Opinion: Organizing for our future (& enjoying the presidential debate together!)

Joy juxtaposed with struggle. That is what I am seeing, feeling, and hearing around the presidential election, and I know that on the debate stage on Tuesday, we will see more clearly than ever what it means to lean in to hope and joy and repudiate divisiveness and fear. As the Organizing Director of For Our Future Pennsylvania, I am facilitating a virtual debate watch party where we come together in community to watch what is sure to be an historic night (and have fun while doing so!).

Under the Biden-Harris administration, Pennsylvanians have seen real progress. From capping costs of insulin, to funding critical infrastructure needs, to unapologetically supporting workers and their right to unionize, President Biden and Vice President Harris have delivered time and again. But while the progress is indisputable, the daily struggles are all too real, and we must organize with more urgency than ever before.

After volunteering for my first campaign in politics, it became abundantly clear to me that nearly everything is political. I saw the promise of political action, and I learned that organizing together is a powerful way to win the future we need to thrive. 

That’s why For Our Future Pennsylvania exists, because politics should be about community and a collective vision for a better future. Our team of canvassers are trusted messengers, and they often knock doors in their own neighborhoods. They hear from neighbors worried about affording groceries, about deeply underfunded public schools, about the very air we breathe, and so many other issues rooted in a deeply inequitable society. Issues of economic, racial, educational, and environmental justice are deeply interconnected, and they drive the organizing work we do. We believe that society must work for all–not just the wealthy few. 

The vision that Kamala Harris has outlined is one rooted in tangible ways to improve lives. Speaking to AFT members and leaders, Vice President Harris said, “In our vision of the future, we see a place where every person has the opportunity not just to get by but to get ahead, a future where no child has to grow up in poverty, where every senior can retire with dignity and where every worker has the freedom to join a union. We see a future with affordable healthcare, affordable childcare and paid leave, not for some, but for all.”

But Donald Trump is selling something very different. (And he’s always selling something weird: from pieces of his indictment and debate suits to sneakers, he’s always angling to make a buck.) While he lives a lavish lifestyle on the backs of the American people, he peddles bizarre conspiracy theories based in fear, lies, and divisiveness. His mission is devoid of any meaningful ways to improve the lives of our neighbors. When he tells us he would be a dictator on day one, we should believe it. The roadmap his allies have laid out in Project 2025 is not only weird, it’s dangerous. The ACLU aptly describes this agenda as “extreme policy recommendations touching on nearly every aspect of American life, from immigration and abortion rights, to free speech and racial justice.” 

FOF-PA’s goal for the next two months is crystal clear: electing Kamala Harris and Tim Walz and progressive champions up and down the ballot. We are uniquely positioned to do that work in the context of our broader belief that politics truly is about the people. I’m so looking forward to joining with our FOF-PA community and watch our next president embody the spirit of hope and promise for a better tomorrow. A better world is possible, and together, we can organize to make it a reality.