21st Century Democrats’ Major League Action Training: A Look through a Fellow’s Eyes

Deborah Block is a summer Fellow at 21st Century Democrats:

A month before graduating Tufts, I decided that I wanted to take a post-college path that was a little different from most of my peers. Where many of my friends were heading off to begin jobs as paralegals in New York City or do research and nonprofit work abroad, I wanted to throw myself in the middle of Washington, DC during a time when America was on the brink of a new Presidency and political change.

Because Tufts is a liberal college full of proactive students determined to one day change the world (I wish that didn’t sound so cheesy, but it’s actually how Tufts kids think), I naturally adopted this mantra, believing that somehow, someway, I could really make a difference. My decision to work for 21st Century Democrats was a reflection of that ideology.

Even in my college bubble, it was impossible to ignore the devastating state of our country and the negative ramifications of the Bush administration. The war in Iraq was costing us trillions of dollars, the economy was suffering, gas prices were at unprecedented rates, and that was only the beginning. My decision to start working at 21st Century Democrats was a decision to stop sitting around and watch our country fall apart. It was a decision to help elect Democratic candidates and of course, a Democratic President. It was a decision to fight for progressive politics and ultimately turn this country around.

But before I began my mission, I needed a break and was excited for a few weeks at home to sit on my couch and watch VH1. However, my “be lazy and do nothing” time was quickly cut short by a phone call from Wendy Davis, our National Field and Training Director, who needed me to come to DC as soon as possible to help with the Major League Action training at Georgetown University.

After reading over 21st Century Democrats’ website many times, it was clear what the purpose of this training was. In essence, this event would prepare and teach a diverse group of democrats to effectively organize and campaign on behalf of progressive candidates running for election all across the country. Reflecting the very mission of 21st Century Democrats, in training grassroots organizers to elect progressive candidates, this would ensure that progressive values would spread and the direction of this country would finally change.

So as it was, the first day of the Major League Action training was my first day of work. Waking up to report each morning at 8 am and finishing each evening after 11 pm, I spent every day doing exactly what I expected: making sure that meals went smoothly, taking pictures, making copies, handing out work sheets, making sure people knew where they were going, and other typical intern responsibilities.

But it was all worth it. Too overwhelmed with finishing college and quickly beginning a new job, I hadn’t even begun to think about the valuable first hand experience I would take away from this training.

For five days, participants’ schedules were jammed with speakers from morning to night. Participants had no time to rest, there was no down time, there was no opportunity to take the afternoon off and explore DC. But even with their demanding schedules, no one complained. After all, they weren’t there to relax, they were there to learn how to effectively campaign and elect progressive candidates. With this in common between all trainees, it was incredible to watch strong bonds form over a very short period of time. Whether it was a Southern woman with a husband fighting in Iraq, a college student from Arizona, a mother and son from Florida, regardless of where they came from, how old they were, their gender, or race—all came together to work tirelessly and learn everything they could to help each other and help America.

And I saw that their determination was unwavering. On the fourth day of training, I took trips back and forth to Virginia to pick up groups of our trainees who had been canvassing on one of the hottest days of the year. Expecting each group to be exhausted and grumpy from a long day, I was met with a very different reality. Instead, each group was energized and excited. Some groups even sang songs together and chanted cheers to congratulate their hard work. I was amazed.

And that’s when it hit me. No one made these people come DC to learn how to be grassroots organizers; they were there because they wanted to be, because they believed in progressive politics, because they believed in democratic values, and most importantly, because they believed they could make a change.

At the end of the training, I stepped back and watched as people who were strangers just days before hug each other, and exchange phone numbers and email addresses. They waved goodbye and sent each other off with words of encouragement to work hard and never give up. And with the support of new democratic friends who share a common belief in progressive values, it was clear that these people were not giving up any time soon. Instead, they were more determined than ever to act now and finally change America.

And that was just my first 5 days of work.