Lakshmi Sridaran - Maryland

I am extremely grateful for the opportunity that Hopefund has given me to become increasingly introspective of the political values I have held. Although none of these values has changed since my completion of the program, the process by which I now understand them has greatly enhanced. Electoral politics provides one way to work toward social change, an idea I have long since abandoned. I now believe that there can be a partnership between political leaders and community leaders to result in sustainable and positive social change. This is why I have taken the time to consider everything I learned in the Hopefund training.

Since completing the program, I left my job in the non-profit world temporarily to work on the Maryland Democratic Coordinated Campaign this election cycle. Thus far, I have seen several other motivated and inspired young people who truly believe the Democratic Party has the ability to deliver an agenda of social justice. This has sustained me through the hardship of dealing with the party machinery and firmly entrenched old guard values.

Hopefund equipped me with several tools to apply an organic and grassroots model for organizing communities and link people's everyday concerns to political activism. I have spent hours poring over the pages of information from our five-inch thick binder trying to reconcile and negotiate what I have always perceived as a rift between community organizing and electoral politics.

As the regional field director in Montgomery County, Maryland, I have begun using my own experiences to inform the direction of how I plan to deliver this county a Democratic victory. I have begun to reach out and attempt to mend the broken relationships and empty promises the Democratic Party has created in communities of color. We have an active Asian/ Pacific Islander outreach program and I am putting together outreach programs for both the African American and Latino communities as well. It has not been easy convincing leaders in these communities that this party is beneficial for them because there is little proof to support such an assertion. However, working to build a new face of leadership with a much stronger agenda is a common goal that has resonated with leaders in many communities of color.

In conclusion, I hope to utilize what I have learned in the Hopefund training and during my tenure in this campaign when I return to community organizing, which is where my heart lies. Grasping the principles of running a field operation has amplified my understanding of community organizing as well. Hopefund has been instrumental in allowing me access to understand truly the mechanics of electoral politics, which is invaluable. And yet, this experience has simultaneously solidified my decision to pursue a doctoral degree in community and economic development and hopefully inspire other young people to confront and challenge what we have come to accept as the governing principles of this nation.