Kolawole Akinlosotu 6/27/25 Kolawole Akinlosotu 6/27/25

A Message From Kylie

I can hardly believe my time as a staff member at Common Power (CP) is coming to an end. It feels fitting to share a message in the very kind of blog post I asked others to write in my most recent role as a Senior Associate in the Marketing and Comms Department. This one is for you, my community, as much as it is for me.

As I prepared to write this, I started by revisiting my reflections from the first few quarters of my CP journey. I say “quarters” in the academic sense because, when I started as an intern during my sophomore year at UW, writing reflections was part of the structure David and I set up so I could earn credit. In my review three key themes stood out: growth, purpose, and resilience. While I didn’t necessarily recognize these at the time, or at every moment over the past six years, these words have stayed with me since the beginning. I’ll use them now to frame the rest of this blog post.

Growth

CP was my first "big girl job”. I was 19, eager, a little unsure, and completely unaware of how integral CP would become to my development as a professional and person. I learned how to navigate a workplace, carry myself, and take on real responsibility. I was stretched, but in an environment that encouraged me to try, fail, and try again. This can be rare and invaluable for a young person just starting out.

I also learned from watching many types of leaders in action. Each brought their own strengths and styles. Over time, I took pieces from all of them to shape my own.

But my growth wasn’t limited to skill; it was personal too. Throughout this work, I saw more of the United States than I could have ever dreamed of or thought I wanted to. On just my second CP trip, I went to South Carolina and found myself talking to students at Bob Jones University and even attending a Trump rally. These experiences challenged my assumptions and opened my perspective.

Traveling with CP exposed me to different ways of living, communicating, and organizing. Just like with the various types of leadership, I integrated pieces I admired into my life. For example, I say hi to strangers on the streets in Seattle now. I bring with me the lessons I learned and moments of warmth I experienced.

Another part of my growth was learning to own my identity as a person of color. Being a trans-racial adoptee, this hasn’t always been easy for me. I’ve struggled with the concept of belonging. Charles played a huge role in this; he saw me and helped me find my voice. I’ll also never forget what David said during a particularly challenging moment: “All we want is for you to show up authentically”. The encouragement I received from leadership gave me the confidence to lead as my full self.

PURPOSE

*Staff Learning Tour Birmingham Alabama ‘22*

It’s a running joke amongst staff that I have had more managers than anyone else. Over the years, I helped create programs, like Action Academy, and watched entire arms of the CP ecosystem, like the Institute, form. I’ve seen colleagues, volunteers, and partner organizations come and go. People often ask me what’s kept me here so long. Full transparency: I’ve asked myself that too.

For me, the answer comes back to purpose.

Through every organizational shift, I remained grounded in CP’s mission and the community it built. Even in the hardest moments, I could return to that shared sense of "why". At my core, I knew this work aligned with my values, but in many ways, it helped me discover and define those values more clearly. Though the cast of characters has changed over the years, the heart of this community never has. I stayed because of the people.

RESILIENCE

From the very beginning, David told me this wouldn’t be your typical internship, and he wasn’t kidding. I moved from an intern to a full-time staff member in six months, then took a quarter off in the fall of 2020 to work on the elections. I learned to adapt at a pace that was unfamiliar—and sometimes uncomfortable—for a Type A planner like me, but it was exactly what I needed to grow. I navigated shifts in role, organization changes, and a constantly evolving political landscape.

These experiences tested my mindset. I learned that resiliency isn’t about having all the answers or a clear path. Instead, it's about becoming your own source of stability, trusting yourself and those around you, and showing up anyway.

I am proud to leave Common Power with a deep sense of gratitude. I am grateful for every early morning call, every last-minute pivot, and every door knock. I will also be eternally grateful for the opportunities that allowed me to grow beyond CP, including the Higher Education Fund that enabled me to pursue my MBA and the Gratitude Package that ensured a safe departure. A special thanks to my (most recent) manager, Wole, whose support and guidance made these possibilities a reality.

While I feel bittersweet about moving on, I know my community remains. That’s the thing about community: it doesn’t end when a job does. No matter what’s next, I know we’ll continue to go Further Together.

- Kylie Knowles

Kolawole Akinlosotu 6/1/25 Kolawole Akinlosotu 6/1/25

Celebrating 7 Years Of Common Power!

