"Your voice means something... your presence can still change how another person acts."
When Elijah Price first heard about The Connecticut Project, he was living in a shelter. When his friend Manny told him about a community canvass in New Britain, the work seemed simple: knock on doors, talk to people about an issue, collect petition signatures, and receive a $50 gift card.
Elijah didn’t go that first time. But when Manny told him more about his experience, he reconsidered. Eventually, Elijah went to a community canvass in Waterbury where he met the team and Field Organizer, Felix Rodriguez.
Elijah: I remember knocking on my first door... I remember I stuttered. I looked at my partner. I was like, “You could take this, bro.”
Elijah would describe himself as shy. Talking to strangers about issues impacting their lives wasn’t easy at first, but something about Elijah’s experience made him want to come back.
“It was just the respect you got in the room and just the enjoyment you got of doing something that you didn't know you can actually do.” - Elijah
Elijah was born in New York and has lived in New Britain since 2013. He is a canvasser with the Meriden/Middletown Action Team. Before joining The Connecticut Project, Elijah says that he cared about his community, but he wasn’t particularly involved in it. “I never actually sat there and took action in the community,” he said.
Working as a canvasser changed that. The more doors Elijah knocked and conversations he had, the more he began to understand how the affordability crisis actually impacts people’s everyday lives.
Brianna: What do you think people in Connecticut are struggling with most right now?
Elijah: I’ve seen most people complain about rents [being] too high. It was already struggle enough to pay their bills and now they got to worry about putting extra money aside for groceries, too, just to feed their kids, themselves, elderly, or whatever the case may be.
Affordability isn’t an isolated issue. It impacts every aspect of people’s lives, from housing to food and healthcare. You can learn about it just by listening to working class people at their doorstep.
While canvassing in Hartford, Elijah and fellow canvasser Melanie Cruz, known affectionately as Mel, knocked on the door of a woman who initially pointed out her “No Soliciting” sign. Once Elijah explained that they weren’t selling anything, she invited them to talk.
As Mel and the woman discussed the cost of living, Elijah mostly listened and watched them connect over their experiences with the issue.
Elijah: When I wanted to learn more about the cost of living, how it changed, like, my personal point of view, it was when [she] and Mel started talking… I'm out of the loop. So, I don't know what they're talking about. I'm just sitting there. I'm like, okay… maybe I do need to learn more.
While conducting a housing survey, Elijah spoke with a woman who owned a home and operated a daycare. He assumed that being a homeowner meant someone was financially secure. Then, she told him how much she was making as a child care provider.
Elijah: Even as a homeowner, she still doesn’t make as much money as you need to sit there and actually live. Like, it makes no sense. So, I feel like the cost of living is terrible. And it definitely needs to change. But it won’t change unless people actually speak up.
This conversation helped Elijah realize that working class people experience financial pressure in very different ways, regardless of their background. The issue is a system that impacts people’s ability to thrive. This experience became central to the way he approaches organizing.
“Everybody's background gives them a different skill to prevail in life and have leadership, and no one really knows it. Sitting there and actually conversing with those people, I've learned more things than I would have learned if I had never talked to that person at all.”
Elijah’s motivation for doing this work is deeply connected to his own experiences. He remembers watching his mother struggle to afford groceries when he was growing up. He cares about people struggling to afford rent or losing access to food benefits. He understands what it’s like to feel powerless. Working at The Connecticut Project has allowed him to turn that feeling into action.
Elijah: Being able to be with The Connecticut Project gives me the power to sit there [and] have a voice, something I didn't have before, to sit there and speak up for myself, for other people, or just advocate for something better.
For Elijah, finding his voice has also meant learning how to use it for other people. He talks to his mom about issues impacting their community, he talks to people about rising utility costs, and he encourages other canvassers who are nervous about speaking at the doors.
“I've noticed that half the people in the community are scared to use their voice. Maybe, you know, people will see me and be like, ‘Damn, if he can do it, then I can do it,’” he says.
Elijah didn’t join this work knowing everything about Connecticut’s affordability crisis. By showing up and learning from working class people, canvassing gave Elijah a new outlook on the power of using his voice and the opportunity to share his unique perspective.
Take action and use your voice in the movement for a more affordable Connecticut. Join your local Community Action Team today.