I had reached out to Justin Onwenu to ask how I could support his campaign, as he runs for State Senate. He was amenable, and invited me to join a canvass over the weekend. The team was meeting at Memorial Park in the City of Ecorse, part of Michigan State Senate District 1.
I had shared that I do not drive in Detroit, and when I spoke with his campaign manager, Cal, he was more than happy to pick me up and bring me to Ecorse. It was a small logistical detail, but a make or break one, for me. In conversation with him as he dropped me back home later that day, Cal joked that there is roughly a 50% flake rate in volunteer organizing, which made him even more committed to making sure as many people as possible were able to participate.
Campaigns are often narrated through the visible things: the candidate, the speeches, the endorsements, the policy platform, the fundraising numbers, the election results. But the day-to-day running of a campaign depends on the people doing the practical work on the ground: organizing volunteers, moving people, assigning turf, answering questions, solving problems, and making sure others are able to show up.
For me, that was my entry point into the day. That was how the day started.