You can tell a lot about an org by what they value in their early years. You can tell even more by how consistently they stand by those values. Common Power was born for action, taking our first steps in 2018, after deciding to participate in the blue wave midterms. Through a pandemic, a recession, generation-defining wins, and nation-defining losses we are still rooted in Action, Education, Community, and the development of leaders.

ACTION

We believe our democracy should be just and inclusive, and to make it so we must take action. Our democracy is not just and inclusive, but it should be, and can be. Making it so will not happen by us simply seeking our own enrichment or expanding our knowledge, but by taking action. This requires those who know and believe to do the hard work first. For them to take on risk and sacrifice their comfort.

EDUCATION

Education is the key catalyst for action and a unifying motivator for our volunteers. Since our beginning, education has moved us toward understanding, then action. Today, it is foundational for our community and an essential part of our identity. Much of this work is brought to life by The Institute for Common Power, which is celebrating its third year of moving people from education to action.

From the past, we have discovered how to build our organization better, how to create coalitions, and how to sustain it beyond the years. We learn from previous struggles as we engage in current ones.

COMMUNITY

We build community with intention into our systems. Together. Because we know community sustains our work beyond single elections and across years, we look for ways to not only foster the concepts of community, but build intentional structures in our organizing to codify community. We work in Teams, Crews, and Squads. Community is in everything, even if it doesn’t come first.

NEXT-GEN LEADERSHIP

Prioritizing and amplifying next-generation leadership is the only way our community endures and we do this best through the Action Academy program, which brings in hundreds of young leaders to the CP community every year. Developing next-generation leaders and community members is the only way we ensure we can continue our work for the long term. Younger generations are also inherently more diverse across race, gender identity, and sexuality, ensuring a cohort truly representative of our country’s future. Providing them with leadership roles infuses our org with fresh ideas and keeps us aware of new challenges.

This is why Common Power is able to stay active every year. This is why we’re able to participate in elections large and small. This is how we knock on doors across six generations and diverse backgrounds that reflect America. It’s how we endured the deep deep loss from last fall, and how we find deeper joy and meaning in the community we’ve built.

This month, we’re celebrating the best way we know how - action! We’ve got events/initiatives lined up all throughout the month and we’d love for you to be there. Take a look at the graphic below for some of the highlighted events, or go to our event page to see what’s coming up next!

At Common Power, we don’t get ready, we stay ready.
We were born for this.
Keep on…

Charles
Executive Director, Common Power

Mustafa Ali Khan 3/5/25 Mustafa Ali Khan 3/5/25

2025 Strategy

*What is CP doing to fight Trump and Elon? How do we stop Elon from taking over the Government? What ‘s the most effective way to fight back?*
W
*hat can we do right now?*

These are just some of the frequent questions we’ve gotten over the past few weeks and we get it…

Nothing could have prepared us for the blitz of illegal executive orders, an overpowered oligarch with the sole aim to dismantle and leech off of our government, and a docile congress with their political hands tied. We only played defense initially, protecting the most targeted people, and advocating within blue states. As Trump’s attacks on our lives and our livelihoods have increased, we’ve committed to taking the fight to them.

Common Power is On The Offense in 2025.

We’ll continue creating a sustainable community prioritizing next-gen leadership development and catalyzing new volunteers from education to action. In our fieldwork, we’ve shifted gears to meet this moment with urgency.

Our Goals:

Take the House
Beat Elon
Support Fighters

We’ll also:

Breakthrough Messaging
Mobilize Volunteers in Blue States

Take The House

The closest we’re gonna get to power in government is to Take the House by flipping their thin margin, and that means winning elections or pressuring moderates to stop giving Trump a blank check.

We’re not waiting on the sidelines until the 2026 midterms to start talking about federal elections. Instead, in 2025 we’re tackling every US House election that comes up.

Some of these are races we have a solid chance of winning, but in states like Florida the chances are slim-to-none. That’s okay. This part of our strategy focuses on applying pressure to Republicans in Congress and showing them that if you align with a president and policies that hurt the American people, your seat is NOT safe. Across two deep red Florida congressional districts, we sent volunteers to shrink their win margins and send a message to conservatives in purple districts that they need to slow the Trump agenda, and maybe even vote with Democrats on bipartisan legislation.

