LET’S TALK ABOUT THE GRASSROOTS.
People are always discussing the substantive issues, and worrying about the possible outcomes from our government’s dangerous actions. Many of us feel powerless to change our course for the better. What can we do, as “ordinary people”?
On today’s show, we talk about grassroots actions that ordinary folks can take — a plethora of possible actions around a variety of public issues.
Arnie is out of town, so Ken Barnes is hosting the show. Our guest is Louise Spencer, co-founder of the Kent Street Coalition, a grassroots group of volunteers from Concord, NH, who got together while commiserating about Donald Trump’s election in 2016. Rather than worry and complain to their friends, they decided to become engaged and active. They looked at policies and issues that they thought were important, and figured out what each of them could do — individually and together — to make a difference, even though they were not big donors with powerful connections.
Significantly, the Kent Street Coalition has maintained a broad focus, getting engaged in both state and national issues. KSC members educate themselves and the public, they advocate for their ideas through legislative advocacy (testimony, letters to their representatives, etc.); media outreach (Op-eds, letters to the editor); public education (holding meetings and forums, bringing experts to explain the history, research, and analysis relating to policy ideas; and raising consciousness through public visibility (e.g., demonstrating at the legislature, in other public spaces, and more).
KSC has worked in coalition with other advocacy groups. Together, they have stopped some harmful legislative proposals. And they have succeeded in developing positive bills that benefit ordinary people and promote democracy. Some of the latter bills have become law, while others have been vetoed by NH’s very conservative governor, Chris Sununu. One important lesson that KSC has learned is this: As long as we’re on the right side of history, recognizing and respecting the value of every human being, then we won’t be deterred by winning or losing on any particular piece of legislation, which is only one part of the larger, continuing picture. We will keep our eyes on the prize, continuing to build on our experiences. We will engage ourselves and others in our government processes, take whatever actions each person is able to take (which will differ depending on our health, energy, and other obligations), and persevere for the long term. That way, we will be able to enjoy a lively, engaged democracy that operates on behalf of all the people.
Like other similar groups around the country, the Kent Street Coalition is an example of “what democracy looks like.”
