Conversations of Civic Engagement: Atlanta KEEP TALKING

Yesterday I attended Civic Engagement: A Conversation with Michael Blake, Associate Director for The White House Office of Public Engagement, an event with arguably one of the most influential young political leaders who looks like me. He’s sharp, he’s 28, he’s black.

Impressive right?

Like everyone else in Atlanta, I went to Loews Hotel to see what this “conversation” would be like. The ambiance was as expected and one thing impressed me as soon as I walked through the door: the audience. It wasn’t made up of the usual suspects.

Amber Nicole of Democratic Party, Lauren Evette, Ms. Posh, and Jo Writer

I saw Caucasian lobbyists who work tirelessly everyday for ACLU and other progressive orgs, young feisty African American woman who shop til they drop but also fight for reproductive rights, lected officials from all levels of government including state and municipal, members of the Atlanta’s “Black Hollywood”, and the regulars who want to be scene when a photog is in the room. This amalgamation of people in itself is a feat. Congrats to event organizers for that.

Now once I kept walking around the lobby, my level of “impressiveness” dimmed just a little.

A “conversation” can be defined in two main ways according to Merriam Websters:
(1): oral exchange of sentiments, observations, opinions, or ideas
(2): an informal discussion of an issue by representatives of governments, institutions, or groups

So which one did we witness yesterday? In my opinion, neither.

Mr. Blake talked about how Obama gave money to HBCUs; how he fought for health care. And even though most people in the room knew about these accomplishments, we patiently listened. Mr. Blake answered questions about small businesses, new technology, and sustainability. Some people listened; others walked away. To me, there wasn’t a true exchange of oral sentiments, observations, or ideas and I still don’t remember an exact “issue” being identified.

Host Committee pictured

At the end of the “conversation” attendees were given Blake’s email address to get on yet ANOTHER list serv. This was the way suggested by arguably one of the most influential young African Americans in the White House to stay engaged.

Now I must say that I appreciate Blake’s transparency. It falls right in line with the image of the Obama Administration and therefore I would expect nothing less. But as members of the power generation, I implore you to NOT STOP at just an email. Do not be satisfied because you hit the FWD button, because you “liked” the event pics on FB, or because you responded to the #hashtag. Why? Because that wasn’t all that it took to get President Barack Obama elected and that definitely will not be what it takes to KEEP HIM in office.

It’s time to redefine the word “conversation”. It’s time to redefine “civic engagement”. And this new definition begins with you.

Thank you again to the event organizers to bringing Blake to Atlanta and opening up the conversation again…