Got voice, got power: Cultivating change through civic engagement

Dr. Artika Tyner

Civic engagement is a key tool for building more vibrant and inclusive communities. For many civic engagement begins with casting a vote at the ballot box. This is an integral step yet there is so much more. Civic engagement is when you participate in activities that improve your community and participate in the democratic process. Examples include: attending city council meetings, volunteering at your local food bank, signing petitions on issues that matter to you, and mentoring youth.
My latest book, “Kwame Votes,” explores the transformational power of civic engagement through an intergenerational approach. Through conversations with his family, Kwame learns important lessons on how to serve and lead in his community. His grandmother teaches him the importance of focusing on issues like equal access to quality education. His mother demonstrates how volunteerism can support democracy by serving as an election judge. With each family interaction, Kwame learns the importance of his family’s daily commitment to civic engagement in their community. He witnesses firsthand the positive impact of this labor of love.
Kwame’s grandmother teaches this key leadership lesson. She reminds her family to use their voices to make a difference: “Voting in an election is your opportunity to be heard, hold elected officials accountable and have a say in important issues involving our community.”
I found inspiration for writing this book while reflecting on my experience growing up in the historic Rondo community. I grew up watching our community organize for change. Everyone was ready to lend a helping hand, safeguard the future of the children, and stand up for crucial issues affecting the community. I can still hear our community elder’s voice rising above the crowd at a community meeting, strong and unwavering, chanting with conviction: “Got voice, got power.” It served as a constant reminder that each of us holds the power to uplift and empower our communities.
When we need inspiration for the journey ahead, we can embark on a Sanoka journey where we look to our ancestors for inspiration. Sankofa is a Twi word from the Akan Tribe of Ghana that means “go back and get it.” It is a reminder to look to the past for inspiration for our present and future. Ancestors like Ida B. Wells and Mary Church Terrell built new inroads to justice and freedom through the power of civic engagement.
Ida B. Wells was a suffragist who fought for the passage of the 19th Amendment providing women with the right to vote. She also advocated for racial equity to ensure Black women had equal access to the ballot box.
Mary Church Terrell dedicated her life’s work to advancing racial equity and gender equality. She fearlessly addressed these issues at the National American Woman Suffrage Association convention in the early 1890s.
Through their example, we are reminded that change starts from within. First, we must have an unwavering commitment to leave the world a better place than how we found it. This is anchored in our collective vision for the future. Pioneering scientist, George Washington Carver, wisely stated, “Where there is no vision, there is no hope.” Hope for the future is the motivation for civic engagement.
In addition, setting an agenda is essential. You can begin by exploring questions such as: What do you seek to accomplish? What steps will you take to achieve this goal? How will you measure success? An exploration of these questions will aid in developing a plan of action.
Finally, this is a call to unleash our moral imagination – a vision of a future where children can thrive, communities have the resources they need, families are resilient, and neighborhoods are flourishing. It envisions a world of endless possibilities, where the seeds of change bloom into hope for a better tomorrow.
Through her organization, Planting People Growing Justice Leadership Institute, Dr. Artika Tyner seeks to plant seeds of social change through education, training, and community outreach.