Like many Oak Parkers, I was actively involved in the 2024 presidential campaign: donating, phone-banking, canvassing. And like many of you, I was gutted by the results of that November election.
After the election, I took the rest of November and December off and then got re-involved in politics — part of my self-care. It has helped lessen my feelings of discouragement, depression, and discombobulation. And it has helped shield me a little from the daily news firehose of one down-the-rabbit-hole event after another.
I connected with the WisDems (Wisconsin Democrats) in January, one of the groups I worked with before the November election, and got actively involved in the election of Judge Susan Crawford for the Wisconsin State Supreme Court. The election was key in keeping the Wisconsin Supreme Court liberal and was seen as a bellwether for upcoming local and state elections. President Trump endorsed her opponent, and Elon Musk contributed over $25 million to Brad Schimel’s campaign.
From mid-January until April 1, I was part of various phone-bank teams, often doing two shifts a week and sometimes an additional shift on weekends. I made calls to low-turnout Democratic voters, worked with a nonpartisan group that made calls to Black voters in Milwaukee, giving them precinct information and information on free rides to the polls on Election Day.
Many of the people I called didn’t know about this campaign. In March, I had an unforgettable conversation with someone in Maryland who had helped in the Harris campaign, asking them to volunteer.
The caller said, “I want to sue Donald Trump for breaking my mother’s heart. She is 97 years old and almost at the end of her life. She lived through the Depression, two wars, the Civil Rights Movement, Obama as president, and is so discouraged about what is going on now.”
It turns out that the caller was a health researcher at Johns Hopkins and the day before, had received an email that 500 studies there were on hold. She told me, “I never thought that at this time in my career, I might lose my job. And I never thought that cutting-edge research would be eliminated. The sickest people come to Johns Hopkins.” She signed up to phone bank and was excited to tell her mother that she and people like me were doing something to help change the direction of the government. I think of her when I hear about cuts in scientific research; it is very likely that her job has been eliminated.
Judge Crawford won the election. And for me it was like breathing clean fresh air to know that I played a small role in her victory.
Phone banking breaks the isolation and makes me feel empowered, even if only briefly. Some of my friends are introverts and don’t want to even think about calling strangers. Anyone who has spent time with me knows that I love to talk and listen to people. My parents were activists. My mother proudly told stories of the 1950s and 1960s, going out to lunch with people from her work and the restaurant not wanting to serve her Black co-workers. “If you don’t serve all of us, we all are leaving” she announced and usually they had to leave. Both my parents were active against the Vietnam War, and I was part of many social-justice efforts, including supporting the United Farm Workers Union in their grape and lettuce boycotts. We stood in front of supermarkets encouraging people to support the farm workers.
For many of us, finding balance in these challenging times is key. How do we help make a better world for our children and grandchildren and also spend quality time with them? How do we find time to tend to our health, connect with loved ones and friends and, for those who aren’t retired, work?
Here are some resources I use to stay informed:
I receive daily emails from Heather Cox Richardson, who gives in-depth historical analysis. She also has afternoon Facebook live videos answering questions from the chat. I also get emails from Robert Reich, MoveOn, Swing Left, and Sister District, which has a Greater Chicago group that works on a strategic campaign of down-ballot candidates from “purple” or “red” states.
Jessica Craven’s column, “Chop Wood, Carry Water,” shares positive happenings and has links for volunteering. Her Facebook posts are short, timely, and full of emotion.
A few other Facebook groups with good information are Oak Park Progressives, Illinois Women Forward, Polite Politics Oak Park, Oak Park Area Neighbors, The 5051Movement. I also read Wednesday Journal and listen regularly to WBEZ.
For those who are interested in participating in No Kings Day on June 14, rallies and marches are scheduled in Naperville and Chicago. I plan to be at the Oak Park rally at Scoville Park from 1 to 3 p.m.
Joy Aaronson is an Oak Park resident who writes about “Favorite Things” for Wednesday Journal.
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