I Still Care…and I Think You Do, Too

I won’t lie to you. Sometimes I don’t feel like being an activist. I don’t want to “do” much of anything political. With things as entrenched, polarized, and depressing as they can be in our country – and our world – I would rather curl up on the couch in pajamas and watch back-to-back episodes of House of Cards. But we can’t.

Don’t get me wrong. As activists we need to practice self-care but for all the reasons I mentioned, we also need to act, to stand up and be counted.

I know your hesitation. We’ve experienced so much disappointment and apathy and it’s true, the people who occupy positions of power are often beholden to powerful interests but it is also true that you have the power to elect the officials who represent you.  And when you do, they have an incentive to listen to you – especially when you are consistently organized and building power in your community.

This starts to feel truer to me when I step back and take a longer view of social change movements. It takes generations of relentless activists, vision and courage, stamina and a sense of humor. I want to play my part and I think you do, too. For me, the remedy to my own creeping sense of indifference is to surround myself with people who remind me that the work I do matters and that I still care, and it can - and must - be done.

The ACLU is one such community of dynamic activists and a bunch of us are getting together for three days, April 5-7, in Sacramento for the ACLU of California’s annual Conference & Lobby Day. If you’re looking for inspiration, a little push to get you motivated, you should come, too. Here’s why:

We value you: If you have been a dues-paying card-carrying ACLU member for years, I thank you. You have built the foundation of this amazing organization. You should come to Sacramento and spend some time with fellow civil libertarians. If you are considering getting involved in ACLU but have not yet been to an event, you should come to Sacramento. We want to hear your voice.

We need you: The ACLU is a community of fierce, feisty, fun people who are not afraid to fight for civil rights and civil liberties in every small town and big city across this country. We need you to show up ready to fight alongside us. Every person gets us that much closer to protecting and advancing Civil Liberties for all Californians.

Not sold yet on why you should devote three days to hanging out with ACLU rabble-rousers in Sacramento? Here are three more really important reasons:

1) Struggling families across California are denied basic needs assistance for their children through the Maximum Family Grant rule. What is the “Maximum Family Grant”, you may ask. It is a law that prohibits families who qualify for CalWORKs to receive an increase in support even if a family’s size increases due to the birth of a child. Basically, it is about the government trying to control the reproductive health choices of poor women and their families. We can change this law. You can help by coming to Sacramento and advocating for SB 899 (Mitchell).

2) Students in our public schools are being suspended and expelled for "willful defiance," i.e. minor discipline issues that pose no danger. This is happening disproportionately to youth of color. We can change this destructive reality and keep more young people in school. You can help by coming to Sacramento and advocating for AB 420 (Dickenson).

3) The so-called War on Drugs continues to wreak havoc in our communities. Equalizing the penalties for crack cocaine to the current penalties for powder cocaine will help correct the groundless disparity in sentencing and probation guidelines for possession of crack cocaine for sale versus the same crime involving powder cocaine that has resulted in a pattern of racial discrimination in sentencing and incarceration in California. We can change this sentencing practice in California. You can help by coming to Sacramento and advocating for SB 1010 (Mitchell).

And, there’s another reason: we have an awesome keynote speaker, Camila Chavez, who you won’t want to miss. Ms. Chavez is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Dolores Huerta Foundation. From its headquarters in Bakersfield, Ms. Chávez oversees training for low-income community members in the areas of leadership and organizing skills specific to civic and electoral participation so that they can become catalysts for change in their own communities. The ideals of non-violence, selfless motivation and personal responsibility were instilled in Camila by her parents Richard Chávez and Dolores Huerta. Camila grew up at the UFW Headquarters of La Paz where those same ideals were reinforced through the actions of people like her Uncle Cesar E. Chavez.

So, will I see you in Sacramento April 5-7^th? I hope so. Click here to register now.

Shayna Gelender is the Director of Organizing and Community Engagement with the ACLU of Northern California.