I want to share a political moment that turned me into an activist. I was a young teen when the doorbell rang. I rushed to it bc Mom was in bed with one of her headaches. I saw a thin, middle aged black woman when I opened the door, and she asked if my parents were home.
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I'd been taught to never say no, so I told her I only had a mother and she was asleep. She started to engage me in conversation. She asked about brothers and sisters, and asked what kind of work mom did. They were questions of interest, not prying. It was safer then.
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We had such a pleasant conversation that we ended up sitting down. She was interested in how a woman handles being the single mom of 7 kids. Were we able to get enough food? How did mom manage getting clothes for so many growing children? Did we get food stamps or assistance?
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I was honest. Sometimes dinner was fried bologna sandwiches, but we always had veggies and salad to go with them—meat, carb, green veggie, 2nd veggie. We shopped at thrift stores and bakery outlets. We had a freezer on the breezeway and another in the basement for sales.
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It didn't feel off talking to an adult, nor did it feel she was just being nosey. She looked me in the eyes and listened to my answers. I was already doing volunteer work at 11, and she found that fascinating. And a couple sibs were old enough to earn a wage.
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It's one of my favorite memories. After we were finished talking, we stood up and she shook my hand. She told me she was glad my mom was asleep bc we'd had such a pleasant conversation. She gave me a brochure to give mom.
After she'd gone, I glanced at the pamphlet.
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After she'd gone, I glanced at the pamphlet.
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It said, "Shirley Chisholm for President," and the picture was of the woman I'd just talked to.
She never mentioned it. She didn't push an agenda. She didn't walk away when an adult wasn't available.
The following presidential election I volunteered, still too young to vote.
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She never mentioned it. She didn't push an agenda. She didn't walk away when an adult wasn't available.
The following presidential election I volunteered, still too young to vote.
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I'm not sure there is a presidential election I didn't volunteer for since I started. But then I became disabled. I couldn't canvass, so I couldn't volunteer.
This year, this very important midterm election, has brought me new ways to volunteer as someone differently abled.
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This year, this very important midterm election, has brought me new ways to volunteer as someone differently abled.
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I'm voting Blue. The Dem platform, as well as having @AndrewGillum and @SenBillNelson to vote for, sure makes it an easy choice. Red Tide Rick is spending big money on ads, but he's behind @SenBillNelson. And @RonDeSantisFL's trumpian politics won't work here.
#WhyDoYouVote ?
#WhyDoYouVote ?
