From the BBC – “Why the Nazis were able to stay in power” – The wrote: “Fear and state terrorism - The Nazis crushed opposition through legal moves, fear and intimidation. Propaganda and social control kept the population in line. Popular economic and foreign policies encouraged widespread support. The Nazis created a terror-state. This was achieved through intimidation and brutality. Those living in Germany were too scared to disobey Nazi laws.”
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The 100K Project launched in March of 2025 and has been organizing to deliver workshops and training sessions tailored to artists and creative professionals designed to inspire and prepare them to lead in public life. This includes organizing for power, running for local office, helping people to run, and serving on public boards or commissions. We are talking about local offices – school board, library boards, city council seats. The National Guild for Community Arts Education has embraced this idea and together we have crafted an eight-week online leadership training program aimed at artists and cultural workers. This program started on October 9 and we are blessed to be working with 23 amazing creative professionals from across the USA.
However, we are sad to say that five major arts and nonprofit related service organizations have turned down requests to present a modest version of this work – a workshop called “The Artist as Leader? A Call to Service.” These denials were not explained. I suspect a combination of fear and being addicted to being powerless.
We did an online information session for our training program on, ironically, September 11, and a real concern surfaced – and that is the fear of stepping out into the public spotlight – as a candidate, progressive thought leader, or civic organizer for justice.
Are you afraid?
If you are, these words probably won’t cheer you up. I am far away from you. I can’t offer you shelter, money, or even a hug.
We can revisit President Roosevelt’s immortal words “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself” but I think there is good reason to believe that violent actors are on the rise, emboldened by the President and taking assurance from the violent speech of the MAGAsphere.
No, all we can do is say that at certain times in the life our nation there are moments when we must rise above our fears and face them. We know that being in a public leader is a sacrifice from the get go. You are taking time away from your family, from your hobbies, and, in the case of the cultural workers, from your creative and artistic practices. But, you know what, that’s how America was designed. Leaders like Thomas Jefferson believed a stable republic required an educated populace to act as a check on government tyranny. Jefferson advocated for a statewide system of public schools to ensure that all citizens could attain the civic and vocational skills needed for political and economic independence. In those days, it was about putting down the plow and picking up the quill.
Perhaps it will help people step up if you consider that running for local office – especially local boards – is not as high profile as, say, running for Congress. But – this may change. We wish that the same large service organizations with budgets in the millions (one having assets of over $100 million) would have thought this through decades ago. There should be, right now, a dense ecosystem of training and support for creative leaders who want to enter public service to see the programs, solutions, and needs of their sectors enacted – lawyers on call, emergency funds for people who lose their jobs because they spoke out or are trying to lead for justice. It’s not there. It’s not too late for these national groups to step up their games.
But, in the meantime, we are the leaders we have looking for. There is no other option. We need to, as it were, turn John Adams call to action (written to Abigail on May 12, 1780) on its head - where he said “I must study Politicks and War that my sons may have liberty to study Painting and Poetry, Mathematicks, and Philosophy. My sons ought to study Mathematicks and Philosophy, Geography, natural History, Naval Architecture, navigation, Commerce and Agriculture, in order to give their Children a right to study Painting, Poetry, Musick, Architecture, Statuary, Tapestry and Porcelaine.”
The 100K Project is about building power to govern for the common good. We are saying that the artists and creative workers must lead in order to guide our society toward a beloved future of peace and mutual prosperity.
Together, we can overcome fear and deliver hope, justice, and prosperity to our neighbors.