I asked Third Actor Pat Martin about being a long time activist and about the Jaffrey Climate Strike every Friday at 2pm, to which all are welcome to come! (Check the TA NH Facebook page for schedule updates.)
What does being an “activist” mean to you?
It’s an opportunity to connect with others in ways that amplify my own efforts to make change. It means being part of a community which helps you center that change in fairness and compassion for all life.
What are some of your most vivid memories and/or successes as an activist?
Definitely it has to be the two times that I was arrested and went to court (repeatedly!) pleading that while I was guilty of trespassing, my actions were justified in defense of the planet and climate action. It took a whole team of people and lawyers to support those of us who volunteered for arrest.
Why does activism matter? Is it effective?
Well, I sure hope it matters! It matters to me at least because it gives me something concrete I can do in the face of greed or ignorance when it comes to people and the planet. I feel better just taking action.
Tell us about the Jaffrey Climate Strike. How did it get started? How long has it been going?
Maddy Springfield was just starting a Masters program at Bennington College in International Climate Policy. It was late 2020 and the pandemic was in full swing. Maddy, a graduate of Conant Middle High School in Jaffrey and Bentley College, was unable to join her classmates because of Covid. Maddy was taking classes online, but was anxious to take IRL action. She knew about Fridays For Future, so she pulled some of her classmates from Conant and their siblings into standing with her.
A local reporter wrote a story about the young people. I had just lost my husband in late November and was still too devastated to go to meetings or talk to people. When I read the article about #FFF, I realized that I could still be useful to the climate fight by holding a sign and being part of a vigil.
Maddy eventually joined her classmates in California and passed the leadership torch to Megan Wheeler. Megan led the group for another 18 months while she awaited her Peace Corps assignment in the Dominican Republic.
We passed the 4 year mark in December of 2024. We soldier on without a youth leader, but I hope one will come along to continue our demonstrations until we see climate action on a large scale. It’s going to take everyone.
What gives you hope?
My fellow activists and the young people I encounter give me hope. My own activism gives me hope. We can’t do everything, but we can all do something and our combined efforts add up.
Is there anything else you’d like to tell the Third Act community?
I’ve been involved in clean energy/energy efficiency efforts since I was in college in the 1970s during the oil embargo. I’m an electrical engineer, so energy efficiency and low power design was my profession and passion. This is a long game. (I wish it were NOT…it’s an emergency and we’re dragging our feet!) Keep on protesting! Keep showing up. It has made a difference all around the world. Get arrested while you can if you’re healthy and not caring for someone else. The optics of arresting white-haired people who may need mobility devices is terrible and heart wrenching. It WILL have an impact! We also have a kind of special relationship with the younger generations… who may be the age of our grandchildren or great-grandchildren. They see us trying and that may give them some hope… which they will need with what they are facing.