The Power of Civic Literacy and Engagement In A Moment Like This

a B|E Brief

For many, there is no other word to perfectly describe the general mood in the air other than surreal. Keep bracing for the wave of takes and post-mortems from a non-stop loop of experts as they themselves brawl with the broader discontent. But what will be more important is what community steps will look like moving forward versus looking back at what just transpired on Tuesday. There will be plenty of time to assess that, of course. There will be plenty of the proverbial ink to spill for it.

Yet, it will be critical to resist the temptation of getting too immersed in it. This moment presents an enormous opportunity to translate collective anxieties and frustrations into a sense of capable urgency and collective community action. It’s not like there is not plenty of history to learn from. This is not a new chapter in the world of politics. So, this is where that history is revisited and relearned. Meet as communities and take full courses on it. In the meantime, there is now a need for civic literacy more than ever before to understand the moment and to meet it with strong civic engagement.

The way that’s done is by reevaluating, reviving and re-empowering core institutions. Reviving families, both immediate and extended. Reviving neighborhoods: from the block to the local library to the local park. Reviving key community organizations. Reviving educational institutions that were historically created with unique communities in mind. Meanwhile, yes: rebuild and revive schools and zealously discipline social media intake, because this election displayed just how much dangerous levels of illiteracy and disinformation took command of the public and private stage.

Here is an opportunity to rebuild and revive foundational institutions. There is no survival without them.

It is the responsibility and duty of all citizens to understand every proposal and executive order emanating from this new White House. Fully understand and be aware of every bill drafted in Congress and how that will directly impact you down to the block level. Better yet: create a culture of policy knowledge and reconnect with all levels of government - local, state and federal. Here’s where that famous maxim “all politics is local” translates into something useful. State and local governments, supported by constituent and block captain-level passion, will be a viable buffer against the storms to come. Watch what’s happening in those state capitols and city halls very carefully and learn from sources like ours about what’s going on. They will become a lot more handy than you think. Be realistic and proactive about what everyone will be faced with over the next four years and beyond.