This is Fiorella, an organizer with Team AOC. I’m about to share with you a project that we’ve been working on that’s near and dear to my heart. It’s something that no other congressional campaigns have tried before, but we are.
Let me explain.
As you may know, our district is majority Spanish-speaking and it’s very important to us to build a strong relationship and connection with our Spanish-speaking community. We’ve also seen that Latino communities are too often the targets of disinformation, so it’s crucial that we share accurate information and resources regularly.
So, our team put our heads together and we realized that the best way to reach these community members would not be on Twitter or traditional social media. We thought… “Hey, the average street vendor in our district is not on Twitter, but they might be on WhatsApp”.
So we launched Wasapea Con AOC, a WhatsApp group for Spanish-speakers in our district to share information, build community, and provide needed resources for NY-14 residents:
When we first started it, I didn’t know what to expect or if it would take off. We began by sending out emails and texts inviting people to join and passing out flyers – and, steadily our numbers started to grow.
I knew we were on to something when I was at a community event talking to a street vendor, and when I told her my name – she recognized it from the WhatsApp group (since I regularly post in the group)! She even asked to take a photo with me to share with the group later. Here’s the photo:
I’m proud to say that we’re up to 163 people and counting! We open the group about once or twice a week, and we always start with an icebreaker and then see where the conversation goes.
My favorite part about the group is that it’s not just a one-way conversation – it’s a discussion space between community members. While we certainly share what Alexandria is doing in DC, The Bronx, and Queens to help our families and about our events, I’ve seen people ask for recommendations for child care, after school programs, and more – and get answers from other community members. Seeing people discuss issues in the neighborhood and give each other advice and resources is truly amazing.
We also use it as a place to listen and answer questions from community members. We were getting a lot of questions like, “who should I call about __?” so we decided to put together a resource page on our website for common questions around worker and tenant rights, affordable housing, immigration, and many other topics that are important to working families.
But we have so much more we want to do, and that’s why I’m asking for your help.
If you can, I am asking you to make a contribution to help us leverage this momentum and grow this WhatsApp group to be as big and powerful as it can be. Here’s the link to donate:
https://act.ocasiocortez.com/go/whatsapp
Here’s what we have planned for the program (pending we have the resources to do it):
We could leave the program as-is, but I want to expand it to be as big as it can be. The only way we can do that is with a massive amount of staff and volunteer time, and the right resources.
So if you can give today at the link above, it would mean the world to us.
I’m incredibly grateful to work for Alexandria and this community. I can’t think of very many people in her position who would allow their teams to think outside the box and try new things like this. In a way, I think that this program is the epitome of what our politics should be about: helping and connecting people.
I’m also thankful for the people reading this email, the people who make up this movement who are so full of heart and generosity. We’re doing something great together. If you can be part of it by contributing, here’s that link one more time:
https://act.ocasiocortez.com/go/whatsapp
Thanks for reading,
Fiorella Bini
Political Organizing Director
Team AOC