Heavily influenced by social justice documentarians at Kartemquin Films (where East interned after earning her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Photography, Film and Electronic Media), Shana East discovered that her mission in life was to enact change. Following graduation from this prestigious internship, she began producing and directing a documentary called, “My Brother’s War,” which followed veterans of the Iraq War upon returning home, and cataloged the impact of PTSD in their lives and the lives of their family members. She received the Illinois Arts Council grant for this effort.
Six years later, Shana founded her own performing arts organization to promote female artists, who often take a back seat to their male counterparts in the male-dominated music industry. Their performance troupe, called “Girl Group Chicago” won 3 Chicago Music Awards thanks at least in part to Shana’s leadership, organization, and creative vision for the project.
Feeling as though the work she was doing to enact social change via the arts wasn’t making a direct enough impact, Shana began to organize voters. As a staff member for Chuy García’s campaign during his historic runoff against Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Shana inspired regular people to engage in the political process and to begin to fight for the change they want to see in the world.
Shana has, in one way or another, been organizing her whole adult life. The breadth of her political work ranges from movement building to electoral work, and from political strategy to event production and volunteer mobilization. She believes we need a diversity of tactics, employing every possible tool in her progressive toolbox. Shana does digital organizing, she trains (and inspires!) volunteers, she produces a radio show and issue based conference calls, she organizes campaign events and puts boots on the ground at demonstrations. She can develop complex campaign plans with benchmarks for attainable goals, and can execute them accurately and in a timely manner. When it comes to organizing, there is really nothing Shana can’t do!
Click the buttons below to learn more about Shana’s organizing, which is local, national and international in scope.