Transcript: Season 2, Episode 1
Chelsey Cartwright
Terri:
If there's one thing that unites Emersonians, it's our love of, and belief, in the power of story. Whether you speak it or sing it, or write it or direct it, listen to it or learn from it. If you ask Chelsey Cartwright, what's critical too though is who's telling the stories and whose stories are being told. Chelsey graduated in 2013 from Emerson with a degree in broadcast journalism, and has followed her passion for storytelling and activism into the world of politics. She's worked on a number of high profile campaigns, including Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, Elizabeth Warren, and most recently the most high profile of them all, the Biden Harris campaign. This is hardly just a job for her. She believes not just in stories that persuade and connect, but in making sure that we hear the stories that need to be told, particularly those who have been ignored for too long. While you may think politics is tough enough over dinner, let alone a career, it's actually a great place for storytellers and communicators, she says. It's also where Chelsey has found a rising tribe of people who are making change in the world. People who inspire her every day to keep going. And it doesn't get more rewarding than that. I give you Chelsey Cartwright on making it in politics.
Terri:
Chelsey Cartwright, such a pleasure to finally talk to you. At the time of this recording, where we are at the moment, we're on the cusp of one of the most exciting moments in history. We are all very much on edge, and yet there's a glimmer of hope. And you've been in the center of this in a lot of ways, as involved in politics and involved in the Biden Harris campaign. Can you tell us a little bit about how you got involved in that?
Chelsey Cartwright:
Absolutely. Well, politics has always been something that's inspiring to me. From my time at Emerson, really finding my voice in understanding that I wanted to pursue a career that speaks truth to power. And really jumping right on in has been something that's always been important to me. But in terms of the Biden Harris campaign, I was fortunate enough, and very lucky, to during the 2020 presidential primary season work for my former boss, Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. And that was a thrill. I was the Southern regional political director. So being a native of Houston, Texas, and really being able to explore politics from a progressive lens in what I'm calling the New South was such an extraordinary experience for me.
Chelsey Cartwright:
At the end of the Warren campaign, I then jumped on Warren Democrats, which is a way to support down-ballot candidates across the country running for Congress, running for state houses, running for school boards across this country. Because we got to elect more Democrats up and down the ballot. And so I was the southern political director in that adventure. And then over the summer, the opportunity came to jump on the Biden Harris team. Couldn't turn that down, especially right in the thick of the general election.
So that was really an experience that really shaped me. I hadn't worked on a general election campaign ever before. So a new experience, and I jumped in feet first. And of course it was in the middle of the pandemic. So politics as we knew it was turned upside down. But ran at the chance to kind of be transformative, not in just the ways that I carried out the job responsibilities, but in the ways that we could really connect with folks in a new way. And so we all know how that ended. We made some history.
Terri:
Oh my God, you think? You were in the middle of that. I mean the making of history in I'd say the most important election ever. I think we can all agree, the most important to date.
Chelsey Cartwright:
Absolutely. People love saying, "Oh, this is the most consequential election of your lifetime." We hear it kind of every election cycle. But I couldn't agree more with you. I think this one in more ways than one consequential, but also super engaged in the ways in which it inspired folks from across constituency groups, across party lines to be able to fight for our democracy in a real way. I mean, everything was on the line. Every issue everyone ever cared about. You vote your values every time, but I think this one, really that was paramount, this November 2020.
Chelsey Cartwright:
So it was one of those things is that you're in it, you're working hard, but you never lose sight of how meaningful it all is, the significance of being part of something greater. And I think that's what kind of lured me into politics in the first place is, of course, working towards something bigger and being part of a movement that's something bigger than yourself. But on campaigns, you're living, you're breathing that. That's the day in day out grind of a campaign, which is a magical experience in and of itself.
Terri:
Well, when you're working on a campaign too, you know it has an end point. This is not like, oh, I work at this job forever and ever. This is something that has a beginning, middle, and end. And so as the former Northeast regional political director for the Biden Harris campaign, it's really impressive. But I'm kind of curious what you did on a daily basis. I know that people who are working on campaigns are working incredibly hard, especially this one, but what does that even look like?
Chelsey Cartwright:
So a lot of it relationship building. A lot of it is kind of building political equities with elected officials. I was fortunate enough to, through the course of my career, be able to maintain those relationships. Getting my start in Boston politics, and really kind of navigating the scene there and just cutting my teeth, if you will, there. But the political director for a region, I had seven states in my region. I managed five political directors across those states, and also kind of liaised and worked alongside some state directors in the Northeast region.
