Samhita Mukhopadhyay “Ignites” the Room at Netroots Nation
July 22, 2014
Last week, Purpose’s Samhita Mukhopadhyay gave one of the closing “Ignite Keynote Speeches” at Netroots Nation, an annual conference in Detroit that brings together thousands of activists to educate, stimulate and inspire the nation’s next generation of progressive leaders. The three-day event is billed as “the largest gathering of the Democratic activist base.” Along with Samhita, the conference also featured Vice President Joe Biden, Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, and U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer.
Samhita closed the day on Saturday with a passionate plenary talk on how humor, when used effectively, can create stronger campaigns. She recognized that people may feel that they’re trivializing serious matters by using humor but said the result is “we often beat people over the head with jargon, difficult realities or sad stories.” Samhita stressed that humor allows campaigners to tackle difficult issues in new ways. People like stories they can relate to, and these are the videos that inspire people to take action.
Samhita’s Ignite speech was not the only time she graced the stage at Netroots Nation. She also spoke at the standing-room-only “Pope is Dope: How to Message Like a Gladiator & Win” panel, where she discussed how to use strategic messaging, narrative strategy and storytelling to win progressive policy change at the local, state, and national levels. Samhita also moderated the panel “Ain’t I an Organizer? Women of Color & Feminist Activism,” in which the speakers explored the concept of an intersectional approach to gender and identity by relaying stories and data from their own political organizing work in a range of fields including education, media, health, and wellness.
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