(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .
Warm Feet, Warm Hearts: Walking the Road to Democratic Wins in 2024 Together [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2023-09-24
All across Northern Arizona we are feeling the relief of cooler nighttime temperatures. It’s a gift after a very hot, dry summer to know that we are on the cusp of winter. With October approaching, our first snow storms could be right around the corner.
As temperatures drop, there is an increase in the needs of the voters here on Arizona’s sovereign lands. Heating costs rise and people need practical, warm clothing, so we are bringing back an event we haven’t hosted since before the pandemic - our first “Stew and Socks Dems Give Back Dinner” since 2019. “Stew and Socks” are community dinners where voters can meet candidates, elected officials, and our Northeast Arizona Native Democrats team, and leave with warm footwear for their families.
Dinner for 100 no problem! Stew chefs in Kayenta having fun in the kitchen after hours of prepping enormous pots of stew and piles of frybread.
We host these dinners as an extension of our voter empowerment work because we know that when we are together as a community, we listen to and uplift each other. In 2019, soon after our founding, we hosted our first Stew and Socks as a way to move organizing on sovereign lands from transactional to voter-centered. We wanted to create conversations that focus on voters and their needs and concerns every year, not just when candidate campaigns roll into town six months ahead of an election.
When we started Northeast Arizona Native Democrats, we knew that we wanted to be more than a traditional campaign. Our mission was and still is to increase the power of the electorate on sovereign lands and build a bench of community and campaign leaders. Because Democrats value healthy communities, service is a vital component to that mission. In order to engage the electorate, we needed to be neighbors first so that potential voters could know our values and see them in action in their communities. The first action suggested by our local field organizers was our 2019 “Stew and Socks” event. That led to our donating over 1,000 pairs of socks to community members in Kayenta, Tuba City and Chinle where we hosted events. We served nearly 300 meals, updated voter registration, collected petition signatures and recruited volunteers to get out the vote ahead of critical elections.
We speak often about why the Northeast Arizona Native Democrats’ model of long-term engagement in community service, education and empowerment is different from traditional political campaigns.
Our successes spring from the Indigenous electorate demonstrating its power at the ballot box while we as Democrats demonstrate our values and invest in our communities. This program results not just in wins for Democratic candidates, but also in long-term power for voters on sovereign lands. We are dedicated to honoring our field team’s deep understanding of their communities’ needs and values. That path leads not just to electoral successes, but to a powerful voting bloc ready to engage on its own behalf.
State Representative Myron Tsosie speaking to a hometown crowd in Chinle, Arizona before winning re-election to the state house in 2020.
This year our vision is to bring “Stew and Socks” to more communities by reaching further out, to smaller villages and chapters. We are focused not just on little communities like White Clay, where our year-round organizing efforts have built relationships since the launch of our program, but also on places like Gap and Cibeque, where we have yet to hold community events. It is vital for us to meet voters where they are to show how every community is important to power-building. We want to demonstrate just how critical every vote on sovereign land is to building political power and influencing positive policy change that affects their community and their family. We are committed to every constituent on sovereign lands having an opportunity to meet with our Democratic team and with the individuals running to represent them.
DONATION LINK: secure.actblue.com/...
Checks may also be mailed and made out to: Navajo County Democrats — PO Box 144, Lakeside, AZ 85929 · (928) 224-8021
Ahé hee’ Thank you,
Missa Foy
Program Director Northeast Arizona Native Democrats
Chair Navajo County Democrats
www.navajocountydemocrats.org
neaznativedemocrats.org (project of Navajo County Democrats)
Stay connected with us and help amplify the work!
Facebook: NavajoCountyDemocrats
Twitter: @navajocountydem
Instagram: @navajocountydem
Facebook: neaznativedemocrats
Twitter: @neazNativeDems
Instagram: @neazNativeDems
TikTok: neaznativedems
[END]
---
[1] Url:
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/9/24/2194633/-Warm-Feet-Warm-Hearts-Walking-the-Road-to-Democratic-Wins-in-2024-Together
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/
