For most of you reading this, election night 2016 was not a good night. I remember watching returns, first in a state of denial, then rage, then fear, then plain old depression. How could this country elect a president known for impulsivity (among other things) who is the commander-in-chief of our armed forces? How could we elect someone who refuses to pay his workers? Who declares multiple bankruptcies, makes piles of money in the process, and screws his investors? How could we elect a state representative who misses a high percentage of the votes when the Democrats had a well-qualified opponent running for that office? And so on.
Then my friend Kim participated in the Women’s March in Washington, D.C. She organized a group of folks in her dining room; we talked about issues of concern and at first were overwhelmed. But then, we wrote postcards to several elected officials, asking state officials to pass a budget and to national officials on a variety of issues, from health care to workers’ rights. Kim registered the group with Indivisible and she and I attended an Indivisible workshop in Springfield that focused on ways to make our voices heard.
We continue to meet and the numbers attending continue to grow. We are currently defining specific areas on which to focus—after a state budget becomes a reality, our focus will be on education in support of Sen. Andy Manar’s attempts to rectify some of the inequalities in funding. We are still trying to reduce our national concerns to one or two areas. And then take action by:
- Writing and calling our legislators.
- Participating in rallies in support of causes we believe in.
- Writing letters to the editor.
- Talking to friends and family.
- Supporting legislators in whatever ways we can (monetary donations, door-to-door, phoning voters, etc.)
Everyone is welcome to attend and find out what is going on. Ideally, however, we would like to see other groups form in different parts of the county, groups that could unite for specific purposes but could meet in smaller groups. If interested in attending or forming a group, contact Kim at [email protected] or me at [email protected].
By the way, I’m no longer depressed. We do have the power to change business as usual.
Pat Kowal
Precinct Committeeperson
