System Change – it ain’t easy, but it’s possible!
Status quo is not immovable, and system change can happen – but not without an unwavering commitment to challenge, disrupt, and transform.
System change was the focus of our last Upswell Pop-Up of the year. And during our Main Stage and two workshops, presenters and changemakers joined together to consider: How can we collaborate and mobilize using the “must have” components of system change – advocacy and power – to truly make a difference, including galvanizing voters during and after midterms to move us toward a more equitable and just nation where all can thrive?
During the Main Stage, “Creating a Racially Just Nation through Systems Change,” we were galvanized by three nationally known changemakers who speak truth to power daily as they navigate their organizations, coalitions, and movements – leveraging political opportunity, challenging the status quo, and changing conditions to help inspire systems change. Each shared fascinating insights into the vital importance of advocacy, the importance of civic infrastructure, how we can use data to build toward better outcomes, and why centering our work around democracy is key. They also reminded us that while the fight goes on, it is a fight for which we are ready.
Speakers:
- Darren Isom, Partner at The Bridgespan Group moderator
- María Teresa Kumar, CEO, Voto Latino
- Jennifer Blatz, president & CEO, StriveTogether
Workshop 1 focused on “Nonprofit VOTE & IS – Voterizing Nonprofits: Serve the Underserved Through Inclusive GOTV Strategies.” An esteemed panel of experts weighed in on how nonprofits are uniquely positioned to improve voter engagement rates and our important role in providing voter engagement services to our constituents. They also shared how to tailor “get out the vote” (GOTV) strategies to improve turnout rates and mitigate barriers to participation.
- Neisha McGee, Manager of Advocacy, Engagement & Mobilization, Independent Sector
- Danny Navarro, Partner Engagement Director, Nonprofit VOTE, moderator
- Angela Lee, Manager of Advocacy Outreach and Engagement of Goodwill Industries International
- Rio Fernandes, Director of Civic Engagement National Urban Indian Family Coalition
- Lilian Aluri, REV UP Voting Campaign Coordinator at American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD)
- Talib Hudson, PhD, Director of Research and Innovation at the National Network for Safe Communities.
Workshop 2 provided a raw, unvarnished look at “The Other Epidemic: Gun Violence Prevention as a Public Health Priority.” More than 40,000 Americans die from guns each year. And yes, the topic is complex — from marginalized communities to mental health – with many, particularly at-risk and vulnerable populations – feeling powerless and at a loss about how things can change. Experts from a variety of fields provided riveting examples of the gruesome realities about the devastating and life-ending damage that bullets and gun violence can cause – as well as the research and possible remedies, including creative channels — to this harrowing reality that threatens us all.
Speakers:
- John McKenna, Founder and Executive Director, KennaScope and Country Director – USA, The Non-Violence Project, moderator
- Chethan Sathya MD MSc, Pediatric Trauma Surgeon and National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded firearm injury prevention researcher
- Stephen Hargarten, Senior Injury and Policy Advisor, Comprehensive Injury Center, Founding Dean, Global Health, Medical College of Wisconsin
- Joelle Amie Charles, educator, applied anthropologist, and lead teaching artist of WHY KNOT NY
- Talib Hudson, PhD, Director of Research and Innovation at the National Network for Safe Communities
View the workshop here
And what would an Upswell Pop-Up be without giving you an opportunity to weigh in? Once again, we rounded out the Pop-Up with Dr. Cheryl Hall-Russell, who led our Exchange, encouraging and calling upon us (literally!) to share our thoughts on what we heard and how our organizations and sector can apply that knowledge to transform our nation from what is – to the truly equitable and racially just nation it can be.
- Cheryl Hall-Russell, President and Chief Cultural Officer of Black Women Wise Women, facilitator
- Francesca Menes, Founder and Chief Community Engager of CommUnity Strategies, LLC, speaker
- Jackie Smith, Communications Director at Poder Latinx, speaker
