Seeking to join pro-democracy efforts full-time

Here goes:

Over the past several months, as I learn daily of attacks on U.S. democracy and rule of law, I keep thinking that future generations will ask: “How did regular people let that happen? Why didn’t they stop it?”

Questions I asked about the Holocaust and slavery when I learned about them as a kid.

These thoughts have kept me awake many nights. But what have I done? Posted on social media, called elected officials, participated in a few protests, written a few articles. It’s not enough.

I am changing that now. I am looking to join a mission-driven organization – full-time or consulting – in which I can support efforts to defend democratic institutions and rule of law and to restore democracy in the United States. Restore it and improve on it so that it fully includes and considers all communities, a promise that has never been fulfilled.

What can I offer your organization?

*I’m a talented multilingual writer who spent eight years as a journalist at Newsday and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and who’s been published in the New York Times, and who led social strategy and operations at ESPN Deportes. I am cross-culturally audience savvy and can help you win the information war.

*I have been active in organizations supporting immigrant rights, voting rights and inclusive democracy throughout my career; including serving on the board of The Opportunity Agenda and work with groups like the International Rescue Committee.

*I am stellar at building community and connecting people.

*I don’t kiss rings and I will stand up to bullies, a skill I honed covering Major League Baseball as the only female beat writer covering the New York Yankees, as well as the youngest and only new-to-New Yorker.

*I’m an excellent researcher who can convert facts into data-driven storytelling.

*I am persistent, passionate and resilient. I have run nine marathons after suffering a concussion-induced stroke, and succeeded in achieving a dream of living abroad despite years of setbacks.

If your organization is looking for somebody who can build partnerships, lead strategic communications or community engagement, do research, write about why democracy and rule of law matter, or all of the above and more … please reach out.

I grew up with the famous John F. Kennedy saying, “Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country,” ingrained in me. Quite the opposite of favoring companies whose CEOs have kissed the President’s ring (with some millions of dollars as an accompanying curtsy) or nations who offer a $400-million plane.

Democracy isn’t an abstract idea. It is a living breathing thing.

The U.S. is an economic and geopolitical superpower because it has been a pole of attraction for talented immigrants for centuries, because it has had stable rule of law and predictable governance that fuel innovation and corporate growth, and because of geography. Two of those three are under threat.

They’re snatching immigrants (and suspected immigrants!) off the streets with no due process, sometimes for speaking their mind at a protest or writing a student editorial, sometimes shipping them to the notorious CECOT prison in El Salvador with no path given for somebody to gain their freedom. I CAN NOT let this be America.

You can care about democracy because you care about civil rights and human rights. You can care about it because it leads to the best economic outcomes in the world. You can care about it because it’s the very raison d'être for the United States’s existence. You can care about it because a strong democracy reduces corruption. All of those reasons and many more.

We can’t keep democracy running from the sidelines, though.

Many people are afraid of backlash from the Trump administration. With good reason, particularly for those from vulnerable groups, such as immigrants and LGBTQ people. Too few leaders and too few institutions are standing up for what is right, and what they know is right in many cases. It might cost them money or a job opportunity or a client. This might cost me all of those, but it’s the right thing to do. Courage is contagious. The more people who speak up and commit to working for democracy, the better off we all will be.

Some have said to me, “You’re living in Barcelona (Spain). Forget about the U.S. and enjoy life.” I’m not built that way. Each and every one of us has the power to do something. Some of us have more privilege, and that includes me, as an Iowa-born white U.S. citizen who is highly educated; and there are times in history that I believe those with privilege have a responsibility to use it. I am one person. I can’t do everything. But I can make a difference.

People from far less privileged backgrounds than me throughout U.S. history have done so, from Frederick Douglass to Sojourner Truth, Frances Perkins to Alice Paul, Ida B. Wells to Cesar Chavez & Dolores Huerta.

Collectively, we can stand up for the promise of the United States.

Please reach out if you’re doing bold, values-driven work to support democracy.