Elders for Kamala: Well, that went well!

On August 5th, our community came together to harness its power in support of Kamala Harris. Below, Bill McKibben writes about the event and what needs to get done in the coming weeks to protect our democracy and climate.

The numbers late last month hinted that Harris might struggle to hold onto Biden’s lead with older voters, but you wouldn’t have believed that from our showing last night. Your enthusiasm is helping rewrite the narrative of this campaign and I’m more hopeful than ever that we elders can galvanize our peers. So, let’s share the recording of the Elders for Kamala event far and wide.

We are going to prove together that older Americans are eager for the future that Kamala Harris represents. When Akaya Windwood shared her story of integrating her public school in the 1960s, it reminded us of how far we’ve come in our lifetimes. But as we face the sneering and divisive figure of Donald Trump, we know how far we still have to go—and how much we could backslide as a nation.

Preventing that means working hard these next weeks, and having lots and lots of conversations with friends and neighbors. Third Act will give you the resources to make those conversations easier: snippets from last night, videos we’re busily producing, analysis, and statistics. But the secret ingredient will be your connections, your relationships, your courage––and above all else––your time and sweat.

Thousands of you already signed up for volunteer shifts and events over the next 90 days. You also helped us surpass our fundraising goal for GrayPAC, Third Act’s newly launched political action committee. All in, we’re closing in on a quarter of a million dollars, with funds from last night being split with the Harris campaign. You can continue to contribute here. Every dollar we raise will help us secure and advance climate protections and justice in our communities.

On the call, Robin Wall Kimmerer asked, “What does it mean to become a good ancestor?” And then answered, “part of it is to lift up new leaders.” We intend to do just that.

Let’s get to work.

Paid for by GrayPAC. Not authorized by any candidates or candidates’ committees.

Bill McKibben

Bill McKibben is a founder of Third Act, which organizes people over the age of 60 to work on climate, democracy, and racial justice. He founded the first global grassroots climate campaign, 350.org, and serves as the Schumann Distinguished Professor in Residence at Middlebury College in Vermont. In 2014 he was awarded the Right Livelihood Prize, sometimes called the ‘alternative Nobel,’ in the Swedish Parliament. He’s also won the Gandhi Peace Award, and honorary degrees from 19 colleges and universities.

He has written over a dozen books about the environment, including his first, The End of Nature, published in 1989. His most recently released book is The Flag, the Cross, and the Station Wagon: A Graying American Looks Back at his Suburban Boyhood and Wonders What the Hell Happened.