Summer Check-In

A letter from Becky Palmer, IGGR Leadership

I’m wondering how all of you are doing this summer. It has been a long year, especially with everything happening in the political realm. At times, it can feel frightening and overwhelming. And when political uncertainty is layered on top of health concerns, family struggles, job insecurity, or the loss of stable housing, the weight can feel even heavier.

I hear you. I see you. You are not alone in these times. As a community, we must keep finding ways to stay connected rather than isolated, and united rather than divided.

A Reminder in Times of Crisis

I keep a note on my computer monitor as a reminder:

• This will not last forever.

• Ask others for help.

• Be kind to yourself.

Finding Balance and Hope

I want to share a few thoughts that I hope will bolster your spirits and help you keep moving forward. I am by no means perfect. I have stumbled in my own efforts to live with balance—to make room for fun, relaxation, and joy while also staying committed to the work ahead of us.

That work includes protecting democracy, defending voting rights, and helping ensure that all people are treated equally and fairly, regardless of their beliefs, religion, skin color, or gender identity. Every person deserves to be safe, seen, and supported.

Democracy as a Verb

One way I have cared for myself is by listening to podcasts. One that has stayed with me is How To Citizen, hosted by American writer and comedian Baratunde Thurston. In it, he explores democracy and what it means to participate in it.

One point he makes has stayed with me: “Democracy is a verb.” That idea lit up something in me. A verb expresses action, movement, occurrence, or a state of being. Thinking about democracy in that way gave me a renewed sense of energy and possibility.

For a long time, many of us—me included—may have thought of democracy as something static and unchanging. But if democracy is a verb, then it is dynamic. It is capable of action, movement, and adaptation. That means we all have the capacity to protect and grow our democracy when we treat it as something we actively practice.

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

Moving Forward Together

I am often amazed by the insight of our Founding Fathers and Mothers and their vision of what democracy could be. Perhaps, without using those exact words, they also understood democracy as a verb: something we must keep shaping, strengthening, and adapting for our time.

So, this summer, when you feel compelled to do something, we invite you to join us. At Indivisible Greater Grand Rapids, we are focused on saving and protecting democracy, getting out the vote and we would love to have you alongside us.

My grandmother always said, “Many hands make light work.” When we do this together, we win together.

Photo by Rineshkumar Ghirao on Unsplash