Dear ~~first_name~~,
Greetings from LWV Wake.
As I write this message to you, it is July 4, 2024 – the United States Independence Day. We Americans love us some 4th of July as it is the apex of summer: picnics, hot dogs, hamburgers, and fireworks with plans to spend at least some time at the beach.
On July 4, 1776, fifty-six men in Philadelphia on a balmy day of about 76 degrees (according to Thomas Jefferson) signed the Declaration of Independence stating in part the following: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
With this document, these men “drew their line in the sand” telling King George III of England that we would be governing ourselves from that moment on. The War went on until 1783, but we celebrate the moment we drew that line in the sand.
Much of this newsletter is about last week, where, in Washington DC, the League of Women Voters of the United States held our Bi-Annual Convention where 1200 in-person and virtual attendees drew our lines in the sand. We celebrate the fact that our very own Dianna Wynn was elected to be the President of the LWVUS Board for the next 2 years. She explained her beginnings at LWV Wake where, she related, she was not just “stuffing envelopes;" she wanted a place at the table. We are so proud of her, and we celebrate and support Dianna Wynn,who definitely draws her line in the sand.
We are a very mixed bag at LWV Wake.
We have members at all stages of lines in the sand. Lots of us want to be members and attend functions. Most of us want to participate sometimes stuffing envelopes, or writing postcards or by volunteering in the myriad of events we have empowering voters and defending democracy. Some of us are intent on and willing to lead and to organize these events. Then there are the glorious few who want “a place at the table.”
Every one of us is absolutely necessary to our success. Let’s all work toward having more of us willing to lead, willing to organize, and wanting to have a place at the table. Together, we will draw our LWV Wake line in the sand.
Where do you draw your “line in the sand?"
Helen Zimmerman
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