“For all that has been – thanks! To all that shall be – Yes!” - Dag Hammarskjold, second Secretary General of the United Nations, 1953-61.
On January 21, 2017, members of Leagues across the nation participated in The Women’s March.in cities across the country. My husband Riley and I, who are pictured here – and many other members of our League – marched together in Santa Ana. Others were in LA, and elsewhere.
- We marched to say that we would not give up on the search to form a more perfect, just and honest union.
- In the years that followed the work has often been difficult and slow;
- There is so much we still need to do; and
- The last two difficult pandemic years certainly complicated things.
But as Amanda Gorman, the United States' first Youth Poet Laureate told us on January 20, 2021: “Somehow we weathered and witnessed a nation that isn’t broken, but simply unfinished. . . . We are striving to forge our union with purpose. To compose a country committed to all cultures, colors, characters and conditions of man.”
The mission of the League of Women Voters is “Empowering Voters.” and “Defending democracy.” In 2021 our Coast League worked on this in a variety of ways:
- Forty-seven of us, nearly 28% of our membership, have been active volunteers just since May, many volunteering in more than one capacity.
- We supported the work of the Leagues of Women Voters of the United States and California, and Orange County’s Inter-League organization, our “ILO.”
- We prepared voters for the gubernatorial recall election.
- We interviewed our members of Congress and the California State Legislature to help move forward the work needed in our state and country.
- We worked on homelessness and housing issues in the state and in Orange County.
- We worked on climate change and climate justice, primarily at the local level.
- We continued observing the meetings of city councils in most of our 16 cities.
- And more.
There is still so much to be done and a place for anyone wanting to work. To paraphrase some advice from the Talmud – we are not called to finish all this work but neither may we lay it down.
Please visit our website regularly to learn what you need to learn in order to be an informed voter, citizen and resident of this country and what you can do to help make democracy work.
Happy New Year to you and yours, from me, and from the League of Women Voters of Orange Coast.
January 1, 2022
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Becky Newman
“For all that has been – thanks! To all that shall be – Yes!” - Dag Hammarskjold, second Secretary General of the United Nations, 1953-61.
