Hello again GuacFunders....
We were moments away from hitting the “send” button on this email, when the Supreme Court decision on Roe v. Wade was released. To say we are devastated simply does not cover it. Women’s rights and the right to choose has been a focus of the Guacamole Fund’s activities throughout its history.
Our “Fearless Leader” Tom Campbell, whom many of you know and love, has worked for decades with Gloria Steinem, Voters For Choice, and many others, with the help of the pro-choice musicians’ community, to assure the right to choose remained solid and unshakable.
Along with the other Court decisions, and against the backdrop of the January 6th Committee hearings, climate change, and so many other tragic events and critical issues, we are feeling it all – frustration, disillusionment, despair… hope eroding.
And. And, we won’t give up. Democracy and human rights and our beautiful planet must always be defended, actively. There is no other option.
For now, we remind ourselves that activism is alive and well, and exemplified by so, so many good grassroots organizations, doing vital work in their communities and states across the country, on so many important issues. Including the ones we are “meeting” and highlighting as we “virtually” follow Jackson Browne on his current tour. Read on for hope, and we’ll see you soon…
Jackson is in Ohio this week, and in Cincinnati on June 24 th , we’re meeting the Ohio Environmental Council, whose mission is “to secure healthy air, land, and water for all who call Ohio home. A clean, beautiful Ohio where diverse people, innovation, and all of our natural treasures thrive.“
They are focusing on climate change, and further explain: “It is now clear that climate change threatens public health on multiple fronts, harms industries that Ohioans rely on to feed our families, and alters the landscapes that make our state special and unique… We can no longer afford to kick this can down the road. The threats of climate impacts are not theoretical or far-off possibilities. We cannot succeed in our mission to ensure clean air, land, and water for all who call Ohio home without addressing climate change.”
The next night, on the 25th, we join Jackson in Northfield, Ohio, and meet Equality Ohio, who advocate and educate to achieve fair treatment and equal opportunity for all Ohioans regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity or expression.
They believe in the “intrinsic worth and dignity of all people…. We trust LGBTQ+ people to know what they need. Together we seek to remove the societal barriers erected by bias, ignorance, fear, and oppression that limit us…. We are fierce, fabulous and passionate. We lead from a place of love and not rooted in fear. We learn, adapt, and evolve our work. We are in it for the long-term and seek sustainability by creating a culture of care for ourselves and one another.”
Thanks for following along with us, getting to know some of the amazing people out there, each doing their important work to make things better for all of us, and to make us all better people. We’re incredibly inspired and hope you are too. We’ll be back after the tour break.
Take good care of each other,
Tom, Paula, Diane and Jeffrey
The Guacamole Fund
