This is a great source of people power!

I keep telling the seniors I know that we represent a large block of voting power!

My idea of People Power is not to run machines by pedaling on bicycles. No, I'm thinking of activists and voting power.

Katharine Heyhoe said this:

 My inspiration this month comes from the Knitting Nannas, an Australian activist group fighting to preserve our world for the next generations.

Their tactics are simple: they show up in bright yellow shirts, knitting in hand, and pull up a chair at protest sites that range from politicians' offices, coal seams, rallies, or “anywhere else we please to show a mild-mannered yet stubborn front,” they write. “Our demeanour is mild and concerned, both about the environment, the politicians’ reputation/legacy and the workers’ welfare. Our presence is to be positive, creative and above all, fun.” And they’re getting their knitting done, too – win-win!  
 
If you think these Nannas aren’t tough, think again. After a new Australian law passed that criminalized protesting near train stations and ports, two Knitting Nannas named Helen Kvelde and Dominique Jacobs sued, and ultimately prevailed, with the New South Wales supreme court invalidating part of the law in December. Justice Michael Walton declared parts of the law unconstitutional, writing that it had a “chilling effect on political communication via protests and public assemblies.”
 
Here’s to the Nannas who are raising their voices to fight for a livable future for generations to come! “Whenever anyone says, ‘There is nothing we can do,’ I think of the Knitting Nannas,” writes Mandy Nolan. “I think of this powerful and politically potent group of older women who hold the frontline of so many impossible protests with a ball of yarn and a cheeky conversation, and not just an ironing board – an iron will! They stand in unity. They know there is work to be done. And they do it.” 

And another blogger just reminded me:

The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, in fact, continues the work only begun by the 1965 Voting Rights Act, and is, itself, still a work in progress. You can read more, if you like, here: https://www.hrc.org/resources/voting-rights-advancement-act

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I'm (Barbara) reading Heather Cox Richardson's book "Democracy Awakening." She's a history professor who writes a daily newsletter connecting current events to the historical political movements. I am on chapter two about Civil Rights!

Today's quote:

Don’t think the garden loses its ecstasy in winter.
It’s quiet, but the roots are down there riotous.
—Rumi