As a white, middle class woman I have become increasingly aware of my “white privilege” – and I am developing a growing understanding that racism and white privilege are deep and insidious forces within our institutional structures.  I am just beginning my journey to discover the truths about these divisive forces.

I would like to share with you a bit of my past week's experience as I struggle to integrate what I learned into my life and my work – about the oppression that we all face.

Last week I attended a 6-day training in community organizing, facilitated by PICO, a national, faith based network of individuals and organizations that work in their communities, through their houses of worship; and, I plan to volunteer with my local PICO organization to address racism, privilege and mass incarceration - a new campaign here in Philadelphia. 

There were 100 folks at this training -- about 25% clergy, 80% people of color -- mostly Latinos and black folks.  These are people who are at the bottom of the pyramid -- organizing for grocery stores that they can walk to, schools, sidewalks to schools, health services, for alternatives to juvenile detention, against police brutality/racism, and mass incarceration -- and much more.  On Thursday, the woman sitting next to me, a lovely woman with 4 children, received a phone call from her neighbor that her house had again been burglarized, by neighborhood youth needing drug money – and this was not an unusual occurrence where she lived.

Our democracy is the foundation upon which we create a thriving and just society.
 
I don’t often think of our democracy in such terms.  I generally consider that our democratic process is “broken” as I think of the greed, big money and partisanship, and then, feel my disappointment and anger. 
 
For years my primary focus of activism has been the environment and global warming.  My thinking had been that without a nurturing, habitable planet there would be no people and therefore education, gun control, health care, income equality or other issues would not exist. 
 
I understood that a well functioning democratic process was critical for our future, but I did not see an effective means or movement to address this core issue.
 
My thinking is changing as I now see the possibility for change.  There is an enormous movement arising in our country that is coming together to reclaim our democracy.  
 
DEMOCRACY SPRING is demanding that our Congress take immediate action to end the corruption of big money in politics and ensure free & fair elections in which every American has an equal voice.  The goal is to restore our democracy so that all the people are involved in making decisions.

Dear Friends,  When I met Diane this past September at a Joanna Macy workshop I was both impressed with her personal clarity and vision, and also the many intersections of her life and mine -- one of which was our interests in travel and connecting with folks who are vastly different from ourselves.  Read more about how Diane turned her interests into a small and very effective program that connects her community in upstate New York with children on the streets in Kampala.

Retiring in 2002 from being a manager with state government, I knew I wanted to be of service and work internationally in my next phase of life. My lifelong wanderlust had developed into a fascination with other cultures and what made people both similar and unique.  In 2005 I traveled to Iran and Syria with a small citizen diplomacy group.  Our mission was to let government officials and everyday citizens know that—contrary to our government at the time—not all Americans considered them the “axis of evil”.  My eyes became opened to the many ways we can voice our opinion and be heard in places where it matters most.

At the same time, I was studying with environmental activist and Buddhist scholar Joanna Macy.  Through her teachings I learned that activism takes many forms.  Important as “holding actions” are, they are only one approach to being an activist and making change possible.

A few months later I fulfilled my childhood dream of visiting Africa.  Preferring travel with a purpose, I took a photo workshop in Uganda where I documented the lives of street children.  Through that experience I met 20-year-old Ronnie Sseruyange, who had become a street kid at age 6.  For the next ten years he lived with other children on the streets of Kampala, foraging for food during the day and hiding from police at night. 

Today, with the turning of the new year, I was inspired by the words of Agnes Bauerlein, who wrote: 
“I realize that the Earth doesn’t have to be governed by fear and violence.  I simply decided that raising and nurturing 11 children was too much of an investment to leave unguarded.….I decided to take action myself and not let the future of my family be decided by someone else.
 
I want my children to know that questioning authority is right and that acts of conscience should be the norm.”

Agnes became an activist in the 1980's inspired by the Plowshares Movement; though her words continue to have great releavance for all of us who are concerned about the state of our world and the future for all children.

As an elder activist I believe that NOW is our time to stand for what I know to be true.  I have the wisdom acquired through many years of life experience, and the time and resources to do what I was not able to when I was younger.  I understand the importance of speaking truth to power; and, if not now, when will I speak my truth?
 
More importantly, I believe that we all have the inner urging at this time of in our lives to leave a legacy of a just and thriving world for future generations.

NANCY OGILVIE is the founder and chief visionary for Our Climate Change Legacy, a community of wise, loving and fierce elders joining together as a powerful voice and force to turn the tide on climate change. The OCCL community engages in mutual learning, mutual support, and joint action. You can reach her at www.facebook.com/ourcclegacy or [email protected].
I was thrilled to "meet" Nancy via the internet and discover how much we have in common.  Apparently my vision of Elder-Activists is shared by others!  Read Nancy's story below and explore another view of Elder Activists....   Lynne

All it takes is reading or listening to the daily news to see that our world is in a heap of pain and trouble. It can be challenging not to feel instantly overwhelmed and tempting to simply look away, telling ourselves there’s nothing we, as an individual, can do to make a difference.

I challenge you to consider that those of us who are elders have unique gifts that only we can contribute – gifts that come from decades of lived experience. With some persistence and luck, we have harvested the gifts of love and wisdom that come from longevity. We have developed a level of confidence and trust that allows us a certain boldness and freedom to speak our minds. When we pool these gifts together, we CAN make a difference!  Together, we are exclusively equipped to be a powerful voice and force for turning the tide on climate change and creating a better world.

