Letter From The Director:
My commitment to voter advocacy did not begin when I moved to Georgia. It did not begin with Lift Every Vote And Rise. In many ways, it began when I was six years old in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. I grew up watching civic engagement happen in real time. My grandmothers and the elders in my community understood that being part of a community came with responsibility. I attended community meetings, church meetings and tenant patrol meetings in the Brevoort Houses before I was old enough to fully understand the conversations taking place around me.
But I understood what I saw. I watched my elders demand more from the New York City Housing Authority. I watched neighbors organize around safety, housing conditions and the economic well-being of our community. I watched people engage elected officials because they understood that representation meant very little without accountability. Those experiences shaped how I understand civic engagement today.
I learned early that elected officials should know the communities they represent and that voters should know the people making decisions on their behalf. There should be viable, connected relationships between residents and their local government. There should be communication. There should be accountability. And there should always be an expectation that our voices matter beyond Election Day.
That foundation has followed me throughout my life and now guides my work as Director of Lift Every Vote And Rise. For me, voter advocacy is about much more than encouraging people to register and vote. It is about helping people understand the full weight of their civic power.
Yes, voters need to understand their basic rights. They need accurate information about elections, candidates, polling locations, absentee ballots and deadlines. But education must go further. I want voters to think. I want people to read, research, listen and ask questions. I want voters to understand that they have the freedom to develop their own opinions based on their morals, values, lived experiences and expectations for their communities.
Civic engagement should never require surrendering your intellect to a political party, candidate, organization or popular opinion. That is what civic freedom means to me. It is the freedom to participate. The freedom to question. The freedom to disagree. The freedom to hold elected officials accountable. And ultimately, the freedom to walk into a voting booth knowing that your decision belongs to you.
That belief is at the heart of the work we do at Lift Every Vote And Rise. Every voter advocacy activation, community conversation, voter guide and educational initiative is designed with one purpose in mind: to create a more informed, engaged and empowered voter.
I remain deeply passionate about this work because I have seen what happens when communities understand their collective power. I saw it as a little girl sitting in those meetings in Brooklyn, watching people who may not have had political titles or tremendous resources refuse to believe that meant they were powerless.
Decades later, I carry those lessons with me. The neighborhoods may have changed. The elections may have changed. The issues certainly have changed. But the principle has not. Our communities deserve informed voters. Our elected officials deserve an engaged electorate that will challenge them, work with them and hold them accountable. And every voter deserves the information and freedom necessary to make decisions for themselves. That is the work. And for me, it is deeply personal.
As I step into the role as Lift Every Vote And Rise Executive Director, I am am reminded that since the inception of Lift Every Vote, this work has been rooted in purpose-fighting for voter advocacy, access and empowerment across our communities. That commitment has never wavered.Now, we move forward with intention.This next phase of Lift Every Vote And Rise represents a bold step toward building a comprehensive, trusted resource for voters across Georgia, ensuring our communities are informed, engaged and equipped to make their voices heard.
Kishana L. Holland Lift Every Vote And Rise Co-Founder & Executive Director