Chelsey Cartwright:
In the Northeast region, we had the battleground state of Pennsylvania. So really laying into leaving it at all on the field. Towards the end of the campaign, it was all hands on deck. It's always kind of all hands on deck in the campaign because every day is a new day. You can't really chart a course. But I think the metric of success for a good political director is how you build relationships, and how you're able to then transform those relationships into meaningful organizing. How people are then mobilizing in their own communities. How elected officials are using their networks to leverage support. How unions are leveraging their networks. I was really super thrilled to be deployed virtually. In a non-pandemic world, I probably would have been deployed in person.
So a lot of the endless Zoom calls, lots of corralling folks on the internet. But I was deployed virtually to Pennsylvania. And there was some kind of cool things that we were able to do towards the end of the campaign. Some drive-in rallies. It was a little bit of fun. And towards the end of the campaign, that's when all the cool celebrities come out and start doing stuff. So we had some stuff with Bon Jovi, we had Patti LaBelle, John Legend, you name it. So it was a fun time. Of course, all seeing this through a Zoom screen.
Terri:
I was going to say. You didn't get to really go get drinks with John Legend, which is unfortunate.
Chelsey Cartwright:
No, that would have been nice though. I would have enjoyed that. But it kind of goes to show, I think we saw some historic turnout numbers specifically, of course in Georgia. I mean, we have Georgia to thank for a lot this year, of course for flipping the Senate. But more so even in the ways in which Democrats are showing up in the general. And the Biden Harris ticket got more votes than ever before. And we've seen how just tremendous that support was. So it was very monumental, I think, this election in many, many, many ways. I think the ways in which young people were involved, the ways in which progressives, which is, of course, my wing of the party came together. And we saw, moderate Republicans coming in support. So it was really everybody really banded together in order to help save democracy.
Terri:
Yes. And in the most tumultuous conditions in that you couldn't just go out and meet with people, that you're doing it while trying to be there without being there. We all know it's a Herculean effort to get someone elected period, let alone this past year. And so you have to go into this, I imagine, with a ton of energy, anyone who chooses this career. You said you were always interested in politics.
Terri:
Politics. Now of course, as an Emerson grad, what do we think of our fellow Emerson grads? They are movers and changers and creators. They are makers, right? And they're not afraid of a challenge. Speaking truth to power, as you said, something I really credit Emersonians with. But the idea of going into politics can be terrifying, right? Politics is polarizing in general, as a dinner table conversation. But to think about going into politics as a career, certainly not for the faint of heart. Did you know that in the beginning?
Chelsey Cartwright:
It definitely was a journey for me. At Emerson, I was really involved in my journalism studies. I cared deeply about long format storytelling. So long form journalism, documentary, really getting to the heart of the matter. And I've always really been fond of the art of storytelling. So for me, journalism was always about how folks who were marginalized, how folks who didn't have a voice, could find tools and amplify their voices in a way in which... It seems like sometimes newsrooms can just be, if it doesn't fit in this news block, it's not going. If it doesn't bring in ratings, then we're not running it. And so I was turned off by that early on, because I was like, there's more to this story.
Chelsey Cartwright:
And so how I was drawn to politics, being a student at Emerson, being a young black woman from Houston, Texas, total culture shock getting up to Boston. And the snow alone was enough. But more than that, it was just kind of navigating this new world. And I always cared deeply about issues impacting the black community, especially issues of equity and opportunity. And so at Emerson, I kind of found my voice more so in working with EBONI, the Emerson Black Association with Natural Interest played a really pivotal role. The office of multicultural student affairs was a second home. Tikesha Morgan, there would be days where I'd just be in her office just venting. And then Speak Up was another social justice oriented group that I was part of.
Chelsey Cartwright:
But for me, to answer the question in terms of how it was drawn to politics, I've now learned that there's words for it now, intersectional approach in how we view ourselves, as what matters to us politically. But more deeply on a personal level. I'm drawn to the work of the Combahee River Collective which was a group of black women in Boston, back in the 60s and 70s, that really kind of worked to put service behind the notion of the personal is political.
Chelsey Cartwright:
So for me journalism was telling that story and politics was actually getting in the arena and actually working to actualize values, to hold folks accountable, and to challenge structures and systems that seem to only be working in a one-sided way. As I was kind of coming into my own at Emerson, many of those experiences that I was inspired by were from people in Roxbury, Melnea Cass. Elma Lewis. Those were women who their trajectory kind of spoke to me in terms of they were activists, but they also understood getting active in politics was a way to manifest some real change.
