Finding Your Lane in Advocacy

Unique individuals working for a common purpose

Karen Levine Egee

“We write history with our feet and with our presence

and our collective voice and vision.”— Rebecca Solnit, Hope in the Dark

There are so many ways—large and small—to help support the fight for democracy. Finding your lane, that is, finding a type of activity or two that you feel able and eager to do, can make joining this fight pleasurable and satisfying. That makes it more likely to be sustainable for you, can even energize you, and ultimately makes your contribution more effective. Struggling to do something that increases your stress isn’t likely to last long, and you probably won’t be at your best doing it. We wrote this blogpost to encourage people to find forms of advocacy that feel natural and sustaining—to know they don’t have to struggle through something that feels painful, or avoid helping altogether, not realizing how many options there are out there.

When I first considered getting involved in advocacy during Trump 1.0, canvassing was one of the few activities I knew about, and I knew I wouldn’t be comfortable knocking on people’s doors to talk them into things. I also imagined that joining a local Indivisible group would mean driving to unfamiliar places at night for meetings with people I didn’t know—which also didn’t appeal to me. So I felt guilty and did neither.

Then about six months ago, as the situation grew more urgent, I happened to respond to a Facebook call for volunteers from Rachel Flehinger, who started Activate Maine. Together we realized that I love to write and could serve as their blog post editor—while also contributing my own posts. Instantly I was writing away, often sitting on our back deck, soaking in the summer as I worked. I did a few interviews as blog posts and found I could easily adapt that kind of writing into letters to the editor or an op-ed. The more I wrote, the better I felt—even when reading the news—because I now had a way to respond to it, to choose which pieces to learn more about and to use my voice.

It can be useful to think about participation in terms of Time, Talent, and Treasure. Most of us have more of one of these to give than another.

• Time means volunteering in ways that require your presence but not necessarily special skills—like driving people to vote or helping organize a community event.

• Talent means offering your particular expertise—playing an instrument in a protest band, donating medical or legal services to vulnerable communities such as immigrants, helping an organization with website design, or contributing writing or editing skills.

• Treasure means donating financial or material resources. That can include writing checks, offering the use of your space or vehicle, or supporting change through your purchasing and boycotting choices.

Activities that are energizing for one person may sound dreadful to another. A shy person who loves playing the French horn might thrive performing in a protest band but loathe canvassing. A social extrovert might find the opposite. Someone with plenty of time but no specific advocacy skills might be especially valuable helping with event logistics or website support.

Sometimes advocacy leads people to discover new strengths or pleasures. I started entering events into Activate Maine’s calendar simply out of a sense of responsibility—and discovered I enjoyed it. It was satisfying to click ‘publish’ on each submitted event, keep track of what was happening, and to know I was helping the movement stay connected and informed.

Of course, some people can’t safely participate in public advocacy without putting themselves or their jobs at risk, because of their immigration status or their job parameters. Some may find ways to volunteer anonymously—using a different name, for example—though even that can be too risky depending on one’s circumstances. Clearly not everyone can speak out directly. That reality increases the responsibility for those of us who can to find a way to act.

If you want to join this movement but aren’t sure where you fit, think about what you have to give—time, talent, treasure, or some mix of the three. Then consider what you already love to do. Talk with people who are active, or reach out to an advocacy group, and see how what you have to give can serve democracy.