Hello Dear Readers,
While our political world has been turned upside down, and the organizing energy unleashed by the Kamala/Walz ticket is lifting me up, another momentous event got overshadowed.
This substack reached 1,000 subscribers! Woohoo!! 🎉💐🥳
I know, I know. Maybe not as big a deal. But, from this office chair in Oakland, a pretty momentous occasion. And certainly a chance for me to say—Thank you for your interest, encouragement and support!
Despite what you may think, this project has been quite a challenge for me. Almost every time I publish anything on here, I am hit with a 48hr wave of embarrassment and worry. Regardless of how many lovely notes I get from each of you, it seems that posting publicly in this wild virtual world brings up all my class (and race and gender and Jewish) shit. All the voices that tell me I need to be impressive, and get it right, and not make a mistake, and not be too much or too earnest or too myself…all those voices start clamoring for attention.
And yet! And yet!
I am proud to say that I have continued posting and writing and interviewing, and I am more committed to this project than ever.
Thank you for your comments, likes, emails, and notes! It is a big part of what’s kept me going this last year plus.
While I’m celebrating, I’ve also got some updates on what I’m up to and what to look forward to from Organize the Rich.
I’ve been doing lots of interviews that I’m planning to share in the coming months and year. Interviews with people like…Mario Lugay, Max Elbaum, Isabelle Leighton, Hez Norton, Alex Tom, Jenny Ladd, Nigel Charles, Rye Young, Taj James, Katrina Schaffer, Ingrid Benedict, George Pillsbury, Iimay Ho, Elspeth Gilmore, Marion Moore, Isaac Lev Szmonko, Christopher and Anne Ellinger, and Obie Benz. I love interviewing elders, organizers, and leaders in this work. So much!
Like the Gen X’er that I am, I have a total love/hate relationship with social media. And I have been remiss to let you know that I started an Organize the Rich instagram page (that I sporadically post on and then mostly ignore). But…but…I do have intentions of posting more! I regularly daydream of the short videos I will share with updates on this project and what I’m learning. Want to see if I follow through on those intentions? Follow OTR here to find out.
I am planning to release video recordings of my interviews on Youtube and on this Substack soon. I’m excited to try out sharing these conversations in multiple formats.
I’ve been working on a related podcast with a dear colleague and hope to be able to share more details soon.
You might be asking, what about the book?! Well, my friends, it is still part of my long-term vision for this project, and I am getting there little by little. For now, I am building an audience (you!) and sharing shorter pieces that I plan to eventually morph into a book.
Thanks to Solidaire and Working Families Party, as well as Katrina Schaffer and Rachel Dodson, for the start-up financial support to spend the time I have getting this project up and running. I am so proud and glad to be backed by two powerhouse groups like Solidaire and WFP, that embody the type of cross-class movement building I want to be lifting up and helping grow. I am also proud to be supported financially by my dear friend and client Katrina and my bad ass wife Rachel.
There are so many more people to thank, particularly my Mom for her patient and skilled editing support, but I’ll move on for now before this turns into too much of a teary Oscars speech.
As you might be able to tell from this update, in the coming months I plan to experiment with different mediums to share these ideas, interviews, and stories. I’m curious to know if you have a preference for how you’d want to engage with this material. Help me understand what would work best for you by filling out the poll below.
I’m so glad to be in this project with you!
Want to help me grow Organize the Rich? Share, like, comment, read old posts you missed, and please know that I always appreciate your ideas, questions, and engagement.
Sincerely,
Michael Gast
Ps. Lest you think all I do is sit behind a desk worrying about these posts, here is a photo of me from a backpacking trip I went on with my son and some friends last week near Lake Tahoe, California.
You go, Mike! Stop worrying, keep writing.
Definitely a milestone worth celebrating! Congratulations, Mike!