Terri:
Now back up a second, as someone who loved storytelling, and when you really love storytelling, I feel like storytelling is democratic by nature. Because if you love storytelling, then you want to hear stories. You don't just want to hear some people's stories.
Chelsey Cartwright:
That's right.
Terri:
So that shift from, oh, I love long form journalism. I love telling stories. Wait a minute. I want to hear everyone's stories. Wait, hold on. Certain stories are only benefiting certain people. The story we're telling is wrong. I mean, the closer you look, the more flaws we see with it.
Chelsey Cartwright:
Absolutely.
Terri:
Right? The jump from storytelling to activist, though, is not one that everyone makes. What was that moment for you when you realized that it wasn't just, oh, I love telling stories and reading stories and hearing stories, but I want to be an activist. Because I don't know how you can go into politics and not have the heart of an activist.
Chelsey Cartwright:
I think it jumped from the really important work that I really am most proud of in my career was the time I spent working for our now Congresswoman, Ayanna Pressley, first black woman elected to Congress in the Massachusetts 7th Congressional. But working for her on the city level, on the Boston City Council, and being the director of constituent services, you're in community with folks each day. And so I'm hearing not only folks' stories about the joys in life, the hardships in life, but I'm actually trying to build community and understand, and empower folks to say, "Hey, we want to be part of how we can manifest change in a sustainable way. How are we being intentional with that change?"
Chelsey Cartwright:
And so, for me, an activist turns storytelling into action when they're able to see there is a lack of representation. Are their stories being told? Are our communities being uplifted? Are they being resourced in the same way? What is the lens of how we're deciding which stories are worth telling? And so being a writer at heart, being a storyteller at heart, the power of narrative has always stood out to me. And I think in terms of being a black woman, in terms of being from a community that I love more than probably anything else, and understanding through the lens of history that if we don't tell our stories, they will be told for us. And reclaiming what it means to tell your own story by your own terms, that in itself is activism to me.
Terri:
For people who are not seeing themselves as activists, they might think of an activist as someone whose job it is to push an agenda. And that kind of soils the image of what we think of it. Oh God, you're going to try to do this to me. You're going to try to convince me of this. But what you're telling me is that activism is not simply the person who carries out agenda.
Chelsey Cartwright:
That's right. I think that everyone, when we talk about movement building, we talk about the issues that folks care about, it's grounded in the everyday issue. It's grounded in what folks are dealing with, how life manifests itself. And so I think, the kind of claim to fame of a good activist is how you're able to sit with that. And how are you able to just connect with folks on that very key level. Maybe folks don't want to be an activist. Maybe they just want to be the community member that they are. Maybe they just want to be present in their school community, or in their church community, or just caring about recreation, parks, open spaces in whatever way, the arts as activism. I think that's something to me that stands out.
Chelsey Cartwright:
I went to a performing arts high school, and understanding that, using art as social justice, and using art to inspire activism is a tool so powerful, and one that I always am so inspired by because it's endless. And I think, just as I was inspired by music to then build community, so many people can find their place in activist work and movement work by what they're drawn to, what anchors them. And so I think the movement, in terms of progressive movements, there's things that folks care about. Of course there's the climate justice and there's racial, social justice, there's all these movements. But at the end of the day, we've got to start thinking critically, I think, about how these movements intersect. We're going to be intentional. We're going to be bold about getting on the other side, or making some real change. We've got to really find what binds all of these things together and how we can continue to move things forward, and thinking about those intersections and making sure that equities is the wins.
Terri:
Yeah. Well, that's a very integrated, and sort of holistic view of the point of activism. And if we all thought that way, that would be amazing. We could all make the change we want to change. We feel that that change is beginning to happen. But some people look at all of this, Chelsey, and they get fired up and they go, yes. And they see, oh, look at these women and women of color being elected to office. And that there in lies the potential for real change. But there's just as many people who go, "Oh, politics, as usual." They say, "No matter what, it just keeps getting worse. There's more violence." A lot of people look at it and they just sort of turn away in despair, or they might say, "Why would I go into a career in that?"
Terri:
Because the image in my mind, at least, is you go in on a mission, on fire, and then it chews you up and spits you out. That'll happen because people aren't any different. People are fearful and biased and small and selfish. And you're going to, and probably have seen as we all have, the limitations of just people and what they're able to do and change. And so how do you maintain any kind of faith? And I don't mean that necessarily religiously. I mean, how do you not go, "Oh God, this is just getting worse." How do you say that? How do you keep that?
