And even as gerrymandering threatens the fairness of the vote in several states, Khalilah Worley Billy reminds us to “Find joy in this election.”
Khalilah Worley Billy is Senior Organizer at Greater Cleveland Congregations, a nonpartisan, multi-race, multi-faith group working for social change. GCC’s get-out-the-vote efforts include the Voter Virginity Program, reaching out to first-time voters across Ohio.
Hear the full November 2, 2024 episode here.
TRANSCRIPT:
REV. PAUL BRANDEIS RAUSHENBUSH, HOST:
We had the chance to visit with the Greater Cleveland Congregations, and I had a chance to talk to Khalilah Worley, who’s a great organizer and activist who really helps understand how relationships are key to helping foster good neighborhoods, and understanding what’s going on with people. And so we had a chance to walk and knock on doors and talk to people, and it was an incredible experience.
Listen to this interview with Khalilah Worley.
Can you tell us a little bit about how, just personally, how you’re feeling right now about this moment and this election, and maybe if you can think about, we’re on the Vote Is Sacred Tour. How does it feel to use your vote in this way? And think about it almost as Rep. John Lewis said, almost sacred act.
KHALILAH WORLEY BILLY, GUEST:
I’m from Cleveland and I’ve done organizing and political field work in many places. And it’s always a great joy to be able to do the work that I love in the place that shaped me. And it is sacred. I mean, my dad is from Anniston, Alabama, and at the age of 12, was thrown in the back of a paddy wagon by police trying to get to Birmingham to march. And he was thrown in the back of that paddy wagon and his grandmother came and got him, and she was both horrified – because she told him she didn’t think he would make it alive. And he is the only living legacy of his mother, who died in a segregated hospital giving birth to him as a child because they didn’t have the resources.
And so he’s always been in this world with righteous anger and passed that down to us as children, like, you always fight for what you believe in. You stand tall and continue to fight. And so doing this work is more than just about this election. It’s about every election. Which is why I’m one of the lead staff around our battle for democracy work. Because it is a battle. You have to be ready to fight for it.
PAUL RAUSHENBUSH:
This is so deep, what you just did to extend it backwards, and then imagine it forward. But recognize that this country comes from a place, and we have to remember that place. And there’s some people who don’t want to talk about that place, but it’s a real place, and your family lived it. And you are, in some ways, the legacy. And I can imagine you’re exactly what they dreamed of when they were going through all of that. And so talk to us a little bit, now, about what you feel like this moment is, specifically in Ohio. What are some of the issues that Ohio is facing?
KHALILAH WORLEY:
Of the things about Ohio is that for years, it had been a battleground swing state. And you would see around this time frame, it would be candidates – I mean, it’s still a little crazy, what’s happening with commercial ads overpowering our media waves – but it’s not as much investment in this area, even though we have a third Democrat, a third Republican and a third Independent, which means there is a lot of opportunity out there.
The biggest challenge is those who don’t vote. And what we’ve discovered over these past three years, just going out, talking to people, no matter around the status of our state that’s deemed by other partisan work, we’ve learned, is especially from registered voters, is not that they don’t care. They’re depressed. It has been years and years of a lot of attention in Ohio without a lot of results. They’re not seeing it in their neighborhoods. They’re not seeing in their everyday lives. They’re seeing laws be created that impact them. For instance, what we’re doing around Issue One today, talking to people about these gerrymandered maps, which make people feel like they can’t make an impact. But the reality is, they can’t draw their own map that’s fair, that allows for democracy to take shape.
And so Ohio is still a very key, important role in our democracy, because we’ve seen even last year: Laws that were created by legislators have been overturned by the people. I mean, we had a special amendment election last year where people expected the turnout result to be 9%. Over 30% of people turned out to vote in that special election on a hot August day, because it was around what people wanted – which was not to make it more difficult for them to create ballot initiatives, to change laws that legislators who don’t think with them, that don’t think for them, and don’t think and act with them, changed – and they changed it.
They also changed it in November of that year around women’s rights. So the people are saying, we’ll show up when we want to be heard and when you’re actually going to listen to us. In Ohio, the main way is around these ballot initiatives that people can step forward and take action on. And so we’re in support of Issue One, and we want it to pass because it is really important that politicians listen to their voters and not pick their voters.
PAUL RAUSHENBUSH:
That is such a good phrase. And I do think this idea of: If you’re actually offering us democracy, we’ll show up. If you’re not, why should we show up for you? And so I think that that is so, so important; is that there’s a lot of, Oh people aren’t showing up. Well, if you actually created an opportunity that allowed them to vote for something that they could clearly see would affect their lives, maybe look at yourself a little bit, instead of blaming the voters, you know.
KHALILAH WORLEY:
Creating a program and expect the people to show up without actually talking to them about what the program is, or getting their input on if they even want it. They’re not apathetic. They’re depressed. They’re tired of the definition of insanity.
PAUL RAUSHENBUSH:
Don’t ask people to show up for your party if it’s not a party they want to go to. You know, they’re not going to show up to your boring, boring party.
KHALILAH WORLEY:
Don’t blame it on the people if you just sent out one invitation.
PAUL RAUSHENBUSH: Yeah. Make it plain. This is so, so great. Well, we’re so honored to be here with you. So, specifically, Amendment One is about stopping gerrymandering in the state of Ohio, and gerrymandering is such an important issue because the majority can’t be heard – the voices can’t be heard if everything is working against them, if the system is rigged against them. I’m from Wisconsin and they had a system where literally the majority of the voters could not be heard, represented in the state legislature because of the way that the maps were drawn.
It was like, if we actually had a majority being able to talk, it wouldn’t be close. And so that’s what we’re up against. And it’s just one example of the structural ways. So thank you for your work. We’re so appreciative. And thank you for taking time with us for The State of Belief.
KHALILAH WORLEY:
Thank you so much. And Voter Virginity is our youth campaign. So all those first time voters, make it count. It’s important find joy in this election. It is truly important, because it is sacred. It is honorable to do so.
PAUL RAUSHENBUSH:
I love it. Thank you.
