I am an Activist

Tomorrow a senior reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle will attend our women's meeting.  He's writing about the unprecedented number of Orange County activists since Trump took office.  He'd like to understand what drew us to become active.

Immediately following the most recent election, I felt compelled to become active in the issues to help work toward solutions.  I found myself extremely frustrated and wanted to funnel that energy into something productive.  When I heard about the Women's March, I immediately knew I wanted to be a part of it.  A wonderful group of old friends felt the same way and we met up that day to walk together.

The march was the most unforgettable experience.  People of all types came together to stand for unity, diversity, and inclusion.  It opened my mind to how much people of all types suffer through discriminatory conditions every day.  I saw many people genuinely fearful of how the new administration would change their lives and lessen their freedom.  I decided that I can't just stand by and let it happen without helping to change it.

One of the friends that I marched with forwarded an email to me that was written by Joanna Weiss.  Joanna had recently formed a women's group called Women for American Values (WAVE) in Orange County to leverage this frustration into impactful action.  Her messages were extremely informative, concise, and focused on making real progress.  I went to the next WAVE meeting and have remained aware and active ever since.

I identify as an activist because I feel a sense of responsibility to stand up for civil rights and I take ownership in creating the change that is greatly needed.  

The progress we've made toward equal rights cannot move backwards.  I find it very difficult to understand how we aren't further ahead already.  I understand the level of privilege I've been given and want to leverage that to create a positive impact for others.  A lot of this is new to me because I've never been politically involved.  I have always voted but hardly did any research; I was very unaware of what was going on politically.  I've got a big learning curve but a lot of heart and motivation.

I've started with a commitment to be more informed.  I've filtered my sources, adjusted them to be less biased and of higher quality.  I plugged into multiple groups that discuss issues as well as share recommended actions to take.  I joined WAVE, which has become a PAC, to partner with local activists that are driven to make change.  I'm also part of a working action group within WAVE that focuses on Civil Rights to make an impact locally.  I'm loving the connections I'm making and what I'm learning.  I enjoy being a part of the team driving toward true equality for all.  <3