Chelsey Cartwright:
I mean, especially in the times we find ourselves in, I mean, in the destruction and the wake of the riots on January 6th, then we see how fragile our democracy is.
Terri:
Yes. So fragile.
Chelsey Cartwright:
Yeah. We have to reckon with where we are. And I really do think I'm a steward of history. I'm such a history nerd. And we have to understand that this is all by design. We have to understand that history is really telling a lot of things now. And you have to be present in that reckoning and unpacking. And it's going to be hard, and it's going to be difficult. I mean, partisan politics, I've never was drawn to politics by way of how crass it can be, and how pointed it can be, and how one sided, and kind of zero sum wins. I've never been motivated by that.
Chelsey Cartwright:
But I do think, in terms of what keeps me inspired and why I kind of keep a fresh perspective, I draw inspiration from the folks who are doing the work that I am inspired by. The ones that are saving our democracy, the Stacey Abrams of the world, who sowed a seed and really was intentional about doing the work. I don't ever shy away from having do the work. And really using joy as a semblance of daily discipline. Because if not, we'll get consumed by this. I think it's all too often that this 24 hour news cycle, we can get just so enamored by, "Oh my goodness, what's going on? The world is upside down."
Terri:
Or cynicism. Just cynicism sinking in, saying what's all going down the tubes.
Chelsey Cartwright:
Exactly. And I think we have to be ever present in fighting that. Congresswoman Pressley recently said something that really stood out to me, and it's, "We're neither optimistic or pessimistic, we're determined." And it's like we have to find that ground. We have to find that purpose of conviction to be able to continue the fight. Because I'm slowly learning that joy is an act of resistance. We have to be intentional about that. And also rest and staying renewed. Because this work is not for the faint of heart. But to put it plainly for me, people driven, value driven. And I know that might just sound good, but that's been the nexus of how I approach this work.
Terri:
So you don't have to say angry. Because I think that's part of what you think of activists are railing against or for something. And I would think that you need to have an untapped or infinite container of anger to keep going. And I also think that sounds exhausting.
Chelsey Cartwright:
Absolutely. I've been there. I've been to the point of burnout. I've been to the point of I'm doing way too many things. I'm not setting boundaries. I'm letting all the woes of the world kind of just suck me in. But I think I have to be grounded in a quiet kind of resilience. I have to restore myself in order to be able to keep the fight.
Terri:
But it doesn't mean anger or despair are the defaults.
Chelsey Cartwright:
I don't think so. I mean, Dr. Brittney Cooper, who I love, I'm a big fan of her work, Eloquent Rage. She has a whole book on how black women have this sense of resilience and determination that is emblematic of who we are, and how that is really what's gotten us to be contenders in this fight. And I can't say enough about how the foremothers who have come before me who have done the work Fannie Lou Hamer, Ella Baker, all of the women whose names we don't know who toiled for years, and whose lives were on the line. I often just have to think and sit with that, and think I'm doing this work, and there are days when I do not have anything else to give. But there were folks who were doing this work before me, women who were doing this work before me whose lives were on the line. And I have everything to be thankful for for the seed they sowed. So rage is part of it. It's just how you channel that rage.
Terri:
Right. Well, one of the things you said earlier about, it was culture shock going from Houston to Boston. I mean, my God, just temperature shock alone. But also you said finding the cultural center and finding people that you enjoyed hanging out with, and you had things in common with. And that whole aspect of finding your tribe. There's that aspect, right? We need to find our tribes. But on the other side of that, isn't part of the problem are humans' natural inclination toward tribes because that's how we came about in the world. That we dig into our tribes and we don't listen to anyone else. And then we have become, in some ways, insulated by tribes. So is the goal to find it, or to build it, or to not build those walls too heavy. How do we define tribe in an age where we're not listening to each other anyway?
Chelsey Cartwright:
Yeah, that's a great question. I do think we have to find the ones who will stand alongside us and who will be there. And who will uplift us, who will ground us, who we can stand shoulder to shoulder with, and feeling a part of a community that shares values and shares concern and action, and all those things. But I do think we need to be able to build a longer table and understand. And it's hard now because people are operating, in terms of politics, we've seen how the politics of fear can divide, and we've seen how it can just be so destructive. But I do think we need to be more open to the fact of building a longer table, listening to folks whose opinions might not be the same as ours. I mean, I for one got a personal kind of journey on that in terms of how we're able to talk to folks who don't share every value, share every belief.
Terri:
So it's not matchy. It's not matchy, matchy. Like we all have to believe the same things and agree to the same things, and then now we're in tribe.
