Becca Russell-Einhorn

Name: Becca Russell-Einhorn Location: Washington, DC Full-time progressive & part-time tea enthusiast. Speaker of Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Hebrew, & ASL. Founder of The Activist Institute.

A little about me

Becca Russell-Einhorn is a native Washingtonian with a passion for all things protest. She attended Georgetown Day High School in Washington, D.C. where she was first introduced to social justice work on a diversity retreat with her classmates. After high school she attended Pomona College in Claremont, California where she majored in media studies with a concentration in documentary filmmaking. During college she worked as the media director for Challah for Hunger, a group that sells challah bread to raise money for groups working on the ground to end the conflict and human rights violations in Darfur. She also worked as a coordinator for SAJE (Students Allied for Social Justice) and founded the Claremont DREAM Act Coalition, an on campus immigrant-rights group that raised awareness of issues related to immigrant status. She is the founder and co-director of The Activist Institute, where young people who live together and tackle social issues holistically through internships at local nonprofits, discussions with like-minded peers, networking opportunities with nonprofit leaders, and a residential setting where students live out the principles they stand by. A lover of travel and languages, Becca lived in Israel after graduating from college to learn Arabic and Hebrew and work with Israeli-Arabs on coexistence efforts. In addition to some Hebrew and Arabic, she also speaks Spanish, Portuguese and American Sign Language, but is incredibly bad at switching between them. She is an English breakfast tea enthusiast and thinks Halloween is the most important holiday. Becca can reached at Becca@ActivistInstitute.org.

I would describe myself as a

blogger

Why I deserve a Netroots Nation Scholarship

Tell us why you deserve a Netroots Nation Scholarship in 250 words or less.

My partner, Rachel Fauber, and I founded The Activist Institute in June 2010. The idea for The AI was inspired by our experience as interns at Campus Progress. During those few months, we felt connected to the core of progressive politics and met over 80 interns who were equally passionate about a range of issues. The AI was born from a desire to recreate that optimistic atmosphere and to develop communities of young people highly motivated for change. The AI takes on the world’s most pressing issues –from immigration reform to environmental sustainability—by developing the next generation of progressive leaders from among these ranks. The Activist Institute is based on the premise that the mutual exchange of ideas between peers is one of the strongest tools for change. In the same vein, attending Netroots Nation would be a chance for me to engage with a peer group of nonprofit leaders, community organizers, political activists, and social innovators and get feedback and novel ideas for The Activist Institute. It would be a unique opportunity for me to learn more about progressive strategy from leaders in the political sphere and be a part of an inspirational community of the next generation of progressives.

What first inspired me to get involved

I’ve been an activist since I was in high school. As a Washingtonian, I’m a natural at protesting. When I got to college, I was involved with many social justice issues, but at a small campus, had very little need for using the Internet to organize people. When I saw was the pro-immigrant student lobby was able to do with their website, DreamActivist.org, I was amazed. The website connected colleges from around the country and disseminated information about how to start a coalition on your campus or how to bug your representative. When I saw the impact of DreamActivist.org, I really saw the impact of online activism.

The blog post I am most proud of

http://www.activistinstitute.org/activist-institute-blog.html

Why I think participation in the blogosphere is important

When blogs first hit the Internet people thought all blogs were created equal. "I don't want to hear about what sandwich you ate today." But now we know the power just one person can have on the Internet. Videos and blogs by individuals go viral everyday, so if there are going to viral videos about piano playing kittens, why shouldn't there also be viral videos and advertisements directing people towards worthy causes?

More about my volunteer work

I currently work as a freelance media and marketing specialist for Givat Haviva, a peace institute in Israel. I help them build them campus outreach plan for their Intensive Arabic Semester, a program that connects Jews and Arabs who want peace for Israel and Palestine.

My Twitter manifesto on online activism

If you're going to go viral, should it be because you a) “took a tumble” or b) got people to support a worthy cause?

My suggested bumper sticker slogan

Albert Einstein: Immigrant