2. Beat Elon

**This year, we’re heading to:**

Florida, two Special House Elections
Wisconsin, State Supreme Court race
Virginia, Gubernatorial Election
Plus more!

He’s got control of vital pieces of our government and has used his vast wealth to try and control our elections. While our allies are fighting him in the courts, we’re committed to sending volunteers to beat Elon anywhere he tries to buy a major election.

From Wisconsin to Florida, Elon and his aligned orgs are paying canvassers, buying ads, and trying to buy votes outright. Common Power is showing up big, sending dozens of volunteers to talk to voters in an effort to send a message to him and other oligarchs that our democracy can’t be bought. That our common power of our vote is more powerful.

80 of our volunteers just got back from Wisconsin where we helped Susan Crawford beat back Elon’s money, and we’re ramping up to do it again.

Learn more about volunteering with Common Power here!

3. Support Fighters

We’ve seen our leaders fold to Trump’s agenda and respond with safe, or lackluster tactics. Cory Booker, while an imperfect Senator, showed the world what it looks like to risk something to take a stand. Across the country, there are fighters like him running for office, and if we’re going to get more elected officials to put as much risk and energy into this pushback as we are, we need to support and elect fighters into office, especially in the Blue states where much of the movement will grow.

This summer we’re headed to New Jersey and Virginia to do just that. Join us for our info sessions below:

Virginia: https://www.mobilize.us/commonpower/event/772998/

New Jersey: https://www.mobilize.us/commonpower/event/772992/

While we are determined to fight Elon and this administration head-on, we know that we have to think bigger. That’s why our next set of strategies have a longer time horizon, focused on the moment but also setting the foundation for elections to come.

Breakthrough Messaging

A key takeaway from the 2024 elections was how we need more content, part of our strategy is reaching those who feel disconnected from traditional institutions. These voters made a difference in the last presidential election, and they’ll continue to make a difference in upcoming elections. We can’t reach them with the same old methods, that’s why we’re creating bold, direct, and truthful messages to meet people where they are. It’s about breaking through, creating content that demands attention, and educating in ways that resonate with this diverse audience.

The Common Power YouTube channel has expanded our reach, breaking us out of our liberal bubble, sparking healthy debate, and engaging folks across key demographics. Our videos are clipped for digestible snippets posted across Instagram and TikTok and optimized for virality, increasing our reach.

Building on our expansion of media, we’ll be featured in a national documentary “American Dignity,” a powerful film directed by Hanson Hosein and featuring our two favorite Charles’ - Charles Mauldin, civil rights hero, and Charles Douglas, CP Executive Director.

We’re not just talking at people, we’re engaging them. We’re meeting them on platforms they already trust, and offering a message they can learn from and share with their networks. This strategy will play out across our accounts from CP’s @ourcommonpower, CP Institutes @theinstitutecp, and Action Academy’s @actionacademy.

Mobilize Volunteers in Blue States

The bravest among us in red and purple states are in a constant battle to fight for the rights and freedoms our country has promised us. Blue states where more of those freedoms are enjoyed have an obligation to send our excess energy and resources to fight in these battleground states and districts around the country.

That’s why we’ve been traveling to key cities around the country, connecting with our volunteers in their home communities and cultivating new folks. If we’re going to Take the House, Beat Elon, and Support Fighters, we’ll need a steady stream of volunteers traveling from more progressive cities to the parts of our country that need it most. This has been Common Power’s model since 2018, and it’s been America’s model since the successes of the Civil Rights Movement. We win when we all put in on the line for each other.

Our strategy allows us to not only FIGHT BACK, but also fight FOR something.

If you’re ready to go on offense with us - the ball is in your court!

Volunteer With Us!

Sponsor A Doorknocker!

Kylie Knowles 10/22/24 Kylie Knowles 10/22/24

WA Blog Series: Odalis Octaviano

Hello! My name is Odalis Octaviano (she/her/ella) and I am a canvas lead this year for the Washington Weekends of Action for the Yakima Valley/legislative district 14.

I was inspired to sign up for the canvas lead position through MJ from CP. I was able to accompany her and a group last year in Sunnyside,WA as we canvassed the local school board elections. It was my first experience of canvassing and I loved the connection and my time with not only the voters of the doors we knocked on but also the team engagement with the rest of the group!

It felt rewarding to be able to inform registered voters and empower their voices in their communities.

