Looking Backward to Move Ahead

What my muckraking, labor organizing grandparents taught me is coming in pretty handy right now.

Lately I’ve been remembering my grandparents. Art and Esther Shields. That’s them in the photo. They were newspaper reporters and labor organizers.

We’ve lived so well for so long that we forget how recent our good living is. In reality, at the start of the last century, the Gilded Age that today’s broligarchs want to return to, there weren’t actual weekends. Just work days, plus time off to go to church. No safety rules, either. Not even child labor laws. But my grandparents, and many like them, helped change that.

Together, Art and Esther (that’s what we all called them!) literally put themselves on the line to report on conditions facing coal miners in Kentucky, longshoremen in San Francisco, and factory workers in Flint. During the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s, Art fought in the Abraham Lincoln Brigade against the fascists.

And here we are, fighting fascists again. So they’ve been on my mind as I consider how to meet the moment we’re in.

Here are some old school lessons from them that can help us move forward now.

Work together. Americans love the lone ranger. So we find it hard to fathom that some situations can’t be solved by an individual. Friends, we are in such times. So find like minded people and organizations (I’ve included 2 at the end of this post), and work with them. A single voice may not turn the tide, but one voice joined with many can.

Focus on deeds, not words. Right now, we have one guy instigating chaos, while the true damage gets done elsewhere. As hard as it is, keep the focus on illegal actions, not outrageous statements.

Be strategic. We can’t fight everything, and not everything will have equal impact. So find the hinge points. Having unelected, unaccountable people tampering with the federal computer system is one hinge. There are others. Find the ones that matter most to you, and put your energy there.

Fight for, not against. It’s not enough to hate what’s happening in the present. We need to love the future enough to fight for it. Maybe that’s for your children or grandchildren. Or for the beautiful planet we call home. Whatever it is, carry it in your heart as a touchstone.

And here are some practical ways to manage energy and resources during this tumultuous time.

Turn off notifications. I don’t need texts and alerts crashing in on me all day with the latest bad news. So I turned off all the notifications and only look at the news when I am ready, and on my terms.

Limit input. I have a few places I go for information, but I don’t look at everything. One indispensable read for me is Heather Cox Richardson. With her historian’s eye, she sets today’s situation in context. She’s not an alarmist, so when she uses strong language, I pay attention.

Take action. Bellyaching on social media is not going to change one damn thing. Sorry. So let’s just stop. What will help is OG citizen stuff like contacting your congress people and senators. They tally up their constituents’ input and it can give them the cover they need to do what’s right.

If you want other actions, check out these two organizations. Both are doing great work keeping people informed and offering practical ways to make your voice heard.

• Indivisible - These guys do group calls to keep people informed, and have a host of guides, call scripts, and resources for practical actions you can take now.

• Third Act - Mobilizing elders to be an effective catalyst for change.

Never forget: We are in this together, and we together we have enormous power. Let’s use it now.