The Wide Awakes

WE BELIEVE IN THE POWER TO RADICALLY REIMAGINE THE FUTURE You have seen the images. You know the list of injustices. (You do, right?). You know the stakes. We have a plan. In 1860, as the United States careened toward the Civil War, a group of young patriots launched a movement to wake up the country. “The Wide Awakes” of 1860 were mechanics, laborers, and clerks who opened their eyes, stood up, and marched and sang in the streets with flags and capes and banners by the tens of thousands. Eventually, hundreds of thousands agitated for a little-known presidential candidate from the newly formed Republican Party: Abraham Lincoln. They were creative with their use of art, song, and public rallies, and pushed for the abolition of slavery at a critical moment in history. The Wide Awakes believe art has the power to wake people up. Artists are always at the vanguard of social change, and art is a tool to educate, motivate, and activate our citizenry, inspire us, open our hearts and minds, and transform our lives. We are a network of thousands of artists, cultural workers, and activists driven by the most urgent social and political issues of our time. We’re organizing communities, sharing knowledge, building art, agitating for change, and getting out the vote. All that’s missing is you. We need your help to make all these projects come to life. Who are The Wide Awakes? YOU ARE!