Getting into Good Trouble - Engaging New Generations of Voters

As we launch #TheTeeInVote campaign this week – I remembered something that one of my longtime friends told me: “Wow, you really were born to get into trouble.”

Her comment reminded me of one of my favorite quotes from the late, great civil rights leader and legend John Lewis, who dedicated his life to fighting for voting rights. (My friends Erika Alexander and Ben Arnon, are producers of an amazing documentary on his life.)

“Get in good trouble, necessary trouble, and help redeem the soul of America.”

#TheTeeInVote campaign has good trouble written all over it. 

First, it’s about helping underrepresented communities exercise their right to vote and use that power to create a more equal future. 

Second, it’s a collaboration with Gloria Steinem, one of the all-time great “good trouble” makers.

Third, it directly supports the efforts of four amazing “good trouble” making women at the helm of organizations dedicated to educating and empowering new generations of voters of color:

LaTosha Brown, co-founder and chief doer, Black Voters Matter

Jacquie Algee, board president, MarchOn

Vanessa Wruble, executive director, MarchOn

Maria Teresa Kumar, founding president and CEO, Voto Latino

Our goal is to support and bring awareness to the efforts of these innovative, grassroots organizations as they drive to:

• get people of color registered
• provide information on voting rights
• combat voter suppression across the country.

The campaign was conceived in December 2019 and meant to be launched before the pandemic.

After batting around ideas late last year, Gloria suggested we work together on a voting campaign.

We both felt that the 2020 elections would be the most important of our lifetime and wanted to showcase and support the work of these incredible organizations.

They represent the growing power that women of color are bringing to this year's elections.

I also knew LaTosha and Vanessa personally and was familiar with the work of Maria Teresa and Jaquie from their longtime involvement in gender equality activism. They are all brilliant women and dedicated activists - collaborating with them has been an incredible experience.

We had arranged for LaTosha, Maria Teresa, and Jaquie to travel to New York in early March for a few days for photos, videos, and a roundtable conversation with Gloria. 

Then, the pandemic hit. No one could travel.

Gloria and I, who were already together in New York at the Michael Stars showroom, went ahead and filmed our conversation.

Fortunately, LaTosha, Maria Teresa, and Jaquie were able to send us powerful video messages while sheltering in place. Full steam ahead!

Even though we had to navigate through many obstacles to get #TheTeeInVote launched, my team and I were constantly energized by the commitment and passion of the staff members at Black Voters Matter, MarchOn, and Voto Latino.

They adapted quickly and seized the moment, redoubling their efforts to register voters, mapping new strategies to reach people, providing critical information to their communities, and staying visible and connected

Collaborating with Gloria was at the top of my bucket list.

When people ask me, “What leader or celebrity would you most like to have dinner with,” Gloria has always been at the top of my list. I’ve been lucky to get to know her through my work with the Ms. Foundation and the ERA Coalition. My team loved co-creating #TheTeeInVote campaign collection with her! You can see the total limited-edition collection at our site.

It turns out that Gloria and I not only share a passion for gender and racial equality, we’ve also had many of the same life experiences.

Our fathers were traveling salesmen. We are girls from the heartland -- Ohio and Illinois. We traveled in India throughout our 20s. Our life partners were both from South Africa.

What really ties me to Gloria though is that we’re both “hope-aholics,” learning from the past, but always looking to the future.  She sees our campaign coming at a time when activism is on the rise:

“What makes me hopeful is the degree of activism I see wherever I go. It is way more than I’ve ever seen before. For the first time in my lifetime, the majority of the country supports social justice movements.” 

Let’s take advantage of this moment.

Come and join our growing band of “good trouble” makers and as we put #TheTeeInVote and exercise our power to create an equal future. 

For more information on how you can support voter registration, visit Michael Stars.