DINE FOR DEMOCRACY

Dine for Democracy was initiated to bring people together to support free and fair elections through the joyful act of sharing food. The campaign began in 2018 in the lead up to the midterms out of concerns about historic voter disenfranchisement and voter suppression in the United States that has disproportionately affected people of color and led to unequal representation in government. Organized by a small group of artists, activists, and food-lovers in the San Francisco Bay Area, Dine for Democracy is driven by the belief that the right to vote is a fundamental component of a functioning democracy. We also know that inequities in our electoral systems exist that must be corrected in order to have real representation of the people, by the people - in other words, a true democracy.

For the 2020 election, we set up the The Dine for Democracy Voting Fund to support five grassroots voting organizations led by youth and communities of color working to get-out-the-vote across the country through the umbrella organization Movement Voter Project (MVP). Together the 5 groups we identified work on the ground in their communities to register voters, educate voters, and increase voter turnout ahead of November, with a particular focus in battleground states. (Learn more in the voting fund link above).We also drove donations to Movement Voter Project’s Georgia Fund during November and December to support voter engagement in the Georgia run-off election.

From May to December 2020, we raised just shy of $200,000 for the fund through partnerships with Together We Raise, Art for Democracy and over 150 restaurants, chefs and bakers in10 states.

Moving ahead, we will continue to grow our efforts to bolster civic engagement and voter participation for the long haul.

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To learn more about the state of voting rights in the United States, we recommend listening to the Fresh Air interview with Ari Berman and Terri Gross and reading Ari Berman’s book ‘Give Us the Ballot,’ the Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America, which inspired us to create this project.

Together we can build a more representative democracy!

ABOUT THE DINE FOR DEMOCRACY ORGANIZERS

(Learn more about our backstory and the beginning of the project HERE.)

Mariah Castle is an activist, educator, and theatre artist in the Bay Area. She is the co-facilitator of a Berkeley chapter of Solidarity Sundays, “a nationwide, progressive, feminist, anti-racist activist groups committed to resisting and working for peace, justice, and equity”.

Hadley Dynak is a creative producer and nonprofit consultant who works to connect people to one another and the pressing issues of today. She is the founder of the creative consultancy PEAK86 which uses art, events, content, and digital campaigns to drive people to action.

Lena Wolff is an interdisciplinary visual artist, craftswoman and activist for democracy. Her work has been presented in galleries and museums across the US and the Mayor of Berkeley recently named a day in her honor for her endeavors that merge art and civic engagement. She worked in some of the Bay Area’s most beloved restaurants for years as she built her art practice.

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Many thanks to everyone who helped and supported the Dine for Democracy 2020 campaign! We extend a special shout out to Together We Raise, Art for Democracy, Josey Baker Bread, Masami Chin, Amanda Eicher, FAVA, Anders Howerton, Katie Orlady, Sachiko Moran, Cal Peternell, Hilary Reyl, Stella Strader, Miriam Klein Stahl, Holly Mulder-Wollan, Lexi Visco, Audrey Kuhn & all of our participating chefs and restaurants. We couldn’t do this without you!