“Hate will only win if people like me stand by and let it happen"
"In response to a colleague who had called her a “groomer” in a fundraising email after Sen. Mallory McMorrow (D-Michigan) stood up against marginalizing the state’s LGBTQ population, McMorrow made a stand against the hatred and bigotry coming from Republican colleagues. @MalloryMcMorrow
Defining herself as “a straight, white, Christian, married suburban mom,” she called out the “performative nonsense” of her so-called Christian colleagues. “People who are different are not the reason that our roads are in bad shape… or that healthcare costs are too high, or that teachers are leaving the profession,” she said. “We cannot let hateful people tell you otherwise to scapegoat and deflect from the fact that they are not doing anything to fix the real issues that impact people’s lives.” - Letters From An American
Mallory's message deserves attention. How can others be trained to amplify her message? How can her video be distributed broadly with a call to action? This blog explains how two Michigan based groups, Distill Social and Mothers of Hope, are using Mallory's message to inspire others to also stand up against hate.
- Transcript of Mallory's speech
- Free teleprompter with excerpts of her speech for others to practice presenting
- Action Button that bundles a video of her speech with a call to action
- GIFs with a call to action to spread the message
Senator Mallory McMorrow (D-Mich) speech
Speech excerpts in free teleprompter app
How can supporters be trained to share Mallory's urgent appeal? Practice their delivery? Have visual prompts on their phone or laptop to help them present? Mothers of Hope packed Mallory's script into the BigStageTeleprompter app to share with supporters.
Fighting culture wars
"This has been a culture war launched by some Republicans against the country, not only against Democrats but against the country as a whole. You don't win a culture war by talking about Build Back Better. You don't win a war by fixing the roads. You win a culture war by presenting an argument on the opposite side of the culture war and win the day.
Her message not only relates to all of the suburban voters in this country but shows the marginalized group. somebody is willing to stand up who is in power and have a passionate message that speaks for them. that's what motivates people, persuades people and if the democrats continue on a campaign we are going to ignore the culture war and not have a conversation about guns and marriage and how the kids have pushed around in school and talk about the other issues then we lose." - Matthew Dowd, Real Clear Politics
Stand Up Against Hate - Action Button
How do you combine Mallory's powerful video with an appeal to Stand Up Against Hate and a call to action? The call to action might be practice giving her speech with a teleprompter, register to vote or make a phone call. That's where the Action Button comes in. Mothers of Hope created their Action Button with the link ActionButton.live/StandUpAgainstHate
GIFs make it dynamic
GIFs grab your attention and wildly popular on social media. Into Action provides hundreds of free GIFs that align well with messages for social justice and voting rights. Mothers of Hope combined a GIF from Into Action to the Action Button QR Code to let their supporters share the GIF as usual, but adds a link to Mallory's video and a call to action. The combined GIF was uploaded to GIPHY for others to find too. Notice how these GIFs are the most eye-catching part of this blog.
Distill Social
Distill is the first Michigan grassroots social media not for profit specialists. They are on a mission to create and distribute Michigan focused content that cuts right to the truth and preserves democracy.They are focussed on providing local, relatable, original ideas to help Michiganders understand the issues that matter to everyone. Distill Social has already built alliances with multiple not for profits and grassroots organizations across the state, bringing a unique approach to social media and issues based outreach. In four months, Distill Social’s content has reached more than 3 million Michiganders via social media with their fresh approach, receiving rave reviews from industry experts and grassroots leaders alike.
Mothers of Hope
Mothers of Hope, based in Kalamazoo, MI empowers and strengthens women, families, and communities to rise above the effects of substance use disorders, poverty, violence and systemic inequities. It is the premier model for culturally sensitive programs that are successful in restoring individuals, families, and communities impacted by substance use disorders, poverty, violence and systemic inequities.