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LISTENING: to the birds chirp outside my window
FEELING: tired for no good reason
SEEING: my partner's stack of presents I need to wrap for his birthday Friday

I did something new this week.

I knocked on my neighbors' doors to canvass for Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist who's running to be New York's next mayor.

I know! Journalists aren't supposed to support candidates! We're support to interview them! In an unbiased manner! Well, I'm not your traditional journalist. But if you're here, you knew that already.

New folks, don't hit unsubscribe just yet. I am still a serious journalist despite my inability to conform. I believe in ethics and transparency. I don't cover local politics, so this felt like a safe action to take. If I ever do cover a story that has to do with Mamdani (even if that's 20 years from now), I have a responsibility to tell my editor and my readers. Depending on the story, I might have to pass on it entirely. I'll cross that bridge if I ever get there.

So here's a disclaimer: Mamdani is my guy. I fucks with him. Heavy. I really, really, really hope he can be the next mayor of this seriously screwed up city I call home. I will keep canvassing for him whenever I can. I donated some $20 to him, and I will vote for him in the primaries on June 24. I hope he wins so that I can vote for him again in November.

I canvassed because, for the first time in a long time, I feel inspired by a politician. Mandani isn't some white savior. He's an immigrant. He's not some inexperienced rando we'd be taking a bet on (though those sometimes work out). He's a state assemblyperson. He speaks out against the genocide in Gaza. He's for the renters. He's for the parents. He's gotten endorsements from a number of organizations I trust, including the climate justice organization Sunrise Movement.

He's received the most individual donations in this race so far. When I saw that news, I thought, "Holy fucking shit. This guy actually has a chance." So when he put out the call for volunteers, I decided I'd give it a try. And, man, was it rewarding.

I walked around South Richmond Hill, near where I live in Queens, and knocked on door after door for over two hours. A surprising number of people answered and gave me their time. One family even invited me inside for their daughter's birthday pizza party. Most had never heard of Mamdani, but they seemed excited about his platform.

The organizer who was with me said this rarely happens. He said I must be a good luck charm. Well, I hope I keep the luck going because the city needs a win. I need a win, man. I've been feeling increasingly dark and cynical these days as I look at the disaster unfolding at the federal level with Donald Trump. I wonder if I did enough last year to stop it.

This time, I won't have to ask myself that. This time, I'll know I did everything in my power to elect someone decent into power. I'll know I did what I could to stop another greedy politician from taking my tax dollars and using them to stuff their own pockets and cause harm.

Sure, journalism is one pathway to do that, but I don't think journalism is sufficient these days. At least not for me. I don't work in an investigative house where every story I write carries impact. I wish, man. My work is powerful in its own way, but I still recognize it's not enough. Not when human rights are in shambles. When people are being disappeared. When children in Gaza continue to be blown to bits. When hurricane season is a month away, and communities are still reeling from the last storm.

We're descending into an unrecognizable eco-fascist state, and I refuse to sit and watch it all burn.

I know some journalists may read this and scoff. I know some reporters won't vote or protest or join community groups because of newsroom policies or fears of public retribution. They've got to "stay objective." Well, I say: Fuck that.

Fuck objectivity. Fuck complacency. Fuck professionalism. And fuck all the Ivy League white dudes in suits who created all these rules to uphold the status quo and exclude journalists like me from newsrooms that have the power to create change yet refuse to do so.

Yeah, I guess they'll have their morals and standards. What good will all that do when our freedom of speech ceases to exist entirely? I'm not trying to wait and see. Are you? 🌀

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