You Don’t Have to be an Activist to Act
Calling Congress Works — And It's Time to Pick Up the Phone
By Malaika Kusumi DA Chapter Development Coordinator
Back in 2017, The New Yorker ran an eye-opening piece by Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Kathryn Schulz titled "What Calling Congress Achieves." It captured a moment in U.S. political history when phone lines across Capitol Hill were jammed with citizen calls. The catalyst? A wave of grassroots civic engagement following Donald Trump's election. The message was clear: people were mobilizing, and their voices were flooding the system. Fast forward to 2021, and RepresentUs echoed the same truth. In her article "Why Calling Congress Works," Katherine Hamilton broke it down simply: YES, calling your representatives makes a difference. When you pick up the phone to voice your opinion, it gets logged, tracked, and relayed to the actual lawmakers and their policy teams. Every single call adds to the pressure that tells Congress what voters care about.
Now, in 2025, we no longer have the luxury of asking if our voices matter — we know they do. The question is: what are we doing about it?
Why It Matters
Elected officials spend a significant part of their time focused on reelection. That means they're listening closely to what their constituents care about. If a hundred people call about an issue, it sends a signal. If a thousand calls, it becomes impossible to ignore. The Congressional Management Foundation found that constituent communications account for 20–30% of a Congressional office's operating budget. That's not a small change — that's structural proof that your voice is part of the system.
And despite how intimidating it might feel, the act of calling only takes two minutes. Even interns fielding those calls know that when constituents call in, they mean business. After all, sending an email is easy. But calling? That requires action, and action speaks volumes.
History Is on Our Side
Think phone calls haven't always mattered? Think again. In 1928, citizens were already using telephones to demand action from their senators. By the mid-20th century, Americans were calling Congress about everything from school funding to sugar beet regulation. One advocate in the 1940s even recommended "the pester technique": call early, call often, and make your opinion heard.
And yet, here we are in 2025, still needing to remind each other that it's not enough to be informed — we have to be involved. Because if we're not holding our elected officials accountable between elections, then who is?
A Chapter Activity Worth Exploring
Making these calls together as a chapter activity is not just effective — it's empowering.
Whether after a meeting, during a Zoom call, or at a local pub gathering, we've turned calling our representatives into a social, energizing act of civic courage. We share scripts, swap tips, and encourage each other to take that simple but powerful step.
You don't have to be a political junkie. You just need to stop worrying and talking about how bad things are!
And remember — you don't have to be an activist to act.
So stop worrying about saying the perfect thing. You don't need to be an expert or have all the facts. Just pick up the phone and speak from the heart. You'll be surprised how good it feels.
Because when you act, you step into your power — and that action is louder than any post, tweet, or complaint.
So go ahead. Make the call.
Your democracy is listening.