Thank you to everyone who joined us on Saturday, September 30th!
Be The Ones, SC Housing Justice Network in partnership with Charleston Area Justice Ministry and Lowcountry Local First hosted a first-of-its kind event, Mingle with Your Mayoral Candidates Community Celebration designed to remove barriers to local civic participation and create a gathering space for community celebration.
Over the course of the day, 200+ community members:
Mingled with 12 Charleston & North Charleston Mayoral candidates sharing lived experiences, visions, needs & hopes for the future of our communities. Other electeds’ & municipal candidates also attended.
Met 20+ local organizations working on issues like transit, affordable housing, climate, education, education and gun violence prevention.
Had essential needs met through the distribution of free period products, diapers, baby clothes & toys, PPE, testing and health screenings.
Enjoyed activities & games including “Everyone Deserves a Roof” Art Project, “Plant the Future” planting fruits & veg seeds (to take home) reminding them that together, we plant the future of our communities, and an interactive art installation focused on the future of our cities.
Enjoyed delicious food, drinks & treats from local vendors.
The free, family-friend event was the only Lowcountry mayoral candidate & civic program of its kind - not a debate or forum and designed to center community. It’s also the only program before the Nov. 7 municipal elections that invited all 16 Charleston and North Charleston mayoral candidates and fourteen confirmed attending.
“The program was intentionally designed to remove the systemic & structural barriers people face in order to participate in local elections, including access to their candidates, while simultaneously centering our communities’ needs,” said Cate Mayer, Founder and Director of Be The Ones.
This was a new event concept for Charleston and showed communities there are other ways to participate in the electoral process, voting, civic engagement, and it can be fun, joyful and center meeting needs. The collaborative nature of this event is unique and should serve as a model as we look towards 2024 and beyond.
“A highlight for us was watching people mingle & connect with not just the candidates but with each other. It was the perfect setting to meet new neighbors & connect over what changes we want to see in our cities.”
- SC Housing Justice Network Team
“It takes a lot of heart and hard work to lift up our community, and I enjoyed meeting so many passionate non-profits and thoughtful voters.
- Reggie Burgess
A HUGE THANK YOU to all our Community Partners, volunteers, vendors, sponsors, elected officials & candidates for being part of this event and helping bring resources and opportunities to our communities.
And, don't forget to not only vote local on November 7th - but BE THE ONES to vote for our local community organizations, local businesses & artisans every day with your support, love and money!
COMMUNITY PARTNERS:
Click on each Community Partner logo to learn more about their work & show your support.
LOCAL BUSINESS COMMUNITY PARTNERS:
Help us continue to support our local businesses which are truly the heartbeat of our neighborhoods.
Accent on Wine, Bar Rollins, Bevi Bene Brewing Co., Black Octopus Mercantile, Blue Bicycle Books, Bon Banh Mi, The Charleston Mattress, Commonhouse Aleworks, The Daily, E. Fornadel Creative, Evolve Mobile Movement, Graft Wine Shop & Bar, Grow with the Flow Homestead, HKBalloons, Itinerate Literate Books, J. Stark, Jenkins Youth & Family Village, Larry Monteith Photography, Leon’s Oyster Shop, Madra Rua Irish Pub, MaidPro, Melfi’s, Mercantile & Mash, Munkle Brewing Co., Muvi FilmsOdd Duck Market, Orange Spot Coffee, Park Circle Co-Op, Park & Grove, Roots & Shoots Nursery, The Royal American, Sightsee, Sorelle, Taco Boy, Tattooed Moose, The Tiny Tassel, Tradesman Brewing Company, Turning Page Bookshop, The Works, Xiao Bao Biscuit
LEND YOUR SUPPORT
Want to see more of these types of events and help us continue to remove barriers to local civic participation? Please consider making a donation to allow us to do more of this work.
GET INVOLVED:
Join us in being the ones who shape the communities and democracy we want to be a part of.
Hosts & Partners:
Be The Ones is a nonpartisan grassroots organization building healthier communities, a more equitable democracy, and expanding power by removing barriers to local civic participation across the Southeast. Learn more here.
SC Housing Justice Network is a multiracial, multigenerational grassroots power organization working to push back against and transform the systems that force people into poverty and homelessness. Learn more here.
Charleston Area Justice Ministry is a network of culturally, economically, geographically & religiously diverse faith-based congregations who come together to make the Charleston area a more just place to live, work, and do business. Learn more here.
Lowcountry Local First advances economic prosperity and local ownership through innovative and inclusive initiatives that build our community’s wealth and wellbeing. Learn more here.
MORE INFORMATION:
If you have questions, need additional information, or interested in press coverage, send us an email: hello@betheones.org