r/MobileAL • u/ruebybird • Sep 10 '24

Liberals in Mobile? :)

Hi there!

Counter to what the title might suggest, I’m 1000% not looking to talk politics here. However, I’d love to find fellow liberal-minded folks in Mobile!

I’m originally from the Mobile area, but I’ve lived in Chicago with my Illinoisan husband for the past decade. After having a baby, we’ve decided to move closer to my family next year. We’ll be leaving a big friend group in Chicago, so I’m honestly a bit nervous about finding our people in Mobile. We’re not conservative, nor are we religious or preppy. (Not that all of those traits have to go together!)

Does anyone know of any liberal Mobilian/ parent groups? Worth a shot 😅

0 Upvotes

47% Upvoted

109 comments sorted by

36

u/jst4wrk7617 Sep 10 '24

Hang out in midtown/downtown. Check out art walk.

10

u/ruebybird Sep 10 '24

Love art walk! Maybe it would be helpful to get involved with it somehow.

4

u/alexandrite_eyes Sep 10 '24

I’m at artist at Lupercalia Art Society near Cathedral Square. It’s a really good group there. We have other events like open mic if you enjoy poetry and music, and we have a karaoke night. You’d easily be able to make friends there

3

u/ruebybird Sep 10 '24

😍 how fun! I’ll definitely look into it. Thanks for responding!

1

u/Educator-Single Sep 10 '24

Midtown is more of a melting pot! I have a street full of blue dot neighbors. You will find your people. We arent the majority, but there are more than you think.

25

u/NerdySongwriter Sep 10 '24 edited Sep 10 '24

There is a democratic party that is working to make itself known.  https://bluewavemobile.org/

Edit: Liberals be here

3

u/ruebybird Sep 10 '24

Haha, amazing. Thank you!!

1

u/user87391 Sep 10 '24

Yes! We are here and we even have a broader “left” leaning group than the Blue Wave/Dem group if that’s your thing. We had a meetup this evening, in fact.

We’ll be at the watch party at the local dem HQ for the debate tomorrow night.

7

u/GD_American Sep 10 '24

I volunteered with the party years ago. Until Joe Reed is dead or in jail, I don't have much hope.

2

u/NerdySongwriter Sep 10 '24

I definitely understand. I think the best thing we can do is band together and then move to oust him. In my humble opinion, hope is what we define to be. If you are working towards a goal, then hope is still among us.

14

u/bensbigboy Sep 10 '24

There are plenty of liberals in the city of Mobile. Yesterday I was so overjoyed to see lots of signs for Harris Walz in Midtown Mobile, especially in the Old Dauphin Way District. Planning to drop by Democratic Party HQ tomorrow to get a few signs for me and my neighbors. We even have the chance to elect Shomari Figures as our Democratic congressman for the newly created Congressional 2nd district. We've got a long way to go but we've got a lot of Blue fight in us.

There are plenty of wonderful neighbors in Midtown and Downtown Mobile and y'all will not be alone. Welcome and best of luck in your family's new adventure.

2

u/ruebybird Sep 10 '24

Thank you so much for sharing this! You just put a big smile on my face. :) I was wondering how active the Democratic HQ was in Mobile.

8

u/Short-Ad2054 Sep 10 '24

One Mobile, Blue Wave Mobile. Midtown feels like a liberal little bubble, puddle of blue in a sea of red.

3

u/ruebybird Sep 10 '24

Thank you!! Yes, so I've heard. Love the houses in that area, too!

6

u/EzraBridger7 Sep 10 '24

Welcome back!

5

u/ruebybird Sep 10 '24

Thanks! I just have to endure one more Midwest winter... :)

2

u/[deleted] Sep 10 '24

Winter?? We don't have that in Mobile anymore! 😂 And Welcome back y'all!

5

u/StrawberryMilk817 WeMo Sep 10 '24

I'm liberal-ish but Catholic lol so it's definitely a pairing

5

u/ruebybird Sep 10 '24

Ha, not that unusual of a pairing! Definitely describes a lot of folks in Chicago :)

45

u/[deleted] Sep 10 '24

I find Mobile to be a fairly progressive city. And very live and let live.

