(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .



Help Hunnay, Meeka, Faithful, & Mr. Blue Stay On The Road! Tribal Organizer Vehicle Repair Fund [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2023-09-10

Anyone who has ever organized for a political campaign on rural, tribal lands knows: the cars take a beating. Given that our field team is on the ground, year-round, every year, talking to voters across Northeast Arizona’s sovereign lands, repairs get very expensive for field organizers. Like high-four-figures-a-year expensive. We have lost count of the blown tires, cracked windshields, torn belts, and busted axles, and the more serious repairs are painfully numerous, as well. Did we mention that the roads are tough on our vehicles? Northeast Arizona’s rural terrain is where tires go to die. That’s sad news for our field team’s rides: Hunnay, Faithful, Mr. Blue, and Meeka. But with your help, we can provide some relief to these hard-working vehicles.

Our organization prides itself on paying a living wage to our local field team to organize in their own communities. But even so, we need to do more to help our team pay for keeping their trusty vehicles safe and road-worthy.

The rural and remote sovereign lands of Arizona can be tough on vehicles. Most roads other than the federal and state highways are not paved or well maintained - and every team member travels hundreds of miles on those roads every week. Extreme heat and cold take their toll, too. The field team visits voters in remote areas, sets up at distant flea markets and crossroads, and hosts voter events all over the region - across a turf the size of Indiana. They count on their cars and trucks to get them out to meet voters where they are. We thought you might like to get to know the vehicles we’re hoping you’ll adopt.

Introducing the cars and trucks of the Democratic Field Team of Northeast Arizona!

First Up: Meet “Meeka - Casey’s Car

Casey logs upwards of a thousand miles a month across the northern Navajo Nation. Meeka is his main transport to register voters at flea markets, crossroads, and chapter houses. He also has a truck, Henry, for his farm. Meeka, as you can see, is key to setting up the pop-up voter registration events Casey manages from Tuba City to Kayenta to Chinle.

Meeka (back right) in her typical role as voter registration supporting star

And here’s Meeka having her wheel assembly removed as the only way to access her torn serpentine belt on another day. A really long day.

Introducing “Mr. Blue” - Janice’s Pick-Up Truck

Janice is driving Mr. Blue across the Navajo Nation this week, from Cameron to Monument Valley to Window Rock — and a lot of voters in between.

Janice and Mr. Blue work out of Dennehotso, near Monument Valley

“My car is currently in the shop getting major work done. It's costing me my yearly vehicle expense. Currently driving my truck while car is being repaired. My truck needs work as well. All them rough roads. After driving down and back up the rocky road I heard a knock-like sound underneath the truck so I got out and checked. Need to replace sway bar and ball joints.” — Janice

Earlier this week, Janice drove Mr. Blue out in the rural areas of the Arizona side of Monument Valley to assist a voter who couldn’t register online and needed to be set up with additional services like Google+ addressing. Below is the road out to the homestead.

You can definitely feel the washboard in your abs, but it’s really not the same.

And Here’s “Hunnay” - Loren’s SUV

Loren’s “pony” has to be out in all weather conditions, year-round, every year, to fulfill our mission to reach the voters across NEAZ sovereign lands.

Loren Marshall, Navajo Nation, our Director of Campaigns and Engagement, lives on the Navajo Nation in the remote community of White Clay, at an altitude of 7,000 feet, where the weather hit the hardest this past winter. Impassable roads stranded community members at chapter houses or on the side of the road. Loren knew exactly how to help. Loren created 50 roadside emergency kits and she and Hunnay traveled in frigid, icy conditions to provide community members with food, water, flashlights, and emergency blankets. She also provided home heating coal and firewood to those who needed it, and even hauled livestock feed.

The roads in and out of White Clay this past March.

Loren recounts some of her adventures with Hunnay:

“My poor pony has really taken a beating and it’s so sad to see her parked with flat tires. I’m reflecting on all my adventures with her and she’s such a champ. The last 3 months I've had to get all new tires and 3 repairs. Well, 4 repairs now cause my vehicle has 1 flat tire right now. My car is pretty low and so I have major repairs from driving the sometimes unavoidable high centers. Don't get me started on the potholes, they've ruined a rim or two. Most of my flats happen at night and where there's no service. I drive an average of 1600 miles a month.” — Loren

Hunnay getting a tire changed at midnight...again.

Our work is not a simple matter of knocking doors and making phone calls. We must overcome many cycles of neglect from traditional campaigns to build trust and educate voters about both their power and the potential impact of casting their ballot. To accomplish all of this, we are strategic in our hiring: our team members work in the communities where they live. They are local experts whose knowledge can never be replicated by imported talent. Loren, like Casey, Lorraine, and Janice have been doing this work for multiple cycles. They spend their time engaged in deep canvassing conversations and connecting with voters far off the beaten path- a path unforgiving to their vehicles. But it is exactly this ability to meet voters where they are that makes our program so successful. Our team is committed to the travel time required to get more families to the polls.

“Far off the beaten path.” That really is a road.

Last, But Not Least: Meet “Faithful” - Lorraine’s Truck

You may remember Faithful from Lorraine’s work this past winter hauling everything from food to coal to propane for delivery to Hopi citizens stranded at home from the blizzard conditions they experienced early this year. When it’s not hauling, Faithful brings Lorraine all over Hopi tribal lands to register voters. Our vehicle fund is named for her.

“I use my 4x4 to carry my 2 helpers ‘n to haul stuff around that we don't want getting wet. Truck is for hauling wood, coal, water ‘n whatever else.” -Lorraine

“Faithful” in her winter coat this past March on Hopi tribal lands.

This is the field team - and the vehicles - whose outreach over the past four years helped deliver Blue victories in Arizona in 2020 and 2022. The Northeast Arizona Native Democrats believe that investing in rural, tribal voters on Northeast Arizona’s sovereign lands every year - not just election year - furthers our mission of building Indigenous political power. These voters have shown their power to decide elections. Our work this year is steadily expanding that electorate and equipping voters to make themselves heard at the ballot box in 2024.

[END]
---
[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/9/10/2192491/-Help-Hunnay-Meeka-Faithful-Mr-Blue-Stay-On-The-Road-Tribal-Organizer-Vehicle-Repair-Fund

Published and (C) by Daily Kos
Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified.

via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/