I love the month of May—it’s smack in the middle of spring. I feel optimistic about everything. Every day I look forward to enjoying late-evening breezes and early-morning walks. Then I wake up with a hangover from yesterday’s news.
But I made an interesting discovery a few weeks past: If I focus on good news like the confirmation of Ketanji Brown Jackson, I realize all is not wrong with the world. It may feel like Groundhog Day (experiencing the resurgence of problems I thought we’d solved in the 1960s), but there are many wonderful things happening now. We simply have to focus on them.
Long ago, I learned to look at the positive side of things and to acknowledge them—not just to myself, but to others who are working alongside me. Suddenly you feel accomplished and ready to take on more challenges. Also, I think about the phrase, “Play to your strengths.” In other words, give your attention and effort to things that you do well.
So, what do we do well? We help voters vote, we help them make choices at the ballot box without influencing their choices one way or the other, and we offer opportunities to advocate for their communities.
In March, along with our coalition partners, we obtained over 15,000 signatures to place a measure on the Pasadena ballot in November. In April, we facilitated several candidate forums* and registered hundreds of high school students. And there’s much more to come—just take a look at this issue of the Voter. That’s pretty good for an all-volunteer workforce. So, this May and June, let’s work to our strengths. Let’s get out the vote!
Finally, I want to invite each of you to attend the Annual Meeting of our League members on June 18. Remember, this is your opportunity to vote on important issues that will direct us in our work in 2022–2023. Those issues are covered in this edition of the Voter, so please read on. Your vote in our election is very important.
In solidarity,
—Martha Y. Zavala
*Did you miss them? You can still watch a couple of last month’s candidate forums! Two forums, for Monrovia City Council candidates and Monrovia mayor, are or soon will be available online through the KGEM-TV YouTube channel. For more information, contact forums [at] lwv-pa.org.