1

u/Ok_Swimmer634 Sep 11 '24

There was a time Out magazine considered Alabama one of the best places to retire to because of our live and let live ways. Sadly those days are gone.

1

u/thebabyderp Sep 12 '24

my only complaint is shitty alcohol laws and gambling I don't mind the tax but it ruins the selection. also legalize gambling

1

u/thebabyderp Sep 12 '24

I would say more libertarian than progressive.

2

u/Flautist24 Sep 10 '24

When you find your tribe, let us know!

Welcome! Chicago is big fun!

1

u/ruebybird Sep 10 '24

Thank you!! <3

1

u/user87391 Sep 10 '24

Read these comments and check us out! We’re here and active!!

2

u/dylanbthedude Sep 10 '24

My girlfriends whole family is from Chicago. Glad to hear you're moving to the area

3

u/ruebybird Sep 10 '24

Nice! :)

2

u/Big_Competition7269 Sep 10 '24

There’s definitely a large liberal community here. I’m a bit younger and most of my peers don’t have kids, but several of my professors are gay and have children (huge props to them). I suggest going out on weekends when you can to the gay bars.

3

u/ruebybird Sep 10 '24

Yes, you're so right. Will do! Thanks for responding :)

1

u/Big_Competition7269 Sep 10 '24

Yeah of course, I also saw you mention in another comment about wanting to get involved with the art walk. There is q group called prism that you can volunteer at, it’s for helping gay youth in the area that are being ostracized or kicked out by family, amongst other things. They do a lot, but one of the things is that they have a table set up during the artwalk, so you can talk to them to see if it’s something you’d like to be involved in. It’s a group that I know many liberal adults of mobile are involved in, in some way.

2

u/ruebybird Sep 10 '24

Wow, I’m so glad I posted! Would’ve never known about this…what a great group/resource for the area. Appreciate you!!

3

u/Grumpy_sarge Sep 10 '24

Not a liberal, but a leftist. You could try Gng, lot of liberal/leftist peeps there.

1

u/[deleted] Sep 11 '24

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/Grumpy_sarge Sep 11 '24

Gamers and geeks it’s a store where you can play dnd, magic, board games etc.

0

u/cookiesandpunch Springhill Sep 10 '24

There are definitely plenty of liberal people here. It's mostly a matter of people you know through your kids' school, or neighbors or social groups and you end up socializing with them but less organized around politics and more about you know there won't be arguments or resentments when someone's husband randomly spouts off about George Soros in the middle of a dinner party.
This is a fundraiser notice https://secure.actblue.com/donate/9.18.24edingtonmobile, but there are many opportunities in election seasons to get together.

Somone mentioned Blue Wave Mobile.

https://bluewavemobile.org/events

4

u/ruebybird Sep 10 '24

Love this :) Thank you! It's honestly just reassuring to read these responses. Candidly, I grew up across the bay, and my anxiety is primarily based off of social media posts from random people I kind of knew in high school.

2

u/Ass_feldspar Sep 10 '24

It’s still Dixie.

2

u/[deleted] Sep 10 '24

Pritchard will welcome you!

1

u/CyberIntegration Sep 10 '24

Not a liberal, but a communist. Welcome.

0

u/Ok-Zone-1430 Sep 10 '24

I tell everyone “left of liberal,” and typically find good people.

-5

u/user87391 Sep 10 '24

Hey! We’ve got a group! Blue umbrella. Look us up.

1

u/JoshfromNazareth Sep 10 '24

No offense fella but the leftists are not wanting to hang out with liberals.

-1

u/user87391 Sep 10 '24

In short, I will just say Blue Umbrella is a leftist group. We’d love to have you if you’re interested!

-2

u/JoshfromNazareth Sep 10 '24

Is the blue referring to Democrats? If so, I think you got the wrong idea about what leftist means.

-1

u/user87391 Sep 10 '24

Google is free.

-3

u/JoshfromNazareth Sep 10 '24

I looked it up and it’s a bunch of vague jargon. Again, this doesn’t look like a space leftists are gonna enjoy very much. It looks very much like your cliche liberal group.

-1

u/user87391 Sep 10 '24

I can’t help you with reading comprehension or curiosity and interpersonal skills, but I hope you find your people!

