal entry I wrote on the flight home from Nashville:
And, like, I’m an organizer!!! Those are the skills I’m developing. I am a blossoming organizer. This is not only a dream coming true, but the revealing of a way forward. I gotta keep doing this. This is all the shit I love: organizing people, working towards a radically better future, being my whole self.
—Eliza G., RG Boston Member Leader and first-time MMMC attendee
