A couple of days ago, I published my first post on this blog and the Waking up US Substack. I shared it on a couple of subreddits - r/Political_Revolution & r/WayOfTheBern - and Bluesky. Before even the first upvote or comment made itself known, I felt a flood of emotions: fear, excitement, accomplishment, self doubt. My thoughts raced:

• What if this negatively impacts my family or career?
• What if I can’t make a difference?
• What if no one cares?

But, like others before it, this coin has two sides:

Who am I?

My name’s Nathan Chowning. I’m a Father, Husband, self-taught tech worker and lifelong learner - a working class American. I’ve never run for office or been part of the “political machine”, but I can’t stand by and watch our country be dismantled any longer.

What I believe

• I believe in equality for all people. Hard stop. No exceptions.
• I believe the working class deserve to reap the rewards and economic success of our hard work. Not just the wealthiest 1%.
• I believe our elected officials should work for us, the American people - the people who elect them. Not a handful of billionaires.
• I believe in truth and honesty. Real leadership means telling the truth, even when it’s hard, even when it’s unpopular.

Why I’m waking up now

If you’re a Millennial like me, you’ve probably spent most of your life watching American politics from the sidelines - frustrated, disillusioned, and wondering what it’s going to take for anything to truly change. For decades, we’ve watched as career politicians quietly sell our power to the billionaire class. Now?