VOTE: "We make voting sexy," says Cara McClure, a Birmingham, AL community activist

In this SPECIAL VOTING episode, Cara McClure of Birmingham, AL, shares the various ways her grassroots organization Faith & Works reaches out to the community to encourage people to vote and participate in other activities to improve the neighborhoods. You look around in your community and you see that nothing has changed. It makes you discouraged but Did we do something different? Did we hold folks accountable? Did we vote? Did we tell our neighbors to vote? McClure asks. Voting is not the only tool in the toolbox but an important tool in the tool box, she adds. McClure founded Faith & Works in 2019 and launched it in 2020. She has served as Alabamas state coordinator for Black Voters Matter, facilitating programs and strategic coalitions to increase voter engagement. For many years, she has been working to expand poll access, gain early voting, resist voter ID laws, and restore voting rights to individuals. Under an intersectional lens, McClure promotes policies that address race, gender, economic status, and other aspects of equity. Her work motivates residents of Alabama to collaborate and organize for growth and change. Just like everyone else, I just raised my hand and said, hey, I want to make a difference. I want God to use me in a mighty and powerful way, she says. Faith & Works is a non-partisan, social justice organization. The Birmingham group is committed to transformative outreach that enhances the quality of life for the underserved and underrepresented and alters the political landscape. Through direct action, the group strives to build sustainable power and restore hope to disenfranchised communities. The work of Faith & Works is rooted in six pillars: 1.PEOPLE People are the experts of their own communities. 2. POLICY People can envision a new criminal justice, education, and economic system that call for true equity. 3. PRAYER Prayer is what sustains the people during this journey for justice. 4.POLLS Polls empower those who have been disconnected from the electoral process and enable the disenfranchised to exercise their voice to reshape Democracy. 5.PROTEST Protest is the process used to push back and speak truth to power as communities work towards an equitable society. 6.POWER Power enables the creation of a proactive, movement-based vision instead of a reactionary one. Im not an expert at this, McClure acknowledges. Its just I believe we have to keep trying. We cant give up on our folks. We have to meet people where they are. For more information about Faith & Works and the efforts of Cara McClure, her website is https://Faithandworkscollective.com, Instagram is @IamCaraMcClure or @Faith&WorksCollective. Emunah listeners also are encouraged to visit the Women of the Word website: https://wordconsultingllc.com to leave testimonies and comments. You also may email us at [email protected].