As a canvas lead for this season, I enjoy helping make sure each volunteer is equipped with the necessary tools they need to have fun and know what to do while canvassing this district! I love being able to support the work being done in this district because it is incredible to be seeing the change and progress of voters feeling inspired or motivated to vote for these candidates

Legislative District 14 is unique because it has undergone some redistricting changes to help make sure the voters and leaders are able to represent and accommodate for the large Latine population in this area. This district is also made up of agricultural workers and smaller towns that are often not as connected to their political leaders when it comes to decision making. We are all hoping this new election brings along a change to all of this! Maria Beltran, a candidate whose campaign we are working with, won the majority vote during the primary elections which we also helped support in weeks leading up to the primary elections, which was such a huge and important win and a step forward for the general election! This win also showed that this election can be a short race but nonetheless has motivated us to continue to campaign and volunteer for a genuine candidate who is wanting to uplift and support the communities in this district.

We have had an overall very positive response at the doors, with registered voters who have been welcoming, inviting and eager to speak about important issues that they care about!

This population often does not get asked personally what their issues are of importance for, so it’s amazing to see how much each person shares about their life stories and hometown communities.

We have also seen how diverse the district is in its underlying issues from public safety, sanitation, education and worker’s rights. I’ve had experiences with voters where they were willing to express previous frustrations with their community elections due to a lack of change, and nonetheless people are still excited about a candidate who is truly genuine and wants to bring change to the district by increasing inclusivity and bringing more people into these conversations!

As someone who has family across this district, it’s been incredible to be able to have this engagement and connection with these communities to increase voter engagement in this area.

If you are considering volunteering with this district please sign up, even just for a day, there’s so much work to do right here in this state to give a voice to these underrepresented communities for these progressive leaders such as Maria Beltran! We are working with an awesome campaign and it’s so nice to see candidates canvass with their teams and to hear directly from them about their goals and plans for this district!

Kylie Knowles 10/22/24 Kylie Knowles 10/22/24

WA Blog Series: Theresa Mannix

Hello, CPers! I joined Common Power in 2020 and have door knocked in several states. What a fantastic experience! But this year I decided to concentrate in my home state of Washington in a very consequential race. There are a few reasons I decided to focus on WA D3 in southwest Washington and become a canvas lead with Cynthia Putnam.

**First, I am completely inspired by Marie herself!**

As a rural mom who works in the trades, she fights for working class families, supports reproductive rights, wants to expand the childcare tax credit, secure the border, invest in technical and career education for her district, and make things easier for small businesses to succeed. She’s rated one of the most bipartisan members of Congress—a sure sign she wants to get things done that will help her district.

**Second, the Democrats want to take back the House of Representatives; it’s imperative to hold onto incumbent Marie Gluesenkamp Perez’s seat!**

Trump won this district by 4.2% in 2020; we must convince some voters to split their ballot this election. Finally, I believe her opponent is a danger to society. He is a Trump-endorsed, MAGA far-right candidate whose extreme views don’t reflect the district.

Marie’s district is varied--from urban Vancouver to coastal Pacific county and rural Lewis, southern Thurston, and Skamania counties. Common Power volunteers have canvassed in the cities, the suburbs and the rural areas. We go where Marie’s campaign thinks we’ll be most effective. We’re flexible! Each venue requires different tactics and strategies. The city of Vancouver is Marie’s stronghold, and our efforts there are to encourage Marie’s supporters to vote early, and encourage friends, family and neighbors to GOTV! The residents at one house said they had a block party the night before and everyone planned to vote for Marie! We had great conversations and were able to get a number of residents to put up yard signs. Rural areas, like Rochester, were a completely different scene, and posed some challenges. The turf was spread out, some houses were difficult to find. And a good number were inaccessible—barking doors, locked gates, and some residents who didn’t even want us on the roads. Despite this, and although this might be considered Republican territory, we found so many gracious, supportive people--like the man who had a giant white cross on his barn. Oh no, we thought, not a likely Marie supporter. But we were so wrong. Strong supporter! Goes to show you, we can’t make assumptions. And the volunteers—some experienced, some newbies--were remarkable and completely up to the task.

Door knocking for Marie is something that you can plan just a few days before we hit the pavement. You can decide to do a Saturday or a Sunday—or both! We often have carpools from the Seattle area.

