"Budgets are moral documents"

5 questions for participatory democracy black belt Shari Davis

At a moment when I sometimes feel like I’m drowning in this corrupt, diseased, and unequal democracy, Shari Davis’ leadership feels like a life preserver. I met her in my work with the Obama Foundation; she’s a fellow. It’s not just that she’s outrageously charismatic, which she is. It’s not just that she’s full of surprises, like that despite being so young and full of palpable verve, she’s been working in government or with governments for nearly 20 years. It’s also that she’s evangelizing a solution that might seem boring as hell, but is actually deeply revolutionary. It’s smart. It’s no silver bullet, but it’s real and true.

I’ll let her explain it to you. Suffice to say that this leader and her wisdom seem to me to be exactly what our polity is aching so profoundly for.

Courtney: What is participatory budgeting, in a nutshell, and why is it the perfect tool for this moment?

Shari: Participatory budgeting (PB) is a radically different approach for budgeting that centers and values historically marginalized people in decision making. It brings people and government together to ideate, develop concrete proposals, and vote on real projects that solve problems in community. Public budgets and decisions are too often disconnected from the people they impact most. This structural political inequality fuels some of the biggest problems in our society, leading to deep polarization, harm, and skepticism of democracy itself. 

Amidst a global pandemic and nationwide demands for racial justice, communities are urgently demanding PB and other participatory practices as a means to divest from systems of oppression and reinvest in innovative community-driven solutions.

It was Brittany Packnett Cunningham who said “budgets are moral documents” [some also attribute this to MLK], PB is a way to ensure that public budgets are living breathing reflections of community values so that they can be functional and effective moral documents.

What is most often misunderstood about participatory budgeting? 

Well, first let me make clear what participatory democracy is: democracy in its purest form - bringing community into the overall operation of government rather than just elections. It’s pulling together practices such as participatory budgeting, participatory policy-making, citizen’s councils, restorative justice practices, and even legislative theater, to bring everyone into a democratic process where we wield real power and can directly create change. Democracy, as we know it, can be better labeled “representative democracy.” We campaign for and elect leaders into public office to take on budget hearings, community town halls, and propose/champion legislation.

Your TED talk came out yesterday (woot!). What is the one thing you hope people remember two weeks after watching it?

I’m hoping people remember that they can bring PB to their communities, cities, organizations and even their homes. PB can open doors to radical imagination so that we call thrive.

What are you most excited about right now that's happening in the participatory budgeting field? 

Right now, I’m most excited about the work that has been building for so long and built by so many around the divest-invest movement that centers and values Black lives. PB has been identified as a tool that can provide infrastructure to communities leading and deciding how public funds should be invested instead of investing them in harmful and oppressive systems. Last year, we launched Democracy Beyond Elections, a collaborative campaign to support and grow participatory democracy. That work is really taking off with our partners as we discover and plan to pilot new innovations in participatory democracy like participatory policy making. 

In addition to being a nonprofit ED and an Obama fellow, you’re a martial arts master and a gifted cook. What has your go to comfort food been in this time of pandemic and racial uprising? 

Haha - I cook A LOT and I find that the most comforting food right now is whatever my ancestors call me to make. Gumbo, stewed chicken, and collard greens have felt healing for me to make but also share with my community.

The actual gumbo Shari made! Looks so good. Follow her on Twitter and donate to the Participatory Budgeting Project.