This line really landed with me: “We do not have to search for the answers and solutions alone or in the dark. Reach out and make connections with each other.”
That’s been at the center of what I’ve been trying to build with Unmute Alabama. Unmute Alabama is my tiny but persistent effort to give people real tools for talking with people, especially in the deep South. Not just telling folks to talk about our world but helping them figure out how. What to say. How to frame it. How to lead with values, not stats. How to find the emotional frame of a policy fight and hold it there.
Even when I cover national issues, I try to relate them to Alabama. What does this policy mean for Alabama schools, our libraries, our workers, our families. I follow local right-wing media so I know what stories are taking root “over there.” I follow smart thinkers for insight and direction. I miss things. I mess up. But I just keep plugging away.
I'm on most social media sites and I send out a newsletter. I don’t use Substack or a fancy CRM. I send out a newsletter the old-fashioned way from a Gmail account, growing Unmute Alabama one social media follower, one email subscriber at a time.
Is it the right path forward? I don’t know. But it’s a path. And I’d love to hear from others creating their own.
We don’t have to be alone in the dark. We just have to keep reaching out.
As a former Ted Kennedy staffer I especially appreciate this. Also like your plan to move forward. And hope your Dad is ok.
Thank you 😊 And Dad is recovery nicely and doing well.
This is beautiful, Mary! Let’s talk this weekend.
Yes - please - coffee chat :)
This line really landed with me: “We do not have to search for the answers and solutions alone or in the dark. Reach out and make connections with each other.”
That’s been at the center of what I’ve been trying to build with Unmute Alabama. Unmute Alabama is my tiny but persistent effort to give people real tools for talking with people, especially in the deep South. Not just telling folks to talk about our world but helping them figure out how. What to say. How to frame it. How to lead with values, not stats. How to find the emotional frame of a policy fight and hold it there.
Even when I cover national issues, I try to relate them to Alabama. What does this policy mean for Alabama schools, our libraries, our workers, our families. I follow local right-wing media so I know what stories are taking root “over there.” I follow smart thinkers for insight and direction. I miss things. I mess up. But I just keep plugging away.
I'm on most social media sites and I send out a newsletter. I don’t use Substack or a fancy CRM. I send out a newsletter the old-fashioned way from a Gmail account, growing Unmute Alabama one social media follower, one email subscriber at a time.
Is it the right path forward? I don’t know. But it’s a path. And I’d love to hear from others creating their own.
We don’t have to be alone in the dark. We just have to keep reaching out.