Kairos Fellow Spotlight: Anay Bickham, Democracy for America
“The Kairos Fellowship was more than just a temporary job or a fellowship in the traditional sense. It was a crucial launching pad to a career and a continuation of the work I have been passionate about.”
Anay Bickham was a Kairos Fellow in 2016, where she was placed with Democracy for America (DFA), a member-driven political action committee founded by former presidential candidate Howard Dean whose mission is to build and empower the progressive grassroots to, in DFA’s words, “take our democracy back from corporations and the wealthy few and aggressively combat growing income inequality.”
At DFA, Bickham led several campaigns — from calling on then-President Barack Obama to nominate a progressive Black woman to the Supreme Court to voting rights campaigns in the wake of the 2016 election to supporting Black Lives Matter activists arrested for participating in protests.
Now a campaign manager at Color of Change, Bickham shared her experience as a Kairos Fellow with us. Read more!
What did you gain and learn from being a Kairos Fellow?
I gained both personal and professional development. I was able to gain better skills as a campaigner and specifically as a digital campaigner. I was able to gain a strong understanding in campaign strategy, theory of change, and member engagement. I learned how to be a better leader with the ability to lead campaigns and make important decisions. I was able to learn how to advocate for myself, especially being the only person of color and Black person at a predominately white organization and workplace. I initially struggled to work in a space where I could not use my strong voice, but it was an opportunity to build up my technical skills, my writing skills, and build relationships with people and groups outside the organization. It was really important for me as a Kairos Fellow to be defined by my hard work and passion as a digital campaigner while still centering the lives of Black people and fighting against white supremacy.
In what ways did the Kairos Fellowship impact you?
The Kairos Fellowship was more than just a temporary job or a fellowship in the traditional sense. It was a crucial launching pad to a career and a continuation of the work I have been passionate about. I now work as a campaign manager with Color of Change, an opportunity I would not have had without the Kairos Fellowship. My experience, knowledge, and growth as a digital campaigner and organizer have increased exponentially. From coding and setting up emails and petitions pages; to writing strong narratives and messages with transformative theories of change; to overall strategy that is deep and centered on how it will impact communities — these are all important skills to have. I would not have learned them anywhere else.
What are you most proud of accomplishing as a Kairos Fellow?
I am most proud of initiating my own campaign, particularly my first campaign that called on then-President Obama to nominate a Black woman to the Supreme Court. There’s never been a Black woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, and it would have been monumental! I came up with the idea. I remember drafting my very first campaign plan. And I remember sharing it with the Kairos cohort to get feedback and was excited for the learning opportunity. And it succeeded in driving a much-needed conversation, receiving media attention on MSNBC and the Washington Post.
Why does the digital organizing space need a program like the Kairos Fellowship?
Plain and simple, the digital organizing space is still very white and toxic. For too long, the progressive space has been occupied by white people with all the money and resources working in communities they are not a part of and have no deep connections and relationships with. We need more Black people and people of color organizing our communities, leading campaigns on our terms, and challenging patriarchy, white supremacy, and anti-Blackness in these so-called progressive spaces. There is no other intentional, intensive, lifelong learning program that helps change the landscape of the digital organizing field except for the Kairos Fellowship. We need more Black and brown folks bringing their talent, expertise, and passion into the field in order to ensure it will survive and thrive for many years to come.
