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 | Unstoppable Voters Fellow Aileen Loy’s whale-themed voter mobilization project, in prototype mode on Tybee Island, Georgia |
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How do giant whales in the sky help people vote? |
“Whales? In the sky?!” — As one person who saw Aileen Loy testing her WhyWhale Campaign told her, “I had to find out what was going on!” Aileen is one of our Unstoppable Voters Fellows, and her WhyWhale creative activism campaign is helping to get 40,000 Georgians to commit to voting as part of Fair Count’s Vote-365 initiative. What better way to be inspired for National Voter Education Week than to learn more about Aileen in her own words, get more information on how to get ready for the election, and receive some transnational inspiration thanks to Actipedia, our open database on artistic activism! Hope you have a whale of a time reading! |
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Rachel Gita Karp
Unstoppable Voters Program Director |
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Hello, |
My name is Aileen Loy. I'm a multimedia artist and singer from Atlanta, GA; I'm also the volunteer coordinator at Fair Count. In terms of effective and creative activism, Fair Count and C4AA have both provided me with a great deal of latitude and direction. The fellowship with C4AA provides active resources, mentorship, and a cohort of like-minded individuals that provide access, keen insight, and a good shoulder to laugh/cry on. The mentorship seems to start with an acknowledgment and the big question, "Good idea, kiddo. Now, how do you make the unachievable, achievable?" It's a challenge or a dare, really. The thing is — they are on your side and want you to succeed. They will task you to fine-tune your objectives until you have a workable vision; soon, you find yourself flying whales. It's not about thinking smaller, it's about being fluid and willing to pivot. |
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Unstoppable Voters Fellow 2022 Spotlight: AILEEN LOY |
| Aileen Loy is a multi-disciplinary artist, street activist, and person of conscience. Combining her artistic expression with her activism, Aileen responded to school book bans by building and distributing one-of-a-kind installations stocked with banned books. When COVID struck she organized pop-ups throughout Atlanta to give away thousands of hand-sewn masks. |
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She began her work with Fair Count in the role of PPE Manager, and she is now its Volunteer Coordinator, instilling a sense of safety and support among Fair Count’s volunteers and team members. Through Fair Count and with support from Unstoppable Voters, Aileen is amplifying the joy at Fair Count voting events by flying giant whale kites. |
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| Aileen and Fair Count are using these whales to connect with voters who are registered but don’t vote frequently. The huge flying whales bring family-friendly intrigue and enchantment to voting, helping people rethink what civic engagement means and make it an exciting part of their lives. |
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Get ready to vote, across the US |
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It’s National Voter Education Week! This civic holiday helps voters bridge the gap between registering to vote and casting a ballot. During this week of interactive education, voters have the opportunity to find their polling location, understand their ballot, make a plan to vote in person or remotely, and inspire others to get involved. The week helps voters overcome common barriers to become confident voters and ambassadors of voting in their own communities, for this and every election. Join them! |
| We’re proud partners of National Voter Education Week, and we have an action you can take every day: On Monday, you got #VoteReady! On Tuesday, if you might be voting by mail, get #MailReady. On Wednesday, make sure you’re #VotePlanReady. On Thursday, know what you’ll vote on by being #BallotReady.
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And finally, on Friday, celebrate! You’ve done so much good work all week. And what better way to celebrate than to share what you’ve been up to with your family and friends and help them get #ElectionReady, too. |
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SuperBarrio runs for President |
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“Against systemic corruption, to win was not enough and the social movement had to reach beyond the US/Mexican border. In order to do so, Superbarrio made his first US tour promoting the possibility of Mexicans, living on the US side of the border, to vote for Mexican president. After all, their income has contributed to the Mexican economy 13 thousand million dollars in economic gross. Superbarrio promoted a political imaginary in which voting-- a fundamental right of citizenship-- could be exercised across national borders.” |
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The entry also includes a link to Superbarrios speech at Dartmouth College in 1996. |
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Photos: Image of Superbarrio by Italo Rondinellla. |
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