Scenes from Favela Rocinha, Brazil - (R-L) Rows of brick homes, Hugo Balta on a motorcycle taxi, and steep, winding roadsHugo Balta
International media often flatten this into a narrative of despair. As my guide Max, who preferred not to give his last name, points out, "From the outside...the TV wants to show bad things about the favela because that's what gives the views. But when you come right here inside... you can see with your eyes the reality." Indeed, inside Rocinha, the reality is far more sophisticated: residents are not waiting for democracy to arrive; they are constructing it themselves. As Max emphasizes, "We are happy people... we are people who help one another."
This relentless struggle resonates deeply with marginalized communities in the United States, finding its sharpest mirror on Chicago's South and West Sides, where I live. In both Rocinha and Chicago’s historic Black and Latino neighborhoods, voters are routinely treated by major political parties as monolithic blocs. They court them aggressively every few years with empty promises, only to systematically forget them once the ballots are counted. This cycle of seasonal exploitation breeds a deep, justifiable apathy—a sentiment felt acutely across the South and West sides as the fast-approaching midterms loom just weeks away.
As a Chicago Votes grassroots organizer observed in a City Bureau report regarding this exact cycle: "We build up incredible amounts of community power before each election through base-building, but after every election, we drop it – all of it. And then we have to start from scratch... What would it look like to actually build political power within our neighborhoods?"
Yet, grassroots organizers in both cities refuse to succumb to cynicism. To break this pattern, Rocinha’s community newspaper, Fala Roça, actively profiles young, Black, favela-born candidates and maintains a local civic directory to transform an ignored voting base into an organized political force. This work directly mirrors the hyper-local voter guides and grassroots infrastructure built by Black and Latino organizers on Chicago's South and West sides. Activists in both hemispheres recognize that true political literacy cannot be top-down; it must be community-led to effectively resist voter suppression, counter institutional neglect, and turn localized frustration into structural power.
The shared battlefront extends heavily into the digital landscape. Research by Data Favela shows that nearly 9 in 10 favela residents have fallen victim to fake news, which spreads rapidly through encrypted apps with immediate consequences for local safety and elections. In Rocinha, youth collectives have stepped in as fact-checkers of last resort. This dynamic is instantly recognizable to immigrant and minority communities across the U.S., particularly in Chicago, where targeted Spanish-language and localized disinformation campaigns weaponize hyper-local anxieties in spaces that mainstream, corporate fact-checking completely fails to reach.
Organizing across cultural lines remains critical to building a united front against these tactics. As Artemio Arreola, an organizer with the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR), reflected in the Chicago Tribune, true solidarity comes from helping communities "see that our struggles are connected."
Perhaps the most profound connection lies in how both communities define infrastructure. Civic engagement in Rocinha is a continuous, monthly practice led by collectives like Rocinha Sem Fronteiras. When the state tried to impose a flashy, tourist-centric cable car project that would have displaced hundreds of local families, residents organized, held assemblies, and successfully demanded investments in basic water and sanitation instead. This victory echoes the decades-long environmental justice battles fought on Chicago's South and West sides. For generations, these neighborhoods have mobilized against the state and powerful corporations to block toxic industrial zoning, predatory logistical hubs, or destructive highway projects that threaten to displace families and pollute the air.
Highlighting this shifting battlefront against environmental neglect, Edith Tovar of the Little Village Environmental Justice Organization (LVEJO) noted in a South Side Weekly profile that "there's definitely been a move of people realizing and noticing how the pollution has shifted from coal ash to diesel."
In both Rio and Chicago, the core demand remains identical: low-income communities are forcing authorities to prioritize human dignity—housing, clean air, and clean water—over top-down, profit-driven development. Ballot-box interventions remain essential to this self-determination. For local residents, equal representation is fundamental to their civic identity. As Max frames it: "I believe democracy, it's you choose who you want, and it doesn't matter if you live in the city, if you live in the favela, you can choose [who] you prefer." The lesson binding Rocinha to Chicago is clear: when the state neglects or dismisses a community, the answer is relentless, localized organization. Through self-mapping, hyper-local truth-telling, and community assemblies, these neighborhoods are redefining democracy as a daily practice rather than a periodic event. Their shared message is a universal demand for full citizenship: a ballot is not just a vote—it is an organized assertion of power from the ground up.
Hugo Balta traveled through Brazil, reporting on how the country's efforts to strengthen democracy, expand civic participation, and address environmental challenges may hold valuable insights for the United States.
Balta is executive editor of The Fulcrum, publisher of the Latino News Network, and twice president of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. He is an accredited Solutions Journalism and Complicating the Narratives trainer with the Solutions Journalism Network.
When we think about building a stronger democracy, we often think of town halls, voting booths, or policy debates. But, as Coach Rev and Joe share, some of the most powerful training grounds for citizenship are found in locker rooms and on playing fields across the country.
Following our HWF Civic Futures kickoff last week with Eric Liu, our design partners at Public/Official have created a unique visual to capture the “civic scaffolding” spirit of this conversation.
Rev, Joe, and I started working together back in 2020, shortly after they launched a movement to infuse civic engagement into college athletics called “All Vote No Play.” See the full origin story here, which I affectionately called “The NCAA is having a Ted Lasso Moment.”
As a futurist and former student-athlete, I immediately recognized the immense leverage point student-athletes could have on their campuses. They are often culture-carriers who can have ripple effects on the larger community, including alumni and fans. When they step up as trusted messengers of what “civic sportsmanship” can look like beyond their sport, they can have outsized positive impact on their communities. And, having connection and purpose beyond the pressure to perform is also beneficial for the athletes and the team. Being proactively focused on creating positive value is a win for everyone - what I call “optimistic offense.”
Working together, we turned All Vote No Play into The Team—a nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to integrating civic and community engagement into college athletics. In the last few years, our programs and resources have reached hundreds of thousands of student-athletes across the country.
In a time that feels overwhelmingly divided, sports can break down political and social silos by giving us a place to experience collective joy. Spend any time talking to a Golden State WNBA Valkyries fan dressed in violet, and they’ll tell you that going to a game is nothing short of a magical collective experience.
This isn’t just good sentiment, it’s backed by ongoing research programs like Harvard Kennedy School’s Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation work on Sports and Civic Participation and More in Common’s report on Politics and the Power of Sports.
Lisa, Coaches Rev and Matt Elkin, and former Stanford Men’s Basketball star Maxime Raynaud at Stanford’s “All Vote No Play” Democracy Day, 2025
In this episode, Rev, Joe, and I unpack how the fundamentals of team sports map directly onto the health of our democracy:
Ready to bring these tools to your own campus, team, or community group? Check out the key initiatives mentioned in this episode:
I’ll leave you with a quick invitation inspired by our conversation:
Think about where you already have a team—whether that’s a sport, your workplace, a neighborhood group, or a family network. Think about what skills you bring to that huddle. Now ask yourself: Where can I bring those team-building skills to strengthen my broader community?
Listen to the full episode below, grab the guides at TheTeam.org, and drop a comment letting me know what “next play” you’re running in your community!
Playing Optimistic Offense: Developing Teammates, Citizens and Leaders was first published by "How We Future," and is republished with permission.
