Yesterday, I woke up to find myself being attacked, accused of bad intentions, even called a racist, because of the speakers I chose for the upcoming RISE Summit.
That hurt. Not because I don’t believe in accountability (I do), but because it couldn’t be further from the truth of how this summit came to be. So I want to tell you the real story from the whiteboard scribble to the conference we’ll bring to Austin in just a few days.
The Idea on the Whiteboard
For years, I’ve heard the same thing from Democrats across Texas:
Candidates don’t get enough training.
County Chairs feel unsupported.
Precinct Chairs are left figuring it out alone.
After we lost big in 2024, I wrote one line on my whiteboard:
👉 “Put together a training conference.”
That’s where RISE was born. I imagined three “verticals” for training — candidates, grassroots organizers, and precinct chairs — all coming together for inspiration and keynotes. The name came next: RISE: Recruit. Inspire. Strategize. Elect.
RISE like a phoenix from the ashes. Because that’s what we needed in Texas.
Life Happened
I didn’t get to work on RISE right away. I was sick for months. Then we lost a family member. By May, I finally had the energy and space to start building.
And I started from nothing. No big sponsors. No paid staff. Just me, a small but mighty team, and a whole lot of spreadsheets, late-night emails, and phone calls.
The First Three Yeses
On May 12, I reached out to three people who inspired me deeply:
Anat Shenker-Osorio – a messaging hero of mine.
David Pepper – a grassroots leader and author I’d worked with before.
Robert Creamer – a nationally respected campaign strategist and organizer.
I thought: if they all said no, this would stay a dream.
They all said YES.
And just like that, the RISE Summit was real.
The Speakers and the Struggle
Here’s the truth about building a conference: most people you invite don’t say yes. Some never respond. Some decline because of jobs, schedules, or family. I reached out to Black leaders. I reached out to fundraisers. I reached out to national organizations. Some said no. Many never called back.
So I turned to my network — the people I work with every day. Lawyers, organizers, vendors, and grassroots experts who keep our work alive in Texas. People who, crucially, said yes.
And I built an agenda around one question:
👉 “What do Democrats in Texas need to know to win in 2026?”
That’s how our sessions on AI in politics, campaign compliance, messaging, social media, data, and community building came to life. That’s how we secured keynotes from James Talarico, Joaquin Castro, and others.
Is it perfect? No.
But is it an incredible lineup of knowledge, experience, and inspiration? Absolutely.
What This Summit Is — and Isn’t
The RISE Summit is not a rally where candidates get five minutes at a mic. It’s not about applause lines. It’s about learning. About training. About giving Democrats across Texas the tools they need to win in 2026.
And it’s the first of its kind — built from scratch, by a grassroots movement, with the heart of a volunteer and the stubbornness of a mom who refuses to give up on this state. I wanted candidates and their team to come and attend and feel like someone invested in them.
The Criticism
So yes, I’ve seen the criticism about representation on panels. And I want to be honest: I wish we had the resources, time, and space to include even more voices. I tried. I asked. I reached out. Many said no. Some couldn’t make it work.
But this summit was created with kindness and integrity. It was built to uplift Democrats in Texas, not divide them.
If you can’t see the heart behind this work, that’s not on me. Because, as my daughter said to me, “If they can’t see all the heart you poured into this, then they aren’t worth it.”
An Invitation
This summit was never meant to be the end-all, be-all. It was meant to be a start. A model. A proof of concept that we can build something bigger together.
If you want to help shape the next one, I welcome you. If you want to build your own, even better, Texas needs all of us.
But tearing down the people doing the work doesn’t move us forward. It just keeps us stuck.
Why I’m Proud
I’m proud of the speakers who said yes.
I’m proud of the sponsors who took a chance on us.
I’m proud of the community that will come together in Austin.
And I’m proud of doing the hard thing when it would have been easier to do nothing.
We rise. Together. Or not at all.
#RISETexas #WeOrganize #TexasDemocrats
If you want to attend please go here to register: https://mothersagainstgregabbott.com/rise/
I am mortified that you were attacked for putting together EXACTLY what everyday concerned people ready to make a difference need. Whoever criticized you was employing the divisive, surface-not-substance rhetoric that has become embedded and grows like cancer in our society. It smacks of self-righteousness, and if they were Democrats (which I unfortunately feel like they may have been), it clearly demonstrates why the national Democratic Party’s image is so deeply unpopular. Shoot, those hypercritics probably weren’t even Texans and have NO IDEA what is going on in this state. They do not see that our state is the blueprint of what is coming next for them. Nancy, I see RISE exactly as it was intended- an authentic, obviously grassroots, educational, and supportive summit sorely needed to help fellow non-professional politicos start navigating the TX political landscape. Your actions, words and efforts are making a positive difference. You are inspiring others to help in the fight to resurrect our beloved state to its rightful place as the home of outspoken liberty, the home of LBJ, Barbara Jordon, Sarah Weddington of Roe v. Wade, Ann Richards, and many, many other brave Texans instrumental in breaking glass ceilings and lifting people up. Thank you for following in their footsteps. I am incredibly excited to attend RISE and am constantly in awe of your dedication and untiring efforts.
Thank you for sharing this. I truly wish I had known about it sooner so I could have made arrangements to attend. As someone who is diligently learning and aspires to contribute through public service to improve the lives of my children, reading about the journey from a whiteboard scribble to a full-scale summit was incredibly motivating. A gathering like this would be deeply valuable for someone like me.
This summit is more than just an event—it’s a blueprint for what grassroots leadership can look like when driven by purpose and community. I’m grateful for the time, energy, and heart you poured into making it happen. It’s a gift to those of us who hope to serve, and a powerful reminder that meaningful change begins with bold ideas and brave action.
Thank you for leading with courage. Wishing you a successful event in Austin—and I look forward to catching the next one, which I’m sure will be even bigger and better.