Morgan Harper
Morgan Harper (she/her/hers) turned the energy behind her congressional candidacy into sustained, continued action this election cycle. “This election should be a wake up call acknowledging the power we have when we do have partnerships that are long-lasting and consistently, authentically engaging the community,” Morgan shares.
Her organization, Columbus Stand Up! mobilizes Ohio voters through strategic partnerships with several other organizations. Columbus Stand Up! collaborated with Indivisible 12 to put together a ride sharing program, completing over 100 trips to the polls in central Ohio. This organic, grassroots service connected voters who needed rides, ranging from young people without cars to elderly folks who could no longer drive with reliable, safe and sanitary transportation beginning in mid-October for early voting. “We saw through this program, what people really need right now is restored trust in their communities. If we can’t trust our communities to get us to the Board of Elections on Morse Road, how can we build together?”
Morgan and Columbus Stand Up hosted several virtual phone/text banks in collaboration with Ohio Women’s Alliance, bringing together our communities to reach out to hundreds of thousands of Ohio voters. “These are the types of connections we need to foster so we can actually be in a position to flip Ohio. It’s not going to happen overnight, but every election is a chance to accelerate that building because there is increased attention and resources. And it can’t stop,” Morgan explains. “Many volunteers found virtual phone/text banks are easy entry points into this work. Every event was an opportunity to build deep relationships during a time when connection is something we all sorely miss due to the isolation of the global pandemic. Folks join to find solace in taking action alongside others, regaining our power when we may feel more powerless than usual.”
And the work is not over for Morgan, by any stretch of the imagination. “It has to be ongoing,” Morgan shares, “I think folks are starting to wake up to that because of our peer midwestern states. Through deep organizing Michigan and Wisconsin were able to increase voter turnout and change course there. We have to think critically about how we can do that here.”
It’s possible. We at Ohio Women’s Alliance know this to be true; by maintaining deep, authentic relationships with our community, we can continue to build independent political power. Join us in this work by applying to our Cooperative, a collective of passionate, engaged changemakers today: