Last week we in the Connecticut office were fortunate enough to have Bob Edgar visit our small state. While planning his visit, we knew we had to have at least one event with our activist community. We are so lucky in Connecticut to have a large group of people dedicated to grassroots activity. They've stood on street corners every Saturday for five years holding up signs to try and stop the Iraq War. They came in droves to phone bank for campaign finance reform. They door knock and lit drop and attend rallies and marches. Connecticut Activists Rock! And in August of 2006 they helped pull off a primary upset that sent signals around the nation when Ned Lamont beat Senator Lieberman. But as the war wears on, as our national government continues to be run my the money machine, as our media keeps on embracing its role as the corporate mouth piece, activists are getting tired. Is their tireless work actually producing any fruit?
What better way to help keep these dedicated troops energized and to introduce Dr. Edgar to some of the best folks in the state then by hosting a forum with both Dr. Edgar and Ned Lamont? Both of these men know first hand how important the grassroots are to any effort to speak truth to power - and so the plan was set in motion. Follow me after the jump and I'll tell you how the evening went.
When I called Ned to ask him to participate in the forum, he immediately said. "Common Cause is terrific - sign me up!" The ball was set in motion, and I started contacting local activist leaders to help with logistics. My good friend, Gloria, who heads up Democracy for West Hartford helped out tremendously, and the group co-sponsored the event. We sent out e-mails, posted flyers, and hit all the Connecticut blogs. But would people come? It was mid-week, and the next night would find many of the same folks going off to the David Sirota book event, also with Ned, in another part of the state. Torrential rain was fore casted, and of course we started to get nervous about turn out.
We needn't have worried. Shortly before the start time people started filing in, and they didn't stop until 45 minutes after that (the rain did slow some folks down, but they managed to come anyway). To get everyone into an activist frame of mind, we watched a short film about the power of ordinary people acting together in Chile against Pinochet. The film did its work of revving up the audience and then Ned and Bob spoke. In listening to these two talented men advocate for activism, you could see why both of them have captured the hearts of activists. Heads were nodding, people were clapping and there was power present in the room. As the Q & A got going, these hard working activists asked questions, made comments, and engaged both Dr. Edgar and Mr. Lamont in a rousing discussion.
The power in the room came not only from the two amazing and inspiring speakers, but from the room full of activists who are inspired to do a little bit each day to create positive change in the world. As we come together as a community of people dedicated to holding power accountable, the energy we create will stay to nourish us and provide the impetus we need to get out of bed each day and do a little bit more. And if each one of us keeps doing our part, together we have the power. As Dr. Edgar puts it, "We are the Leaders we've been waiting for."
