Article by:
Sondra Cosgrove
While 2020 will go into the history books under the heading Pandemic Crisis, 2021 will very likely be memorialized under Punctuated Equilibrium. Too much has changed since the coronavirus appeared to go back to the broken status quo, so, instead, in evolutionary terms, we are experiencing drastic change as reality trues-up with a surge in disruptive energy.
The pandemic did not create racial and class-based strife, it did not cause economic and carceral injustice, and it did not erode our infrastructure. But it did exacerbate all these fault lines in American culture to the point of breaking. And yet, despite these distressing aspects of the pandemic, it is also causing our calcified power structures to bend. Innovative communication tools have snatched power from the power brokers, so, as we navigate recovery, many of us are resisting what once passed as normal from returning.
For an exceptionally long time, in political and economic circles, leadership and power were interchangeable; leaders wielded power. We all accepted this reality because those who benefited rejected reforms and innovations that equated leadership with anything other than power. This status quo stood strong because beneficiaries could control communication channels and access to resources; but that world became unmoored when we all went into pandemic shutdown.
Virtual and electronic forms of communication and social media platforms opened doors for anyone to lead a meeting or organize a discussion group. Women, who have relied much more on alternative forms of networking, are leveraging those skills into lasting change. New forms of consciousness are creating new forms of leadership. Speaking in groups and sharing information and resources are enabling leadership that emphasizes consensus and teambuilding.
Space is now open for female leaders who operate outside a male mold. Women operating in male-designed and controlled spaces are certainly a milestone, but female-designed spaces and processes are revolutionary.
Vote Nevada is not a “women’s organization,” but it is female space with a mission of solving problems. We talk, research, and collaborate until we reach consensus. Our outcomes and metrics align, and we stay firmly grounded in civil discourse. No ad hominem attacks, or other logical fallacies are allowed. When solve problems, trafficking in personal attacks and misinformation is a waste of time.
In female space, power is diffuse, built through conversations that move ideas along without owners. Networking, discussions, and reciprocating agreements are preferred over decisive powerbrokers. Some will discount us as not real or legitimate; but we are sure about our ability to succeed. If you are interested or even just intrigued, please join us in our carved out virtual space, which is inclusive and flexible. Our meetings focus on sharing collective knowledge and discussing issues. Your pets, children, and partners can also join us, because we acknowledge that your pets, children, and partners are especially important to you.
We are nonpartisan and welcome every person looking for solutions for solutions sake. Currently we are focusing on behavioral and mental health, workforce development, inclusive workforce development, redistricting reform, judicial civic education, and democracy reforms. We welcome discussions about other issues if those discussions fit our model of engagement. We have a website and social media accounts, or you can email us at [email protected].
Welcome to Vote Nevada; things have changed.