Keep Hope Alive (Part One). Over the past decade, I have worked on…
By: Carolyn Mehta
Tags: Elections, Social Change, Activism, Civic Engagement, Politics

Over the past decade, I have worked on more political and issue campaigns than I can count. The first time I was eligible to vote in a general election, I cast my ballot to elect Barack Obama and I have been campaigning for social and economic justice ever since. The hope and inspiration I felt back then is alive today in a new generation of activists. As James Baldwin once said, “I love America more than any other country in the world and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.” I see that kind of patriotism in many young people today. If these young activists can channel their valid criticism into constructive action, they are our best hope to revive American democracy.

After 9/11 prompted endless wars and unchecked corporate greed caused a financial meltdown, I can remember thinking, “How could things possibly get worse?” This seems like a naive statement after enduring a deadly pandemic, widespread social upheaval and an attempted coup within the span of a single year. However, I think it’s important to remember that every crisis presents an opportunity to approach old problems in a new way. Perhaps, these crises have created the conditions for us to make the kind of real and lasting change I have spent the past decade of my life fighting for. We must remember what’s at stake, learn from the past, and seize this pivotal moment in our history.

Ladies First at Assembly Hall, April 2008

As a college student, I glimpsed my first opportunity to play an important role in the political process. In spring of 2008, I invited a friend to attend my female a cappella group’s spring concert. A few weeks later, it was announced that then-Senator Barack Obama would be visiting my college campus in Bloomington, Indiana. My friend, who was president of Students for Obama, invited us to perform before his speech at Assembly Hall. Senator Obama had not yet clinched the nomination, and his primary campaign against Clinton was heating up.

After he gave a rousing speech to a jam-packed crowd of nearly 15,000 people, a Secret Service agent escorted us backstage to meet the candidate. I will never forget the moment Obama sauntered up to our group, dripping in swag. I had crafted a caricature of a “politician” in my mind, but this man broke the mold. He had a humble presence, a quiet confidence and an effortless sense of humor. Democrats decided that the party was ready for new leadership, and Obama secured the nomination a couple months later.

Ladies First with Senator Obama

The following semester, I had an internship in D.C. and a front row seat to the massive upheaval our nation was experiencing. The economy collapsed right before the general election. I voted absentee in Indiana, and never imagined that my conservative home state could help elect our first Black president, or that Obama would flip several other conservative states. It seemed like anything was possible, and I have never been more proud to be a Hoosier than I was in the fall of 2008.

After learning about the right-wing backlash that was brewing, I decided to work on my first campaign in the fall of 2010. I served as a Campus Team Leader with Congressman Baron Hill’s re-election campaign. I have a vivid memory of one particular conversation with a registered Democrat. We were calling voters in the district asking if they planned to support the Democratic ticket during the midterms. I never mentioned President Obama by name, but this voter asked, “Oh, you mean that half-breed in the White House?” As the daughter of an Asian-American man, I could be considered a “half-breed” myself. His comment felt personal and cut deeper than he could have known.

That was when I realized that many southern Democrats (known as “Dixiecrats”) would never approve of non-traditional leadership in the White House. Baron Hill paid a heavy price for his vote in favor of Obamacare and the student population, who easily could have determined the outcome of that election, didn’t bother to show up. We lost by a landslide. It was disappointing to learn that so many of my peers were indifferent about politics and had underestimated their own power to stem the rising tide of right-wing activism. My optimism was waning, but I would not be deterred.