​'Migration & Human Rights Can’t Wait’  Around the world climate change is driving mass migration; creating a human rights crisis as migrants face life-threatening hardships.

JOIN Jane Fonda, Elders Action Network, Elders Climate Action, Grannies Respond/Abuelas Responden – and, other elders, grandparents, and concerned citizens.

LEARN more about what we can all do; and urge our elected officials to adopt the Green New Deal.
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If you would like to join me on December 6th, please RSVP to: LPISER@aol.com  
(We’ll find a common meeting space. Bring signs if you like.)

I was so impressed with Jane's courage that I joined her, and Ted Danson, in Washington on October 25th. Each week the rally has a different focus – and that week it was the oceans. We learned not only about the terrible damage that is being done to our oceans, but also how ocean repair could occur if we had the political will. I intend to join her again, and again. I am so grateful that she is leading the way and inspired by her courage, her assessment of what is happening, and her determination to be a part of the solution. Our house is on fire! We have an emergency and we have to get out into the streets with our neighbors and put out this fire!

it’s 3:23 in the morning
and I’m awake
because my great great grandchildren
won’t let me sleep
my great great grandchildren
ask me in dreams
what did you do while the planet was plundered?
what did you do when the earth was unraveling?
surely you did something
when the seasons started failing?
as the mammals, reptiles, birds were all dying?
did you fill the streets with protest
when democracy was stolen?
what did you do
once
you
knew?
–Drew Dellinger, Hieroglyphic Stairway

Then how do we find hope?
When I listen to the news, read the papers or my emails – I feel a sense of urgency. I hear that “our house is on fire;” the words of Greta Thunberg, a 16 year-old climate activist from Sweden. Is she being an alarmist? Or do her words provide an accurate metaphor?  

Joanna Macy talks about “active hope” – when we assess a situation and identify the outcomes we hope for, considering all the obstacles, the pain and the truth – and then we determine our actions.  We don’t wait until we are sure of success.
Are we willing to see the truth of climate change, corporate greed and the future that we are stealing from our children?

This is our opportunity – to recognize this URGENCY and to ACT for the sake of our children.

Here are the facts:

• According to NASA, 18 of the 19 warmest years have occurred since 2000. “The warming of the planet is unambiguous and irrefutable.
• The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), representing the world’s leading climate scientists, warned in October 2018 that the world has little more than a decade to bring emissions under control and halve them, to avoid grave consequences, including the die-off of coral reefs and devastation of many species. 
• According to a UN Report, May, 2019, as many as one million plant and animal species are now at risk of extinction, posing a dire threat to ecosystems that people all over the world depend on for their survival.

What can we do?

1. WORK TOGETHER -- individually we are each important but not sufficient to the task,
2. GET ENGAGED – we need every one of us, and there is room for everyone’s passion, energy and talents,
3. BE INSPIRED by the courageous actions of others.  Although there are plenty of despairing new stories – choose to read YES! Magazine, Listen to Krista Tippet & find your inspiration.

Here are some of my hero/ines:
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez offering us a “A Message From the Future” with her vision of how we got from this moment of confusion to a thriving future – well worth the 7 ½ minutes.

The spirited older women of Austria known as the Omas (Grandmothers) Against the Right – who are fighting the right wing coalition and standing up for democracy, equal rights and tolerance. “We see what is happening and we won’t look away. We are the generation that promised the horrors of the last century would never be repeated. We are the generation that had a future. Now we are seeing the futures of our children and our grandchildren hanging in the balance. We are not going to let that happen.”

Our “youngers” who are the Sunrise Movement – They are ordinary young folks who are scared about what the climate crises means for the places and people that they love, and for their future.  They are strategically organizing to make climate change an urgent priority across our country, end the corrupting influence of fossil fuel executive on our politics and elect leaders who will stand up for the health and wellbeing of all people.  They welcome “elder allies” to their meetings and actions – and are so appreciative that we are standing with them. Find a “Hub” near you!

Finally – the Green New Deal -- a feasible and affordable plan to address the climate and social justice issues in the U.S.  It is not perfect but it will move us in the right direction! It will:

• end the emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) in order to stop global warming,
• guarantee lower-cost, high-quality health coverage for all, and
• ensure decent jobs and living standards for all Americans.

Could this really be affordable?  YES! The U.S. spends 17% of its Gross Domestic Product on health care coverage, while other countries spend 10 – 12% with better health outcomes.  Learn more by reading this article.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

• Allow yourself to feel your own pain for our world and for our children.
• Speak with your friends, family, colleagues.  Ask them, “What do you think about the climate crises?”  What can we do together?”
• Get active and engaged!  Here are some good organizations to begin:
  • Elders Climate Action
  • Elders Action Network
  • Youth Climate Strike
  • Sunrise Movement

As Elders let's support, inspire and be engaged, discovering our TRUE POWER – TOGETHER.

