RAZE (Rural Arizona Engagement)
“For our nation’s democracy to function properly, all eligible Americans — including marginalized communities such as Native, Black and Latinx Americans — should have the opportunity to vote and be encouraged to do so.”
— Tom Wooten, tribal chairman of the Samish Indian Nation
In 2019, the Kelly Ann Brown Foundation continued to focus on supporting efforts to increase voter turnout. The board especially wanted to support communities whose right to vote has long been suppressed and whom the current administration is actively working to keep from the polls on November 3, 2020.
Rural Arizona Engagement (RAZE) is an Arizona nonprofit started in 2017 by two committed activists, Pablo Correa and Natali Fierros Bock. As political candidates, Pablo and Natali went door-to-door, interacting with voters whom they found angry, disheartened, and disengaged. The people they spoke to felt that their political representatives did not understand or care about their issues. They felt the only time politicians showed up was right before an election. Again and again, they watched outsiders come in, open offices, knock on doors and then disappear. Pablo and Natali both came to understand that their rural community had been left behind, and no groups were working to reach out and follow up on their issues after campaigning was over. They decided they would have to find a way to do that themselves.
Although neither Pablo nor Natali won their elections, they took the knowledge they gained and decided they could best help their communities by creating RAZE. RAZE’s mission is to empower rural communities through education and advocacy. As their website boasts so beautifully: “Like the desert we inhabit, Southern Rural Arizona reflects the dichotomy of beauty and bitterness. A sprawling area that includes both isolation and fellowship, natives and newcomers, growth and decline, our communities are hungry for leadership with the ability to navigate our unique duality...We are the solution to the challenges we face.”
RAZE reaches isolated rural counties that other groups have not been able to. Because RAZE is a permanent presence in the community, they are able to connect with voters by listening to the personal issues, such as the need for teachers and clean water, that affect their day-to-day lives. RAZE programs include: RAZE the Count (census work), RAZE The Vote (voter registration and engagement), RAZE Awareness and RAZE Leaders. RAZE Leaders is an 8-month fellowship that teaches high schoolers from across rural Pinal County how to create the change they wish to see in their own backyards. Using a curriculum that builds upon itself, they learn to identify an area of change, research the issue, develop a plan of action, build relationships with the "powers that be," all while being empowered to redefine who has the expertise to add knowledge to our world. One young woman explained what the leadership program taught her, saying, “I’m an 11th grader from San Tan Foothills High School. I want to be involved in my community to encourage people to vote and get better funding for programs at schools. Voting isn’t only about general elections. Local elections bring change right to your neighborhoods. Voting is your chance to have your voice heard.”
RAZE sent KABF an update on how they have been able to safely continue their great work during the pandemic:
"As we enter the fourth quarter, we at Rural Arizona Engagement (RAZE) want to send a heartfelt thank you and quick update. While Covid has been an unforeseen challenge, I am proud of the way we adjusted programming and outreach to the communities we serve. We pivoted our in-person youth leadership program, RAZE Leaders, to an online platform with more frequent meet-ups and opportunities for connection and mentorship. We pivoted our in-person Voter Registration program to a Census outreach and education program that also allowed us to retain all hourly employees hired to do VR. These employees were retrained and retained to do Census calls and texts to historically undercounted communities. We have increased our digital presence and grown our reach with the hiring of a Digital Organizer and been able to provide easily accessible, digestible information around voting, civic engagement and community resources. We thank you for your continued partnership and support and look forward to finishing the year strong."
KABF is grateful for the work RAZE is doing. To find out more, visit their website.
Rural Arizona Engagement (RAZE) is an Arizona nonprofit started in 2017 by two committed activists, Pablo Correa and Natali Fierros Bock. As political candidates, Pablo and Natali went door-to-door, interacting with voters whom they found angry, disheartened, and disengaged. The people they spoke to felt that their political representatives did not understand or care about their issues. They felt the only time politicians showed up was right before an election. Again and again, they watched outsiders come in, open offices, knock on doors and then disappear. Pablo and Natali both came to understand that their rural community had been left behind, and no groups were working to reach out and follow up on their issues after campaigning was over. They decided they would have to find a way to do that themselves.
Although neither Pablo nor Natali won their elections, they took the knowledge they gained and decided they could best help their communities by creating RAZE. RAZE’s mission is to empower rural communities through education and advocacy. As their website boasts so beautifully: “Like the desert we inhabit, Southern Rural Arizona reflects the dichotomy of beauty and bitterness. A sprawling area that includes both isolation and fellowship, natives and newcomers, growth and decline, our communities are hungry for leadership with the ability to navigate our unique duality...We are the solution to the challenges we face.”
RAZE reaches isolated rural counties that other groups have not been able to. Because RAZE is a permanent presence in the community, they are able to connect with voters by listening to the personal issues, such as the need for teachers and clean water, that affect their day-to-day lives. RAZE programs include: RAZE the Count (census work), RAZE The Vote (voter registration and engagement), RAZE Awareness and RAZE Leaders. RAZE Leaders is an 8-month fellowship that teaches high schoolers from across rural Pinal County how to create the change they wish to see in their own backyards. Using a curriculum that builds upon itself, they learn to identify an area of change, research the issue, develop a plan of action, build relationships with the "powers that be," all while being empowered to redefine who has the expertise to add knowledge to our world. One young woman explained what the leadership program taught her, saying, “I’m an 11th grader from San Tan Foothills High School. I want to be involved in my community to encourage people to vote and get better funding for programs at schools. Voting isn’t only about general elections. Local elections bring change right to your neighborhoods. Voting is your chance to have your voice heard.”
RAZE sent KABF an update on how they have been able to safely continue their great work during the pandemic:
"As we enter the fourth quarter, we at Rural Arizona Engagement (RAZE) want to send a heartfelt thank you and quick update. While Covid has been an unforeseen challenge, I am proud of the way we adjusted programming and outreach to the communities we serve. We pivoted our in-person youth leadership program, RAZE Leaders, to an online platform with more frequent meet-ups and opportunities for connection and mentorship. We pivoted our in-person Voter Registration program to a Census outreach and education program that also allowed us to retain all hourly employees hired to do VR. These employees were retrained and retained to do Census calls and texts to historically undercounted communities. We have increased our digital presence and grown our reach with the hiring of a Digital Organizer and been able to provide easily accessible, digestible information around voting, civic engagement and community resources. We thank you for your continued partnership and support and look forward to finishing the year strong."
KABF is grateful for the work RAZE is doing. To find out more, visit their website.
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Left: RAZE Book Club, starting with See No Stranger by Valarie Kaur! Center & right: RAZE Census social-distancing caravan,
traveling throughout rural Arizona RAZE-ing awareness of the 2020 census!
traveling throughout rural Arizona RAZE-ing awareness of the 2020 census!