CGB Volunteer Profile: Board Chair Monty Bruell
by Sally Edwards, CGB Intern
Monty Bruell ‘83 was just elected Chair of the Board of Directors of Crimson Goes Blue. In his new role, Monty aims to increase engagement with the Harvard community, to expand outreach to meet fundraising goals, and to provide support and resources for the co-directors of CGB. Additionally, he hopes to grow the board to “provide better representation of all types, from demographic to geographic,” while connecting with the vast Harvard community.
Ever since he was a kid, Monty has been passionate about politics. As a child, he was raised by a single mother who participated in lunch counter sit-ins during the Civil Rights movement, and he recounts the pride and inspiration he drew from his family’s civic engagement.
“I was taught to stand for something — to raise my hand and be a part of the solution to whatever problem there was,” said Monty.
So, when he turned 14, Monty decided to roll up his sleeves and plunge head-first into the political realm. He worked in his home state of Tennessee to campaign for candidates he believed in, candidates who inspired him, candidates who — he laughingly admits — were Republicans.
“After that, I would say to people ‘I’m an independent’, because I didn’t really want to choose a party,” he explained. “What made me stand up and publicly say ‘I’m a Democrat’ was when Obama was elected president and McConnell stated that ‘my job is to oppose everything that Obama tries – I don’t care if he’s right’.”
“How can I, in good conscience, say that I am the same as this guy who just said he doesn’t care about the Constitution — about his responsibility to the American people? I have been a proud Democrat every day since,” he added.
Since his epiphany, Monty has dedicated himself to pursuing equity and justice in his home town of Chattanooga. In 2019, he ran for mayor, frustrated by local officials’ apparent apathy towards the problems which faced the community:
“When I talked about the inequities that existed in our communities, when I talked about the plight of single moms and their kids, I saw people nodding their heads, but I never saw anybody doing anything,” said Monty.
As a mayoral candidate, Monty shined a spotlight on income and wealth gaps, campaigning on creating opportunities which would enable all people — regardless of socioeconomic status or background — to succeed. Though he was not elected, Monty continues to advocate for the causes he believes in, bringing his political energy and vigor to Crimson Goes Blue.
“As the chair of Crimson Goes Blue, one of the things that I’m most interested in is increasing voter participation,” he said. “And I feel like Crimson Goes Blue can contribute to erasing some of that voter apathy through, for example, the upcoming Ohio phone banks and voter registration efforts.
“The last time there was an August election in Ohio, only 8% of eligible voters voted. — I mean, 8%! We can't have that,” he said. “Our democracy depends upon the participation of every citizen, so that's one thing that I'm really passionate about.”
“I can’t wait to see what 10,000 Harvard alumni acting in concert with one another will be able to do, and the effect that we can have on the 2024 elections,” Monty added. “There’s nothing better than being with people who share your commitment and who want to see the same things happen in our society."
|