Nicki's Blog - Archived Entry

I returned from 4 days of voter outreach in Las Vegas yesterday in a daze. My voicemail was full—first of well-wishes for my trip, then of consoling messages of support. Strangely, I got home, performed in a dance piece, did some homework, went to sleep, and then woke up to teach statistics. . . I carried on today, almost as normal, but the sickened feeling in my belly and soul won’t let me feel normal. Many things are different after Nov 2nd, and I am fearful about the next four years. Our country is remarkably divided on issues of tremendous importance, and I imagine those differences will only gain saliency as the days pass. I am bracing for the wave that is going to roll over us as the powerful exert their ideas onto our lives and rights.
But those who know me know that I am not one to focus on such dark things, for I’ve found that it is a waste of energy and a distraction from positive potentials. I would be false to deny experiencing the sinking misery, but I would be more false to let it suck me in.
This week, I joined over 1000 other activists, in Las Vegas alone, in one of many rallies in that area, to get out the vote. The energy of the strangers from the west coast all converging with the common goal of progress and empowerment and change, all chanting together, exchanging political shwag, complimenting each other on our contributions to the movement. . . it was incredible. See this link for a photo of me and Ry in line at the staging area—we made the paper! http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2004/Nov-02-Tue-2004/news/25154795.html

We hit the suburbs like an army, bringing information, encouragement, transportation, and potential to the people’s homes. I ran around in a ridiculous voter superhero outfit carried over from Halloween. Children at the door wondered who I was, one family thought that they had won something, and another thought I might be crazy. . . but most of them laughed, most of them remarked at the passion and energy behind our efforts in their neighborhood. Most of them went and voted. Check out this photo of Ry, Richard, and me in LV:
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Jesse drove one woman in labor to the polls so she could vote before going to the hospital. Yes hit the homeless shelter and teen mom centers to facilitate their votes. The beautiful women in my van flirted, cajoled, and compelled the people to the polls. One DV volunteer worked so hard in the hot sun pounding the pavement that he suffered a heart attack. The energy was so strong and the effort so powerful. A movement, a grassroots army of peaceful acts. It was beautiful to watch.

So, actually, it worked. We sought to register those who weren’t and empower the disenfranchised. We sought to gather the energy of those around us and share it with our fellow citizens to teach them about their options, their power, and the need for their involvement. We sought to build community, friendships, and responsibility. And it worked. All of those things have happened. Perhaps it did not lead to the outcome we had anticipated, the outcome we had longed for. Yet, I refuse to allow the past 10 months of work to become a “means to an end” and lose focus because our “end” did not develop. The process, the actions, the enlightenment, the joy, the growth, the pain—it IS what it is all about. I would rather have all that I have gained from the past 10 months with DrivingVotes and have this disappointing ending than trade it for a Kerry victory minus the movement. Perhaps that seems naïve, but I believe that these events have changed me, my country, and the people within it for the better. We have built a new generation of activists. Tomorrow and the next day and the next day, you will feel it.