If you want to spend the night, we’ll recommend a local hotel. Come join us in the last few weeks of this very important race! We would love to have you!

Check out all Marie did in Congress in 2023 and see what she plans to do in the future

Kylie Knowles 10/17/24 Kylie Knowles 10/17/24

WA Blog Series: Cynthia Putnam

What I learned from doorbelling for Marie Gluesenkamp Perez

Hi all. I’m Cynthia Putnam, a volunteer with Common Power’s (CP) Washington Weekends of Action. I live in Seattle in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. When the opportunity arose to support CP’s work in Washington State and to work with the amazing CP staffer, Maria Jimenez, I jumped on it. Together with Theresa Mannix, I co-lead weekend teams of volunteers to doorbell in the 3rd Congressional District (Vancouver-Centralia area) for Congresswoman Marie Gluesenkamp Perez. Marie won by a mere 2,600 votes in 2022. Her opponent, Joe Kent, is challenging her again, and the race is tight.

In CP fashion, we’re partnering with the local field office of the Marie for Congress campaign. Our role is to support their doorbelling strategy to get Marie re-elected. We’ve been at it since July, and I’ve learned a lot along the way. In this blog, I share some of the highlights and big takeaways.

Doorbelling is targeted. We don’t go to a neighborhood and knock on every door. Who we target is determined by the local partner. In this campaign, we knocked on the doors of registered voters leaning democrat. Some were consistent voters while others were sporadic, voting in some elections and not others. This targeted approach improved the likelihood of meeting voters receptive to Marie’s work while minimizing angry or annoyed responses at the door.
Is doorbelling effective? This was a common question from conversations with friends, usually followed by “I don’t answer the door unless I know who’s there.” I asked this of myself before signing up to volunteer. Through my own research, I learned that it is effective, particularly for persuading voters in primary elections or local elections where the candidates are less well-known and voters’ opinions are less formed. We saw a marked improvement in voter familiarity with Marie’s name and her work in Congress as the summer progressed between July and September.
Asking questions of a voter is the best way to initiate a conversation. The answer they give to the simple question – “what issues are you concerned about?” -- can help us explain what Marie is doing to address their concern, be it education, jobs, crime and more.
Voters know less about their congressional reps than they do presidential and gubernatorial candidates (and it gets worse further down the ballot). Yet down ballot candidates for city, county and school board positions, once elected, make decisions that touch our lives in daily ways from the quality of our schools, policing, fire protection and emergency services, water, garbage and more. We gave examples of what Marie has done to support local needs by bringing dollars from the other Washington (Washington, DC) to expand technical college programs for good jobs that don’t require a degree, and for the I-5 bridge repair – a $660 million investment.
Washington’s election system makes it super easy for everyone to vote. We don’t need to waste time at the door explaining polling locations and where to vote. Instead, we focus on when ballots are due to arrive in the mail, and how and when to return them. For those who aren’t registered in the household, we explain how to get registered and the ease of doing it online.
Joe Biden won with 91 percent of Seattle voters. That tells me, as a Seattle resident, that I live the bluest of bubbles surrounded by people who reinforce my own values every day – in the grocery line, at the bus stop, in the locker room. While I may not agree with a voter’s opinion on a matter, it’s refreshing to hear different perspectives from the ones in my bubble. For example, the voter whose union leadership endorses Democrats while he and his co-workers vote Republican to “protect their industry”; the voters dependent on VA benefits who worked with Marie to stop the closure of local VA clinic; the voters whose biggest concern is protecting their freedom to bear arms. My voter stories have been the subject of some of the best, most meaningful conversations with friends and colleagues.

When I return to Seattle after a weekend knocking on doors, I like to take a couple of days of downtime to hike in the mountains and catch up with friends. Doorbelling isn’t for everyone, but if your interest is piqued in supporting Marie for Congress, I hope you’ll join us for an upcoming Washington Weekend of Action. And if doorbelling isn’t your thing, there are lots of other ways to engage. And Common Power is your one-stop shop!

Kylie Knowles 10/17/24 Kylie Knowles 10/17/24

WA Blog Series: Maria Jimenez

Hello, it’s Maria, also known as MJ in the CP community!

I am a Senior Fieldwork Program Manager and have been lucky enough to be part of a great team since 2019. Over the years with CP I have traveled to Florida, Arizona, Texas and Virginia. This year I was given the unique opportunity to lead efforts in my home state, the beautiful Evergreen State of Washington.

