Part 4: Activism

Unstoppable Unitarian Women of the 1980s – By LLyn De Danaan

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My tribute here, however, is not to the church itself but to the several women whom I might never have had the opportunity to meet if not for the church. Carol Fuller, the first woman superior court judge in Thurston County, Jocelyn Dohm, founder of Sherwood Press, and Meta Heller, a former D.C. lobbyist, tax reform and antinuclear activist . . . were among those whom I admired. They were outspoken, farsighted, community-minded, and determined to work for justice. Two I want to especially remember are Gladys Burns and Kay Engel.

Construction Brigades in Nicaragua During Reagan’s War – By Jean Eberhardt

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During the contra war—a right-wing terror campaign waged by ex-national guard mercenaries of Nicaragua’s ousted dictator and funded by the U.S.—over a hundred thousand people from the U.S. visited Nicaragua. Many of us traveled and volunteered with purpose. For example, delegations of elected officials mobilized by progressive organizations, ecumenical study tour groups, long-term volunteers with Witness for Peace, caravans carrying material aid with Pastors for Peace, medical teams, coffee and cotton harvest brigades, and journalists.

Matrix: the Rise and Fall of Olywa’s Feminist-Lesbian Magazine – By Anna Schlecht

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Everything about Matrix started small. We were a grassroots, community-based magazine, written by a handful of local women-identified people and published in a small community printshop with a circulation of less than two hundred. But we quickly realized that we were part of something much larger, and that our work to create and publish it each month followed a powerful tradition of lesbian activism via the printed word. 

Violence and Non-Violence; A Tale of Two Tactics – By Anna Schlecht

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Crabshell Alliance was a VERY different kind of political action group for me. Up until 1975, my political experience had involved bouncing around the antiwar movement in Madison, Wisconsin, most of which was DIY, male-dominated, and raucous. But in Crabshell Alliance, I found myself part of a well-organized effort with clear strategies, effective tactics, and women in leadership. Vastly different.

Cracks in the Foundation for WPPSS – By Tom Clingman

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So Jim dug out the per-customer debt projections for each PUD and electrical co-op. We got a list of all the newspapers in the state. We created a “letter to the editor” form letter, inserted the PUD/co-op name and the per-customer debt figure, and sent it off to the newspaper nearest to each utility. An early crack in the WPPSS nuclear power edifice came at a WPPSS meeting. Someone from a rural electrical co-op stood up, waving around a letter to the editor that showed the massive debt load for each of their members, and expressed grave concerns about the WPPSS nuclear power plan. 

Fair Electric Rates Now: A David v. Goliath Saga – By Tom Clingman

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I remember the initial 1978 meeting of the group that became FERN (Fair Electric Rates Now). We had reserved a meeting room at the old Olympia Community Center for a gathering of folks concerned about Puget Power’s investments in nuclear power, and the potential Puget Power rate impacts. The rhythm of kids playing basketball on the nearby courts accompanied our discussion.

Blossom Patches – By Pat Holm

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Around 1970, Steve Wilcox and a group of friends decided to lobby for the legalization of marijuana. We formed an organization called BLOSSOM: Basic Liberation Of Smokers and Sympathizers Of Marijuana. I was the sympathizer since I didn’t smoke pot and nobody was doing edibles yet, except for the occasional fibrous brownies. We wrote up a list of ideas, goals, and tasks, and we assessed what each of us could contribute to the effort.

The First Lesbian Community Meetings – By Anna Schlecht

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We stood there befuddled on Columbia Street until other women began to arrive for the meeting. Many had come pumped up to argue about who should be invited, but once they heard what had happened, most of the divisions fell away. Suddenly, everyone there had the shared experience of being discriminated against as queers, whether they publicly identified that way or not. Nearly 50 women found themselves standing sullenly on the dark street with nowhere to go.

Supporting the Teachers’ Union in El Salvador – 1985 – By Steven Kant

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I was traveling with a delegation of U.S. teachers and union activists. The trip included people from Seattle, Los Angeles, and other U.S. cities. Beth Harris of Olympia was one of the organizers. We were responding to a request from ANDES, the Salvadoran teachers union, to attend their union convention. ANDES had not been able to hold a convention for years because of the violent repression, so they invited teachers and activists from all over the world to attend as witnesses and participants.