What Can We Really Do About Politics?

Sophie O’Reilly| Staff Writer

This historic—and undeniably stress-inducing—election week left many American voters feeling overwhelmed and unsure of what the future of our nation would hold. Election seasons are already periods of high stress, but these emotions were exacerbated by the presence of the COVID-19 pandemic and the deep-set polarization of modern politics. That being said, it’s important to remain politically engaged outside of electoral contexts. Dr. Kolev, Associate Professor of the Hendrix Department of Politics and Director of the Hendrix Odyssey Program, notes, “As a scholar of electoral processes, I believe elections are absolutely necessary, but not sufficient. They do increase the likelihood that societal preferences will be translated into policy. But they provide no normative guarantee for a just, fair, and happy society. If societies are uninformed, elections are more likely to produce uninformed or unaccountable governments.” So, then we’re left with a question: where do we go from here?

Before approaching political activism, evaluating where we are on an emotional level is important and allows us to be more effective advocates and changemakers. Jake Lerner, a Co-Founder of Tulsa Changemakers (a youth leadership development organization), describes political burnout as “a feeling of exhaustion and sometimes helplessness that is brought on by contentious advocacy efforts without clearly defined victories.” Andrew Spector, the fellow Co-Founder of Tulsa Changemakers, reminds us of the importance of kindness and compassion in political activism. “So often do I see people involved politically that are advocating for causes of equity and justice, but they’re not loving or compassionate in their relationships,” he notes. “By just being a good person to yourself, to friends, to family, to neighbors, to acquaintances, in some ways that’s just as, if not more, impactful than the political advocacy people are devoted to.” Self-awareness and empathy are absolute necessities in any form of engagement, but particularly in political engagement.

One of the best ways to remain engaged outside of election seasons is to remain aware of varying perspectives. This attentiveness comes to fruition as we participate in meaningful dialogue or engage in activities that spur change. Hanna Al-Jibouri, a 2012 Hendrix alumnus, exemplifies this; she is the President and Volunteer Coordinator of Poetic Justice, an organization which teaches poetry and art courses to incarcerated women nationwide. She recommends activists “try and stay caught up on current events from multiple sources/perspectives. [She tries] to read/watch news a lot of different ways and places to try and get the least biased information out there.” Suppose you want to take this level of engagement a step further. In that case, you can volunteer your time and resources through organizations like Poetic Justice that work to dismantle oppression and center silenced voices. Another way to investigate the voices of ostracized or disadvantaged communities is by collecting and analyzing empirical data. Dr. Kolev notes, “We sometimes get so caught up in being right without ever subjecting our claims to real-world data. At the same time, some of our most divisive debates can at least be informed, if not settled, by collecting evidence about the consequences of our debated alternatives.” This isn’t to say, however, that data can always encapsulate the total scope of issues. Large-scale structures, such as institutional racism, xenophobia, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, and oppression aren’t always immediately visible when analyzing numbers. However, the blend Photo courtesy of CreativeCommons.org of evaluating empirics and listening to the voices of ostracized or disenfranchised people allows us to be more effective in our advocacy. It’s for this reason that Lerner and Spector employ a “listenlisten-act” approach to the Tulsa Changemakers initiative. This process calls student leaders to reflect on their own lived experiences, define the struggles of the community they are attempting to serve by way of one-on-one interviewing, and respond to the needs that were uncovered along the way.

Political engagement doesn’t always occur in such explicit terms; there are ways to be subversive and active that don’t necessarily fall under the popular purview of political participation. As Al-Jibouri states, “Political engagement can mean a lot of different things to different people! For me, I feel like being a public school teacher is an act of political engagement because I am working daily to disrupt the structures and narratives that public schools were built on, which are basically the same as our country-- dead, white, powerful men.” Spector corroborates this through the work he and Lerner do. By empowering young people’s voices, they help secure a generation of engaged citizens who have the skills and the confidence to continue these fights. Spector furthers this analysis by drawing attention to civil rights activist Ella Baker and her conception of “spadework”: slow, respectful work that might go years without demonstrating clear outcomes. He notes, “A lot of the spadework Ella Baker is speaking of began in the ‘40s spending months just to support a few more African Americans to get registered to vote. I think this is helpful because we can fall into despair and hopelessness when we don’t see success.” That being said, defining political success in terms of elections is insufficient; instead, varying our approach between internal and external, slow and quick, and indirect and direct practices is one of our most valuable political engagement tools.

There are things that you can do on campus—even remotely— that aid in this process. Dr. Kolev says that, “we are often very superficial in expecting that just because we can vote, we are assured representation, peaceful coexistence, prosperity, and tolerance... I think getting involved with politics at the local (or even campus) level is essential as a start.” Across the board, one of the most common pieces of advice is to simply ensure that you are diversifying your media consumption and registering to vote. Beyond that, though, you can take political and historical courses, volunteer, participate in student organizations, and go to campus discussions, such as Real Talk Mondays and Steel Center talks. Holistically, the goal isn’t always to persuade others of your politics; in most instances, the goal it is to encourage you to challenge your perspective and inspire others to do the same.

On the next page of this magazine, you will find a list of resources that you can utilize as a launch point for political engagement. The most salient thing that you can do before consulting those sources, though, is considering the extent to which you are authentically challenging yourself and reflecting on your political and humane values. Participation in elections is not the end-allbe-all of politics. As Poetic Justice reminds us in a chant conducted at the end of every course: “I have a voice. I have hope. I have the power to change.” Do not allow political burnout to dim the unique qualities and possibilities your voice carries. Editor’s Note: Click on the organizations featured in this piece to learn more about them: Poetic Justice and Tulsa Changemakers.