2020! It’s finally here! This is the big one. Not only a new decade but perhaps the most active election year in modern memory. Not even beautiful Bay Ridge, Brooklyn will avoid getting swept up in the national debate.
After a (mostly) sleepy 2019, new activists will emerge, energized by the Democratic primaries. Conservative politicians will attempt to undo the 2018 Blue Wave. Volunteers will be in demand as campaign ground-games rev up. Burnout will become a real danger.
But we’re in luck. We have two hyper-local volunteer organizers who might be able to help. Tyler Adams and Matt Malloy join us in the studio today. They have been powering Elizabeth Warren’s South Brooklyn field operation since August of 2019.
We’ll talk with them about how to bridge local issues with national ones. But while we do so, we need to center our own wellness. That means implementing new strategies for looking after each other. And importantly, they’ll tell us why Bay Ridge (and South Brooklyn) is worth fighting for in 2020.
Audio Bookmarks
Quickly jump to key parts of the episode by clicking the links below…
- Happy New Year!
- Introducing Tyler & Matt
- App-based organizing
- The early days of South Brooklyn for Warren
- Using local knowledge to improve national strategies
Building community by sharing spaces and experiences- Learning from long-term campaigning
- Astroturfed retail politics vs. grass-roots issue advocacy
- Building alliances with small businesses
- Volunteering in other states vs. working locally
- Being honest about burnout
- Having fun with visibility events
- Centering mental wellness in campaigns
- What happens after 2020?
- The Warren Rally in Washington Square Park
- Solidarity Forever
- How to get involved / Signoff
Show Notes
Get Involved with South Brooklyn for Warren
You can get in touch with Matt, Tyler, and the other great volunteers powering the Elizabeth Warren campaign. Check them out on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.
You can also hang out with them at their weekly social meet-ups at Minnie’s Bar in Sunset Park! They also regularly hold cool events nearby. Check out what’s coming up on their Facebook events page.
Weekly Hang-Out
South Brooklyn for Warren
Wednesdays
7:30 – 9:30pm
Drag Night w. South Brooklyn for Warren
The November Drag Revue info 
Michele Shocked! performing for the crowd at Minnie’s
In case you missed it, you’re in luck! The South Brooklyn for Warren crew is having an encore performance on January 9th. Be sure to RSVP!
Additional Reading
- If you’re interested in getting involved in campaign work in 2020, be sure to also check out our Field Organizing roundtable episode!
- You can also listen to the episode Matt references about Fight Back Bay Ridge. Learn how one of our local activist groups got its start!
This episode was recorded in our Bay Ridge studio with Daniel Hetteix and Erik Shell. Our guests were Tyler Adams and Matthew Malloy. Banner image is © by Daniel Hetteix. Tyler and Matthew are local volunteer organizers, and not paid employees of Warren For President, Inc. This episode was recorded on November 24th, 2019.