My friend, Mary, asked me the other day, what drives me to organize in my community. I’ll admit, I needed a moment to reflect on that question after hearing it. My conclusion was that, although I know it’s easy to get caught up in the big headlines, I organize because I’m grounded in my vision for a better future — not just for myself, but for my community as well.
In my vision, we all have the resources we need to thrive and we are valued for who we are and our skill sets; we all have time to take care of ourselves, our space, and can see our loved ones regularly because we aren’t stuck working all the time. Life would be whimsical, and no one would have to struggle unnecessarily.
At least once a week, I practice that vision. I cook dinner for my friends because I know it can be tough to find the time to make a home-cooked meal or to make any plans with friends between work, school, family, pets, etc., but we all need to eat.
Cooking is a love language, passed down to me by my mom. She was always the person who would cook for our family, always the friend who would make a meal when community members were going through tough times, and the leader who would organize meal drop offs when a friend needed help after a death in the family, surgery, etc.
I inherited this practice and made it my own. Weekly dinners with friends I know could use some extra support, or people I haven’t seen in a while helps us stay connected, up to date on each other’s lives, and keeps us from isolating ourselves. Since I mostly work remotely, it’s easy to do that! During these meals, we also get to talk about each other’s fears, hopes, dreams, what’s going on in the world, and how we can support each other.
These meals shared with friends keep me hopeful and motivated. I know that to protect us, I need to use my voice and my power to support myself and my community. This is why I organize. I want my community to live with the safety and dignity we all deserve. To chase those dreams, we need the resources to survive and thrive, and it’s up to us to demand what we deserve. That means organizing to strengthen our communities with policies and candidates that support us, hard-working Pennsylvanians.
That’s why I’m voting YES to retain Justices Donohue, Dougherty, and Wecht in this Supreme Court of PA (SCOPA) retention election. Our safety and resources are on the line in this election, and protecting my community is worth it. (Click here to see why you should vote YES)
Despite the billionaires trying to buy this election and the Trump administration trying to strip us of our rights and freedoms, SCOPA can continue to help us keep working people in PA safe if we vote to retain the current justices. Justices Donohue, Dougherty, and Wecht have voted to expand healthcare access to Pennsylvanians, better fund our public schools, protect our right to safe abortions, and more.
This election is too important to sit out! Polls are open 7am-8pm on November 4th. Find your polling place here and make your plan to vote today!
Our communities are all worth protecting. In times of crisis, it’s important to remind one another why we’re fighting for a better world.
In community,
Hannah