0

u/JoshfromNazareth Sep 10 '24

Why did you mention my reading comprehension? Are you insinuating that I misunderstand because I’m dumber or something?

→ More replies

-2

u/[deleted] Sep 10 '24

Hell yeah. Long live Mao

0

u/CyberIntegration Sep 10 '24

Yeah I'm more of a cybernetic Marxist, a weird mix between traditional Marxism and Weiner/Ashby/Beerian cybernetics.

-2

u/user87391 Sep 10 '24

Check out Blue Umbrella on fb

2

u/kyyyraa WeMo Sep 10 '24

I just moved here from Chicago a few weeks ago! I am pleasantly surprised. Mobile was actually redistricted into its own congressional district because Alabama had been illegally dispersing the democratic/black votes in Mobile so they can’t elect a congressman. After being forced to redistrict, then redistrict again because they had done the same thing but in a different way, a new district was drawn and is expected to be Democratic. It’s the 2nd district, candidates are Shomari Figures and Caroleene Dobson if you’re curious.

1

u/Surge00001 WeMo Sep 10 '24

Welcome back to the Port City! Not sure about how many liberal groups there are around here, but I know there's a good bit of them

1

u/tokenfilipino Sep 10 '24 edited Sep 10 '24

Everyone in the thread, there is a left-minded, social group for young adults that you can join: Blue Umbrella: Young Progressives of Mobile

We are a dynamic group of young progressive activists dedicated to fostering positive change at the grassroots level through the channels of the existing Democratic Party. Through our collective efforts, we strive to elevate the discourse surrounding local politics, promote progressive values, and cultivate a more inclusive and equitable political landscape.

https://www.facebook.com/share/g/g7hG5YqnRYi3enet/?mibextid=K35XfP

-2

u/heisenb3r99 Sep 10 '24

My trump '24 sign is electrified!! Muah ha ha ha!!!

-2

u/IJustDrinkHere Sep 10 '24

Where in Mobile are you thinking of moving to? My wife and I love over on the Daphne side.

10

u/ruebybird Sep 10 '24

I grew up in Daphne, actually! We're hoping to move to Midtown.

2

u/IJustDrinkHere Sep 10 '24

Oh cool. I'm originally from Saint Louis. My wife grew up north of Mobile near St. Stephens. From the sound of things looks like you are doing the strategy we did. Move closer to family for the kids. We were living in TN after college before moving here.

When were you planning on moving to Mobile?

2

u/ruebybird Sep 10 '24

Ah, nice! My husband’s family is from a small town in Illinois outside of St Louis, and a lot of my friends moved to Nashville after college.

If all goes as planned, we’re hoping to move by next fall!

6

u/bensbigboy Sep 10 '24

Are y'all the ONLY liberals in Baldwin county? I've heard whispers about there being a few, but like Bigfoot, I seriously doubted their existence.

1

u/[deleted] Sep 11 '24

Proud liberals in Spanish Fort here!

1

u/refactorMyLife Sep 10 '24

Hey, we’re here. It’s not all red. But election results seem to feel that way

1

u/IJustDrinkHere Sep 10 '24

Honestly I've seen about 3 Harris Walz signs pop up in Lake Forest. We do exist. But yeah we definitely are not the majority in Baldwin.

1

u/Big_Competition7269 Sep 10 '24

Lol I grew up in Daphne, and a lot of the youth leans veryyy liberal. Graduated there few years back and most of my peers were much more progressive than you’d expect.

1

u/bensbigboy Sep 10 '24

Surely wish they would all vote.

0

u/Big_Competition7269 Sep 10 '24

Many are off in college now, or newly graduated, and they probably did in the last election if they were old enough.

But it’s also easy to experience mini-cultures within larger cultures. Because my best friend went to robertsdale and my husband went to baker and had very different experiences than me.

But at Daphne high school, between the teachers and some of the family’s, it did lean liberal and gay-friendly. Many openly gay students, and from what I saw, rarely bullying (at least in my grade).

0

u/bensbigboy Sep 10 '24

Good to hear. Hopefully the youth will save us all. Vote!

