
Our government’s recent behavior is probably making you want to disengage. We encourage you to do the opposite.
As we watch our national leaders move swiftly to remove our rights and enrich themselves, and watch our local leaders behave unethically with little accountability, we understand if your immediate impulse is to just…disengage. To unplug. To throw in the towel. We are all tired, and you can only take in so much "bad" news.
But we would like to invite you to do the opposite of that. To dig even deeper. To get involved. To join forces with your neighbors. To work for a better Cleveland, Ohio, and America. Those in power want us to give up and argue with one another instead of demanding better from them. They want us to be confused and disoriented by the onslaught of unethical policy changes they're trying to make. But we must employ that famous Cleveland stubbornness and not give them what they want.

There are a lot of ways you can get more engaged and build collective power. Here are some options:
You can speak for your community during public comment at a city council meeting. Public comment is a great opportunity to let your councilperson know which issues need addressing in your community. You can certainly do public comment alone, but we think it’s even more impactful if you get other community members to join you! There is power in numbers.
You can get involved with or donate to a local organization that is fighting for our rights. There are a lot of local and statewide organizations who are currently fighting for your rights, including worker rights, LGBTQ+ rights, education rights, disability rights, and more. Some examples include Northeast Ohio Worker Center, ACLU Ohio, Equality Ohio, Honesty for Ohio Education, and Showing Up for Racial Justice.
You can get involved with a local organization or group who is working to build a better democracy. Organizations like Cleveland VOTES, League of Women Voters, Mobilize the Vote NEO, and Northeast Ohio Voter Advocates are all working to make sure that our elections are fair and accessible to all, and that you have the latest election information.
You can support a local organization who is fighting for immigrants and migrants. The future of our immigrant, migrant, and refugee neighbors is currently uncertain. Luckily we have organizations like CAIR Ohio, Young Latino Network, Global Cleveland, and the Refugees Services Collaborative, all of whom are providing support and crucial information to these vulnerable groups.
You can support local legislation pushes or ballot initiatives. Each year, many local activists and groups work together to try and get legislation passed that will make our region a better place to leave. For example, In January, the Cleveland Pay Equity Alliance helped introduce equal pay legislation, which you can read more about here. If you would like to support a new piece legislation, there are usually multiple options for doing so, such as attending local government meetings where the legislation is being introduced or debated, contacting your representative(s) and asking them to support the legislation, and/or collecting signatures to help get the legislation on the ballot in the next election.
You can read and support trustworthy, local journalism. Some of our most trusted news sources included The Land, Signal Cleveland, and The Marshall Project.
You can build the skills it will require to run for local office or take on a leadership role in the community. There are many local leadership programs that will help you do just that, like Cleveland VOTES’ Democracy Collective, Cleveland Leadership Center, Neighborhood Leadership Development Program, and Neighborhood Leadership Institute. Or higher schoolers can apply to Mayor Bibb’s new Junior Mayor Association. These programs provide skill building and networking opportunities.
They want you to think the situation is bleak. But it doesn’t have to be. Remember: we got us.

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