Imagine if I could tell you there is an organizing model for Voter Registration and Get-Out-the-Vote (GOTV) that is 100 times more effective than social media, phone calls or mailings. I’m talking about Spirit in Action’s organizing model, “TAKE 10.” […]  »  Read More

Originally published in September 2021 Small corner stores are often the only source of food for underserved communities. They may be the main source of groceries, yet they mainly stock processed foods that are high in calories, fat and salt. […]  »  Read More

Originally published in September 2021 There are approximately 150,000 farmworkers and their dependents in North Carolina each growing season, but this estimate is considered low. One of the groups Bethsaida and I visited this summer, AMEXCAN, is essential to the […]  »  Read More

Originally published in August 2021 How Kinston Teens Are Changing Their Community At age 14, Chris Suggs was already losing friends, schoolmates, and family to drug and gun violence. Coming from a community that is the most economically distressed in […]  »  Read More

Originally published in July 2021 “We are the armor bearers for Elizabeth City” The Faith & Victory Christian Church (FVCC) [https://www.fvccfamily.org] is a non-denominational church that Bethsaida Ruiz and I visited in June in Elizabeth City, NC. It truly acts […]  »  Read More

Originally published in July 2021 Since we left Asheville last week, my colleague, Bethsaida Ruiz, and I have made our way across North Carolina and are now in Elizabeth City at the top northeastern corner of the state. After visiting […]  »  Read More

Originally published in June 2021 Two weeks, 1,600 miles, 11 hotel stays, 13 organizations. This week, Bethsaida Ruiz (a Spirit in Action trainer) and I will be making a road trip to eastern North Carolina, meeting with folks who have […]  »  Read More

Activists are so busy doing. But they have to take the time to stop, rest and reflect. They have to learn how to say, “No.” This is not a luxury; it is the real work activists must do in order […]  »  Read More

Originally published in April 2021 Stacey Abrams and LaTosha Brown sure shook a lot of folks up. They followed Organizing 101: go to the people to get them to the polls, listen, make sure they understand the issues, be patient, […]  »  Read More

We Know What We Want, But How Do We Get There? Vision without action is “just pretend,” as a young activist told me.  A vision works only if we create a plan for how to accomplish it – a road […]  »  Read More