The 2016 election, despite what mainstream media and a cacophony of candidates giving stump speeches will indicate, is still more than 14 months away. Yet anything anyone can bother to talk about is Donald Trump’s desire to build a wall with a door in it or Hillary Clinton’s emails. With the rapid influx of money into politics and an electorate still frustrated with the direction where the country is headed both on the liberal and conservative ends of the spectrum, 2016 is shaping up to be a unique election cycle.
But that’s not what I plan to write about today. For some strange reason, despite the recognition by many Duke students of the importance of elections like these, we either don’t care that much about politics or seldom get involved in the political process.
That troubles me even when it makes some level of sense.
Now let me make a quick distinction. When I say care about and being involved in politics, I am not referring to individual passion for issues like human and refugee rights or education; rather, I am talking about the actual political and social structures and processes that affect and impact those issues from a local to international level. I know for certain we care, but it is a question of how we show that care in our daily lives.
I do not think one could go anywhere on social media at Duke without seeing a peer post some article or news clip about an important issue facing the nation or world. Often times, it is a liberal viewpoint on a particular issue, and I almost always agree with the premise of the post or comment from the author. But it seems like for many at this school and amongst the broader community of college students, their activity on those issues stops at the social media post.
Even though likes on Facebook and re-tweets are nice for self-esteem, unless they’re part of some coordinated effort to build a collective voice, they serve you more than they serve the issues you write about. Social media activism is really a passive activity unless coordinated and purposeful. The political process and the formulation of policy from a local to a federal level are far more active. If we want to make a difference in the issues we care about, we have to go a step further than posts on social media, volunteering or working for non-profits or schools.
Durham has an amazing community organizing group called Durham CAN (Congregations, Associations, and Neighborhoods). This past year, I have attended two of CAN’s community gatherings where local political leaders, organizers from churches and community groups and other engaged citizens can attend and see where progress is being made in affordable housing, education and policing among other issues. CAN gives a collective voice to Durham citizens involved in the process and can be a powerful microphone for change.
Perhaps city leaders would make some of these changes on their own volition. However, one cannot understate the role of CAN here in creating a more democratic community in Durham. By organizing and pushing for specific policies and changes to the city to increase the dismal amount of affordable housing in the revitalized downtown area or have better community policing, CAN becomes a conduit for change through which average citizens can become active participants in the political process. The work CAN does often goes unnoticed by Duke students, but it is fundamental to building coalitions for change in places like the schools we volunteer in or downtown by the restaurants we frequent.
My message today is simple. This year leading up to 2016, find a way to get involved in the political process. At least make an educated vote in your hometown or here in Durham. Consider volunteering for a national or local campaign or get involved with a non-profit lobbying local officials or the federal government to change policy, attend a rally or protest down by the NC Statehouse.
It is so easy to remain disengaged with all that happens at Duke, but there are opportunities right on our doorstep to make a difference through the political process and to become an engaged citizen. As we grow, the mantle of leadership for this nation and this world will fall to us. I want to say that, by the time I leave, I left my community a better place and did all I could to make the lives of others better.
That notion is idealistic, I know, and it won’t get you into medical school or that consulting job you’ve suddenly decided you wanted, but it will do something. It will build more active engagement in politics and the future of our communities and develop the publics of accountability that give power to those without wealth or status and allow the democratic system we inhabit to include people of all races, religions and sexual and gender identities, rather than serve the fancy of those who hold power.
The reality of this nation is that state force is wielded against black and brown bodies without remorse. Income and structural inequalities will continue to harm and oppress low-income communities and families. Women aren’t just paid less than men, they’re still treated as objects – just go to Shooters for evidence of that or read a wonderful column by one of my fellow columnists on the subject.
These realities are our history and our present. But we can only build our future by being active leaders in forming it, not by sitting on the sideline or posting on Facebook. Translate your passions into action this election season and make it into a lifetime of service. If you don’t get involved now, you have no stake or role in the outcome. Our ability to govern democratically is not a given, but rather it is a constant struggle to build on progress, repair past and current injustices and strive for a better future.
Jay Sullivan is a Trinity senior. His column runs on alternate Mondays.
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