Having just turned 63, I gladly choose the label of “elder activist.” “Elder” is a title of honor and self-respect, reflecting the work I have done to grow in love and wisdom based on my life experience.  “Activist” means putting that wisdom and love into actions that leave a world that is better for my presence in it.

Claiming my “elder activist” self at this time in my life is a revolutionary act! It demonstrates my choice of service over self-indulgence, hope and action over despair and immobilization, love and gratitude over self-pity, wisdom and open-mindedness over ignorance and thoughtlessness.  It commits me to living in clarity and awareness, making deliberate, well-informed choices, applying the gifts of a lifetime to leaving a legacy of a vibrant and fulfilling life to future generations.

I spoke with Michelle Obama this past week – a short conversation that deeply touched my sense of power, possibility and hope.
 
Many times as an activist I get caught up in what is important to do without giving myself the time to reflect on the deep intent and spiritual core that guides my actions.  Yet, in my very brief conversation with Michelle Obama I connected deeply with the possibility that comes from allowing my intentions to guide my actions and my spirit to open my heart and mind.
 
I was attending the White House Chanukah party with my husband.  We were excited to be invited – though we both wanted something more than the schmoozing.  We agreed that the best possible outcome would be to ask Michelle Obama to help the brothers of our friend Hawa – who are refugees, living in Uganda and fearing for their safety.  We are trying to get them to the U.S.  It wasn’t completely farfetched since Michelle Obama, along with then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, had given Hawa an award for being one of the ten most Courageous Women of the World in 2012 and had brought her to the U.S.
 
Though it was unclear how it might happen that conversation was our intention.  It worked.

A thriving world is a world that is safe from random gun violence; where we can shop, go to movies, or to work – and not be terrorized by people with assault weapons in our communities. 
 
31,000 Americans are killed each year by gun violence – not by terrorists from outside of the U.S.
 
There were more than 316,000 firearm deaths between 2004 and 2013, compared to 313 terrorism deaths of Americans.  (American Deaths from Gun Violence vs Terrorism in One Chart, Rolling Stone, 10.2.15)
 
"We spend over a trillion dollars, pass countless laws, and devote entire agencies to preventing terrorist attacks on our soil, and rightfully so. And yet, we have a Congress that explicitly blocks us from even collecting data on how we could potentially reduce gun deaths. How can that be?" questioned President Obama speaking after a mass shooting on the Umpqua Community College campus.
 
Research shows—and cops will tell you—that common-sense public safety laws reduce gun violence and save lives.  It is simply too easy for the wrong people to get guns, leading to all kinds of violence—from deadly domestic abuse to suicide and school shootings.

There is a growing international movement of concerned elders and grandparents forming coalitions and becoming activists for climate change!

What a blessing!
The International Grandparents for the Climate Coalition had its inaugural meeting this past weekend in Paris!  A gathering of elders who came together to raise their voices and speak for future generations. 
"Grandparents for the Climate France, Belgium, Switzerland, Norway, Canada, United Kingdom … are determined to call on the 152 heads of State meeting in Paris for the COP 21 to speed up decisions concerning keeping fossil fuels underground and financing a just transition to 100% renewable energy by 2050.”

This new coalition is just the tip of a growing movement.
The Norwegian Grandparents’ Climate Campaign was formed in 2006 by a group of concerned elders, many of whom formerly held influential positions in Norwegian society. Hosted by the environmental organization “The Future in Our Hands”, GCC has proved a significant voice in the public debate on the state of Norway’s climate policy at home and abroad.
The aim of the Norwegian Grandparent’s Campaign is to secure the planet for coming generations – for people as yet unborn, for people we will never meet – by reducing our use of fossil fuels and converting to renewables as fast as possible.
‘It’s a conservative campaign, not revolutionary at all.  It’s about conserving and protecting and preserving our planet from further desecration,’ says Mette Newth, one of the founders of the Norwegian Campaign.

If god invited you to a party and said,
“Everyone in the ballroom tonight will
be my special guest.”
How then would you treat them when you arrived?
Indeed, indeed!
And Hafiz knows that there is no one in
this world who is not standing upon
His jeweled dance floor.
 
I love this poem by Hafiz, the Sufi poet. It is an invitation for us to believe that each and every person that we meet is worthy – of our respect and caring.  And, why would we want to feel any other way?
 
But, the complexity and enormity of our world is the challenge. 
Each day we become aware of still another problem that needs our attention.  And, how can one person pay attention to so many issues?

All too often we hear of the ways in which religion tear people apart – Catholics and Protestants, Shiites and Sunnis, Muslims and Christians.  Unfortunately the history of religion is not a peaceful one.  But last week’s 2015 Parliament of the World’s Religions offered a vision that inspired hope.
 
The 10,000 people in attendance were only a tiny percentage of the world’s population – but they are the cultural workers of their communities. 
 
Here are some highlights that amazed and inspired me
From the Women’s Plenary
Maya Tiwari – Peace is a feminine principle; and,
There are millions of names for Divine Mother Earth. 
Grandmother Mary Lyons –

• I always speak as “we,” in honor of my sisters in front of me to the right of me and to my left of me. We are all equal.  
• Put your hand on your heart, feel your heartbeat.  That is your battery, the spirit your Creator put in your blanket.

Valerie Kaur – Sisters and brothers, your love is revolutionary when you show up for each other!