Three days ago I learned about Grannies Respond/Abuelas Responden.  I read the website and tears welled up – which is not typical for me.  I thought, “Here is a group of elders who are putting their hearts and spirits into action.” 
 
“Over six days, beginning July 31, the caravan will journey more than 2,000 miles, onboarding other “grannies” along the way. They will host rallies in strategic political districts in cities along the way to protest the Trump administration’s zero tolerance policy for immigrants and asylum seekers.

Beginning with a rally in New York City, Grannies Respond will make stops in Reading and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Louisville, Kentucky; Montgomery, Alabama; New Orleans, Louisiana; and Houston, Texas; before finally reaching a detainment facility in either McAllen or Brownsville, Texas.” So read the story in YES! Magazine.

I decided to join them.  I hate bus rides.  I sit up front so that I won’t get nauseous.  My back hurts after driving in the car for a couple of hours.  The bathrooms smells.  So, why am I doing this?

This year I have challenged myself to “live as though the truth was really true”

“Old Farts” Group Protest Results in Arrest of 6 at ICE in Philadelphia”
 
As a group of elders we wanted to call attention to what was happening to the three thousand children that had been forcibly taken from their parents when they entered the United States from our southern border.  We were appalled that our government would harm children in this way.  Have you ever witnessed a children or a parent that have lost each other in a public place?  The child is crying, the parent is near hysteria with fear.  Imagine if they were not able to find each other.  Imagine if they were in a strange country, where everyone was speaking a different language.  Could you imagine the fear?  The terror?  

These families have survived the arduous journey to come to the United States – in most cases fleeing situations in their home country where their lives have been threatened, relatives have been killed, children or women taken as hostages or been raped.  These parents are not coming here for the “good life” – they are coming to the U.S. seeking asylum.
 
As a grandmother and mother of five children my heart went out to those parents and children.  I know that this treatment is inhumane, uncaring and unethical – because we don’t use children to further political agendas. These policies of putting families, with young children, into detention, and of separating families at the border must stop.
 
I was not alone in my concern.  Friends invited me to a meeting, where they were discussing how to bring attention to this issue.  There had been many protests at the local ICE -- Immigration and Customs Enforcement – office, and we wanted to keep up the pressure.  We decided to arrive early, stand in front of the door with a banner, and not allow anyone to enter or leave. 

Like many concerned citizens, I was devastated by the election of President Trump. I feared for the fate of justice, compassion and equality in our society; and, unfortunately, my fears were realized in the very first days of the administration with the announcement of the Muslim Ban. I wanted to take action but it felt too hard to do it alone.   I decided I would reach out for compatriots. 

I posted on Facebook, and sent emails to friends and neighbors, announcing that I would be at my house writing postcards to elected officials on Fridays, from 2 to 3 p.m. I didn’t know how it would go, and certainly never thought about this as a long-term project. I was heartened that 4 or 5 or 8 women showed up every time during the first few months. Those early members invited others, and the group grew. Now, members take turns hosting in their homes, and we communicate through our Facebook group; we have become an ongoing venture.
 
What we do is quite simple. ​​​We share issues of greatest concern to us each week, and then write postcards to our elected officials, committee chairs or committee members. We have learned that postcard messages are a simple, attention-grabbing means of registering our support or opposition to stances and measures taken by officials.  Over tea and snacks we sit for an hour and write exhortative messages about subjects such as immigration, gun control, environmental protection, judicial appointments, and criminal justice. We also write to express admiration and appreciation for those who have taken courageous positions.

For several years I have wanted to organize a local Elder-Activists group. I’ve been showing up at rallies and actions with my Elder Activists t-shirts and banner—but could not wrap my mind around how to organize a group until just this past month. And then, it was so easy! 
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When I shared in a circle of friends that I wanted to start a group but wasn’t sure how to do so, my friend Julie replied, “Why don’t you bring a group of elders to our next POWER action?” 
POWER is Philadelphians Organized to Witness, Empower and Rebuild—a local faith-based, community-organizing network which has been very successful in responding to local issues. Julie is organizing a long term strategic campaign to force our local power company to create green jobs and place solar panels on the rooftops of working class homes—as opposed to building a corporate solar field. 

I wrote an email and sent it to about a dozen friends and fellow activists, inviting them to the POWER action and to an Elder-Activists meeting to talk about “elders standing together” at local actions. I immediately got six or eight positive responses. That was encouraging!