This month: open-source GOTV resources, plus our #PowerofPop horror film recommendations 

Democracy STARTS with Voting

As social justice advocates and artists, we know voting is critical to making our voices heard. Every election is important, but there’s an extra sense of urgency to the 2022 midterms. The Big Lie that fueled the attack on our nation’s Capitol paved the way for armed intimidation at ballot boxes and further efforts to not only restrict but also criminalize voting. And while the stakes and anxieties run high, we must remember that fear is the tool of our opposition. Our strength comes in community.

As you make your final digital push to turnout voters on November 8, uplift the core values that mobilize our audiences and help them feel their power. Below, we’ve pulled together a handful of links to open-source resources and cultural strategies to nourish your creative juices for our shared work to defend democracy on Election Day and beyond.

• We Make the Future’s 2022 GOTV messaging guide (501c3) provides tested tips on persuasion campaigns that go beyond changing beliefs to change behavior.
• IntoAction’s content library, a project of TaskForce (founded by Yosi Sergant (’10 and ’11 Creative Change alum)), includes midterm-themed gifs that cut across our core issue priorities.
• Joy to the Polls, a creative intervention designed by Paola Mendoza ('19 Creative Change alum), is once again organizing local concerts at polling locations.
• Ride to the Polls, a campaign of Allie Young ('22 Creative Change alum), Harness, and Protect the Sacred, is working with skateboarders, cowboys, and quinceañeras to empower BIPOC voters and their communities to vote early in the midterm elections. 

Centering joy and community as tools of resistance powerfully counters the politics of fear and division. Have you seen or organized other creative campaigns to turn out the vote this year? Drop us a line and we’ll look to amplify on our social media channels.

ICYMI: Horror Films that Shift the Narrative

Throughout October, our resident horror nerds curated a Halloween watchlist of films that bring to life the very real hurdles to achieving gender, racial, and immigrant justice. If you’re like many of us who thought horror was only about gore and screams, the genre has a long history of subverting familiar elements to name the monsters behind systemic racism and sexism.

In recent years, iconic directors like Jordan Peele helped bring this form of horror into the spotlight, but the canon of great works extend beyond our borders and long before “Get Out.” Check out our staff reviews of “Bacurau” (2019), Nope (2022), and “Candyman” (2021), and make sure to follow us on Instagram and TikTok for more tips of great films and TV shows that use the #PowerofPop to challenge and shift narratives.

Welcome Rahwa & Chris to Team TOA!

Rahwa Mengisteab works with the team behind TOA’s operations to help with bookkeeping and minor accounting, while also ensuring seamless interdepartmental coordination on projects, communications, and scheduling. Prior to TOA, Rahwa worked as an executive assistant in both the non-profit and finance worlds. Originally from San Diego, her background in organizing around immigrant rights, Black maternal health, and social services for the unhoused community drew her to join team TOA.

Christian Tejada works with our Advancement team to oversee maintenance, reporting, and prospect management in our constituent management database. Prior to TOA, Chris worked with the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, a non-profit organization that operates the San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo Safari Park, to facilitate technical support on the database side for their philanthropic campaigns and branding. He is originally from New York City. Welcome home, Chris!

Image credits: Tom Barrett, Brian Erickson, The Opportunity Agenda, The Opportunity Agenda, Rahwa Mengisteab, and Christian Tejada

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