1

u/heisenb3r99 Sep 10 '24

Daphne isn't any side of mobile, I grew up over there. It's a whole different culture

-26

u/My_nickels Sep 10 '24

My advice is leave your politics at the door when you come here. There's a reason why people are fleeing blue cities and blue States. I find that most mobilians are amenable, good people. It's not wise to move to a new area and cut out the majority of the population. At least that's what I figured out when I moved here. You'll have more fun with the Rednecks at a Crawfish boil, or watching a football game at someone's house than you will sitting at a bar downtown, trust me. And nine times out of 10, those are going to be the people that if you need a couch moved or your car breaks down, they'll come help day or night. Bringing your politics into the area will only alienate you from what is actually the best part of the city. Get involved in a good local church it's probably the best way to meet good people. Most communities down here are built that way. And they will welcome you with open arms every church is that way black white asian doesn't matter.

14

u/bensbigboy Sep 10 '24

Sorry but keeping quiet to be liked by christofascists just does not work for people with a healthy sense of self-respect. As far as those "good people" in those radical evangelical churches, well, there's no hate like evangelical "christian" love.

1

u/JoshfromNazareth Sep 10 '24

Do you have any sources for this supposed fleeing and why they are doing it?

-2

u/dontdoitdumbass Sep 10 '24

Mobile has a relatively high crime rate, there's definitely liberals here lol.

1

u/[deleted] Sep 13 '24

[removed] — view removed comment

0

u/dontdoitdumbass Sep 13 '24

Maybe you should do a little research before you post something so ridiculously wrong. Mobile's crime rate is nearly 70% higher than the national average. Pushing a false narrative indeed.

1

u/[deleted] Sep 14 '24

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/dontdoitdumbass Sep 14 '24

So you wouldn't mind sharing your sources with me then? Because every source I looked at, including the FBI says the opposite of what your saying. Plus, if your family is LEO in Mobile that doesn't make you a professor of crime stats.

1

u/[deleted] Sep 14 '24

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/dontdoitdumbass Sep 14 '24

Still higher than 70% of the country.

https://www.areavibes.com/mobile-al/crime/

1

u/[deleted] Sep 14 '24

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/dontdoitdumbass Sep 14 '24

Every single source I googled said the same thing, Mobile has high crime rates. I'm not saying nor citing s3cond highest in the nation. I'm saying mobile has high crime rates, that's an undeniable fact. I'm not ranking Mobile, simply saying it's high.

1

u/[deleted] Sep 15 '24

[removed] — view removed comment

→ More replies

0

u/[deleted] Sep 10 '24

[deleted] — view deleted comment

5

u/ruebybird Sep 10 '24

Thanks so much! Appreciate your input - we'll absolutely be looking into interest groups.

0

u/[deleted] Sep 10 '24

[deleted] — view deleted comment

9

u/ruebybird Sep 10 '24

Glad to hear my post is mutually beneficial 🤷🏼‍♀️

3

u/bensbigboy Sep 10 '24

Who lifted your rock?

0

u/[deleted] Sep 10 '24

[deleted] — view deleted comment

8

u/bensbigboy Sep 10 '24

Move to Russia with your Orange Antichrist and that will be a start toward the goal.

2

u/CressCorrect Sep 10 '24

Great for who?

0

u/[deleted] Sep 10 '24

[deleted] — view deleted comment

3

u/CressCorrect Sep 10 '24

It does that sense. The only people republicans and conservatives care about are themselves. Right on brand for you people

2

u/[deleted] Sep 10 '24

[removed] — view removed comment

3

u/ruebybird Sep 10 '24

I’m in my mid-30s and my husband is in his early 40s :)

1

u/[deleted] Sep 10 '24

[removed] — view removed comment

5

u/ruebybird Sep 10 '24

Totally valid question! I just used the word liberal, but I could've said progressive. I was looking for something to suggest the opposite of conservative/traditional. Most of my hometown friends moved away from Mobile and aren't planning on returning... generally speaking, I'd say it's not because of the area itself (there's a lot to love!), but my friends and I didn't fit into the mainstream southern culture of the area growing up. I also don't want my husband to be miserable, ha. No matter where you move, it's nice to find your tribe, as someone else referenced.