Many of us are finding our way into a new activism on behalf of our values. And we are building the road as we go. Returning to California, I discovered some friends were participating in a rather ad hoc group. They answered one of those emails to “start/join a group in your area” from an organization that hasn’t given them much support since. They are learning that voter registration is not as simple as you might think. Trader Joes won’t let you put a table in front of their store. Several other organizations want you to write the corporate office first. The Post Office is friendly ground. The Highway Patrol must approve voter registration in front of the DMV. If they do,hopefully everyone will be so bored waiting in line that they’ll talk to anyone. And typing “rock the vote” in Google will direct you to online voter registration: good for Millenials.
It turns out you can walk around just about any public space with a clipboard and do low-key voter registration. But Margaret does need a chair. Margaret is the oldest member of the action group at 91. She experienced the Nazi occupation of Holland as a teen, and her father died at Dachau. Trump reminds her too much of Nazis; she cannot stay home and do nothing. So Margaret attends meetings and registration drives faithfully, speaks with charm and passion, and from her chair, helps builds the road for tomorrow's democracy.
(Margaret has a bit of a media presence too:
Closing Inspiration:
To grow a garden is to believe in tomorrow.
– Audrey Hepburn
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