Election Day

Today is the day; today is election day!

As a Somali kid, first generation, I remember my mom being so excited for the first time she could vote. She became a naturalized citizen when I was 8, the year after Obama got elected. Her first ballot was a special one.

She came home from work that day, came to us, and with a smile on her face, asked where the mail was. My siblings and I pointed to our dining room table, where a stack of envelopes lay. She rushed towards it and, under all of it, her ballot.

I was only 8 and my older brother was 9, so we had no conceptual understanding as to why my mom was so excited to vote. Why is filling out some bubbles on a sheet so important?

As I have gotten older, I have gotten what it was that was important. For my mother, it was the agency; it was power; she got to impact the city she lives in, the city and country her kids live in, and the kids that look like her kids.

Voting is our civic duty; it is how we take agency. RBAC is constantly doing work so we can create a neighborhood that feels reflective of us. Your vote will also take part in impacting your neighbors and neighborhood.

Today as you read this, think of your voting plan, think of Rainier Beach, and vote!

See you at the ballot box and see you in the neighborhood!

– Mawahib Ismail