In early spring this year, Fieldwork launched “WA Weekends of Action” ; different from regular Common Power State teams and travel, these are local efforts that are flexible, short-2 day opportunities and only a driving distance within Washington State. Some may ask, why focus on Washington? What’s important this year that can truly impact the 2024 election?

In the last couple of years, Common Power has supported important races such as Congresswoman Kim Schrier in Washington’s 8th Congressional District. In the Fall of 2023, Washington’s Democratic Party Chair, Shasti Conrad, asked CP to support a slate of candidates running for City Council in Sunnyside. We are proud to say we were part of the efforts that placed Latinx representation in that City Council, a huge win for the community in that city.

Our presence, work, and dedication to these efforts were seen and valued. As a result, Washington Democratic Party asked Common Power for help in supporting work in Washington’s 3rd Congressional District to ensure Marie Gluesenkamp Perez secures her re-election for U.S House. They also asked us to continue our work in Eastern Washington, this time supporting Maria Beltran for State Senate in Washington’s newest Legislative District (LD 14) in the Yakima Valley.

Our top priority this year is to re-elect Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Pérez for the U.S House. Her race against Trump-appointed candidate, Joe Kent is a toss-up meaning the margins are small, every conversation with voters matter and can truly make a huge difference in this race. I appreciate everyone who has been a part of this work. Although not a top priority, Maria Beltran’s race for State Senate in Yakima’s new legislative district is an opportunity to bring deserved representation to the Latinx communities living there. Also an important toss-up race we’re proud to support!

I invite you to consider joining our efforts to support Marie Gluesenkamp Perez or Maria Beltan. We have dates through the election! Visit our WA Weekends of Action One-Stop Shop for our sign-ups and more.

Check out additional blog posts for more on Washington efforts from our amazing Canvas lead’s perspectives — both of our Canvas leads Cynthia Putnam and Theresa Mannix leading work in 3rd Congressional District for Marie Gluesenkamp Perez as well as Odalis Octaviano leading work in Yakima for Maria Beltran.

In Community,

Kolawole Akinlosotu 10/16/24 Kolawole Akinlosotu 10/16/24

With Friends & Family: The Lanfair Family

By Jameela and Jordan Lanfair
Jordan is an Educator Ambassador and The Institute for CP and Team WI Lead

Helping People Learn About Voting With My Dad by Jameela Lanfair (Transcribed by her Dad Jordan Lanfair)

When we went to Virginia to help people learn about voting I was happy. I was excited about voting because voting is all about using your voice. When we were canvassing, we would go knock on people’s doors and tell them about the election and who they could vote for. We went together and it was fun. We got to play, meet people, have snacks, and see new places. People were nice and wanted to talk to us. **I want to go canvassing again because it was fun the last time we went and voting is important.** People should vote because if you don’t use your voice people may not understand you or know how you feel about things. I’m happy I got to help.

Helping People Learn About Voting with My Daughter by Jordan Lanfair (Supervised by his daughter Jameela Lanfair)

Getting to go to Virginia with Common Power was one of the best experiences of my life. It wasn’t just that we got to be a part of a vibrant community, or that we got to see how New Virginia Majority and other partners think about political strategy, it was that I got to show my daughter how showing up for people and elections matter.

Everyday, we’d wake up, have breakfast, and then engage in conversations with volunteers from all over before setting out to knock on doors. The kids became pros at hanging literature and using different doorbells and over the course of traveling it became clearer that we do this because the best way to change things is to meet each other.

We were also honored to meet amazing women that she could learn from and ask questions like Celestria, Victoria, Larcy, and Dr. Geary, and Dr. Scott of CP, as well as Tram Nguyen of New Virginia Majority. It’s one thing to tell her that she can be and do anything she sets her heart to, it's another for her to walk alongside people who are actually doing it.

We’ll be heading to Wisconsin in the coming weeks to do the same and I continue to hope that we will see more families and parents out together. The best way I know to show my daughter what matters to me is by bringing her along and engaging her in the act. Every election she goes to vote with me, but these trips have been about how we help others engage in the process of using their voice and showing everyone what is most important to them. There are a lot of political issues that she is still asking me about and trying to wrap her mind around, but at the most basic level, we love getting to canvas because action is the gift we can give to our community. It’s a gift I’m proud to give to places with my favorite person ever and i hope we get to see you all out there as well.

