On a foggy Saturday morning in October, OU alum, Murryum Farooqi, made her way to a Tim Hortons in Eastpointe for a pre-shift meeting. Murryum had a craving, not for food but for the Eastpointe population to engage in their civil duty as American citizens at the polls on Nov. 5.
As a voter engagement organizer for Detroit-based Mothering Justice, a nonprofit nonpartisan organization, Murryum spends her Saturdays canvassing different neighborhoods of Macomb County.
“Canvassing is a team effort, it takes a village to make a difference,” Murryum said.
It’s during the pre-shift meeting that Murryum receives her turf-assigned area to canvas and logs into the app MiniVAN, a standard tool among canvassers that allows her to see the address, prepared script and any notes left by her coworkers. Additionally, the app also allows her to code her interactions with potential voters.
“Canvassing is no easy task, it takes hard work, dedication and perseverance to knock on approximately 25 doors an hour and only make contact with three to six people for every 25 doors,” Murryum said. “At the end of a hard day, I take comfort in knowing that I’m making a difference in the long run no matter who they decide to vote for.”
Prior to her graduation in April 2024 from OU with a bachelor’s in International Relations, Murryum was heavily involved in Oakland University Student Congress (OUSC).
As a freshman, she was a legislator, as a sophomore and junior she served under student body president Andrew Romano. In her senior year, she ran and was elected to the office of student body president.
Her transition to the working world has gone well.
“I love my job, I find my work to be rewarding and the experiences gained while on the job invaluable for my future endeavors,” she said. “If I can get through to just one person, I know that I’ve made a difference in the November election.”
Murryum’s enthusiasm for her role is on full display when she speaks about her work. She was very excited to discuss her role and the impact it has on the larger community. She said there are parallels to her work in OUSC. Specifically, the skills required to deliver information on a time crunch have proved invaluable in her current role.
Lead Voter Engagement Organizer Deanne Austin described her relationship with Murryum as friendly and professional.
“I have had the pleasure of training and working alongside Murryum over the last few months,” Austin said.
And fellow voter engagement organizer Mori Anderson described her work relationship with Murryum as “very pleasant, she’s a joy to work with and always brings an uplifting energy to our shared space.”
Mothering Justice has an upcoming event Mothering Justice’s Detroit Party at the Polls on Saturday, November 2 from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Detroit Pistons Performance Center.