Chelsey Cartwright:
Yeah. No, I just think you have to have some kind of willingness, of course, to show empathy, to show understanding, and to get out of your comfort zone. That has to be part of it. But you also have to be willing to listen. And I think too often, we don't listen. We put up our walls of whatever, and we want to be, this is who we are, this is what we believe. But if we're actively listening, and I do mean actively listening, because it's not just about, oh, okay, what is my rebuttal? What am I going to say next? Informing our decisions about the ways in which the world is moving, the ways in which other people view the world and things like that.
Terri:
So when people, who are either looking to make a career shift, or like many people, they want their lives and their efforts to mean something. I think the reason why people will end up questioning jobs they have, or even careers they have is because they're like, well, that doesn't mean anything to me anymore. you strike me as someone whose life is you have a lot of work to do, but it's suffused with meaning. And so someone might not say, "Oh, I think I'm to go into politics because I want my life to mean something." They might think, well, you're going in the wrong business. But in fact it sounds like that's what you've found there because that's what you brought there. So for people who are thinking, oh, I don't know. Would I go into politics? Who would you be looking for to have on your team?
Chelsey Cartwright:
Absolutely. It is what you make it. And you have to be grounded in the confidence of knowing if this is how I arrive in the world, I arrive as Chelsey Cartwright every day. That's who I'm going to be. That's who I'm going to be in every room I sit in, in every opportunity I arrive at, I've got to show that consistency. But also, I just think you shouldn't shy away from politics because people like to say it's a contact sport. I don't really agree with that. I just think you have to be willing to never forget the reasons why you were drawn there in the first place. Because folks want to say, "What's your why?" You have to remind yourself on of that on a constant daily basis.
Chelsey Cartwright:
For me, it's always been about, on a more deeper level, how am I creating a pipeline? How am I being intentional about knowing that, okay, Chelsey's done it. But in order for Chelsey to have arrived at some opportunity, how am I stepping back and reaching back to bring somebody along with me to then bring the power forward? Because it's not just all about me. I'm grateful to have worked for some dynamic firsts. Governor Patrick was the first black governor of Massachusetts. Congresswomen Pressley, first black woman elected to Congress, first black woman on the city council. Senator Warren, dynamic woman running for president, progressive values.
Chelsey Cartwright:
But every experience that I've had that I've been fortunate enough to have on their team has taught me that that's not enough. I have to be ever present in knowing that I've got to bring somebody along with me. We've change the ways in which we're looking at power, the ways it's defined, the way in which we arrive in our democracy. To me, it's about how can we buck at the status quo? How can we push back and bring the power of a collective along for that journey?
Terri:
Yeah. I mean, never forget the reasons why you're drawn there. That would go for really any career we find ourselves in. But particularly this one, which is so hard on the spirit. So obviously you're still in the mix. You're still figuring about your next steps. But I assume you're not washing your hands of politics and the Biden Harris team. Do you know what's next for you? Are you still figuring that out?
Chelsey Cartwright:
I'm still figuring it out. I'm very, very joyful that we can ring in a new administration in seven days time when we're recording this. But I definitely have decided that politics is going to be part of my career trajectory for the long haul, and I'm definitely embracing that. And I know what it means to stay resilient and stay at the fore of that. And I'm just taking some time to bask and celebrate accomplishments.
Terri:
It's fantastic. It really is. And lastly, let me ask you this. We talk about what it means to make it, and it means something different to everyone. How do you define making it, and will you know when you have?
Chelsey Cartwright:
Making it to me is being unapologetic about the ways we live in our purpose, and living in alignment with that purpose. I know making it for me will mean when we can talk about equity, we can talk about issues of disparity when it comes to marginalized communities, and we can reimagine what a future mean in a real way. And not just in some kind of larger than life, out in the ethers kind of way, but in a grounded way. For me, it's about doubling down on values and making sure to walk in alignment with those. And there's a June Jordan quote that really guides me every time I'm thinking I'm walking outside of my purpose. I always think about this quote, "We are the ones we've been waiting for." It's up to us. And that might sound overly optimistic. But for me, it's like if we are mission-driven, if we are rooted in the work, we will then find community in that work. We will then build a community from that. And that is the structure, that is the infrastructure that we need to be able to continue to actualize what we hold true in our democracy, how we can safeguard our democracy, and also live out on purpose the values that we care most about.
Terri:
Well, it sounds to me like you have made it already. Chelsey Cartwright, thank you so much.
Chelsey Cartwright:
Thank you so much, Terri. It's been a joy.