Kolawole Akinlosotu 10/9/24 Kolawole Akinlosotu 10/9/24

With Friends & Family: The Casey-Goldsteins

By Mary Casey-Goldstein and Steve Goldstein
Long-time CP Volunteers

We were feeling devastated by the results of the 2016 election, so when friends invited us to join them in a new volunteer group that was just being started by David Domke in the spring of 2018, we jumped on it. After a few Saturday workshops, we signed on to participate on the Wisconsin Team and made our first trip there that summer. Now here we are 6 years, several trips to Wisconsin and other states, as well as many phone banks and postcards later, and we really feel like we have made a difference. Taking action feels good - and it’s been fun too!

We have now been to 4 states with CP - Wisconsin, Virginia, Florida and Georgia – and we’ve had lots of great experiences on all of our trips. But when all is said and done, Wisconsin has become our home team. We’ve gotten to know the city of Milwaukee and some of the surrounding areas. We have our favorite restaurants and coffee spots, and free time activities. No trip is complete without a visit to the Milwaukee Art Museum, the Third Ward, Collectevo coffee shops, the shores of Lake Michigan, and good old Beans and Barley.

We have met new friends on each of our trips, many of whom have become part of our social network here in Seattle. Some we see regularly in town at social functions, the gym, and we even joined a book group with some of our Wisconsin folks. We feel lucky that we have so many opportunities to interact and work with people of different backgrounds and ages. That is one of the things that is so special about our involvement in CP. We look forward to new events and trips so we can catch up with the folks that we don’t see regularly and to meeting new people as CP grows.

Charles (Douglas) has often said - “You come for the work, but you stay for the people.” That has definitely been true for us. The work is important and it has been rewarding, but it’s the people that keep us coming back!

Kolawole Akinlosotu 10/3/24 Kolawole Akinlosotu 10/3/24

With Friends & Family: Luke Michener

By Luke Michener
Senior Education Specialist, The Institute for CP

My kids have this book we read together called “Vote For Our Future.” It’s this cute story about an elementary school in Anytown, USA that closes down on election day so that it can become a polling place. My young sons and I have read that book together a number of times.

In the book the elementary students learn about what elections are and they talk to their friends and loved ones about the importance of voting. They share lessons they have learned about the history of voting, and about how some people used to not be allowed to vote. The students learn that some people today vote in every election, and to their bewilderment they learn that some people chose not to vote.

The students also learn that they can take action. They help organize to get out the vote and they help unregistered voters to sign up.

It’s a beautifully illustrated story about what America should be; a diverse and inclusive democracy that hears and respects the will of the people - all people. The children learn that the winners in these elections get to make the rules, and the candidates that lose accept the outcome.

It’s in the spirit of this story and of this vision for our country that my six-year-old son joined me and Common Power Team Wisconsin on a field work trip to Milwaukee.

Our local partners in Milwaukee were the Wis-Dems and a Milwaukee based org called Power to the Polls. The Wis-Dems were canvassing in Milwaukee to increase voter turn-out in an upcoming primary and Power to the Polls was trying to engage more Black folks in the city in the democratic process.

My son and I were on a small canvassing team which included Jordan, an educator from Chicago and dear friend of mine, along with Lilly and Davis, two incredible gen-z organizers. Together we knocked on hundreds of doors over four days. Team Wisconsin that weekend knocked on approximately 3,400 doors.

My son became quite the expert at finding the doorbell or figuring out just the right force to knock with, and the best place to drop the literature if nobody answered. He also met a few new buddies, including a sweet little girl in North Milwaukee who offered him a pack of her fruit snacks. We also took some breaks at playgrounds in the neighborhoods, stopped for a rootbeer (and an IPA for dad) at a local brewery. The Green Bay Packers are now his second favorite NFL team. Go Seahawks!

We knocked on doors and talked to voters in the same way that children did in “Vote For Our Future.” We asked people what mattered most to them, if they knew who they were voting for in the upcoming election, and if they needed any help finding their polling place. We connected with people, together.

It’s an experience that my son still talks about. It wasn’t all easy; travel with a young one presents challenges, canvassing is tiring, and there was the occasional grump at the door, but the experience made a big impression on both of us, and we made a difference.