In an email to supporters, Third Act’s CEO, Kafia Ahmed, shared a powerful reminder:

This work is not a sprint; it’s a marathon. To endure, we must not only remain open to discovering our unique gifts and talents but also take care of ourselves and lean on each other. Community is what brought me back from burnout. It’s what allowed me to plug into this fight more meaningfully. And it’s what will sustain us in the years ahead as we confront new and profound challenges.

At Third Act, we’ve taken this lesson to heart. Just last week, our team gathered for a staff retreat to reflect and recharge after the election season. Together, we reaffirmed our commitment to this work and started charting a path forward for 2025. It’s clear that this next phase will demand focus, strategy, and a collective endurance.

This was Third Act’s first presidential election cycle. But for our volunteers—elders who’ve lived through decades of history—this moment carries the wisdom of experience. They’ve seen movements thrive, falter, and rise again. That perspective will guide us as we step into the next phase of this fight with clear eyes and renewed resolve.

Together, over the past few months, we achieved extraordinary things:

• We built GrayPAC, a Political Action Committee, from the ground up channeling elder power for climate and democracy
• We sent hundreds of thousands of postcards to low-propensity voters, and registered thousands of new voters, ensuring their voices were a part of this crucial election
• We mobilized phone banks and canvassing teams in communities nationwide, directly reaching tens of thousands of voters
• We equipped dozens of volunteers with skills in nonviolent resistance, practicing them for the fights ahead in summer actions demanding banks stop funding fossil fuel expansion 
• We strengthened coalitions in key states during Silver Wave Tour with Bill McKibben, Rebecca Solnit, and special guests
• We learned together about the pivotal role of public utility commissions and how to hold them accountable––localized work which will be even more crucial in the next years

These accomplishments are the foundation for what comes next. The work we’ve done together has prepared us for the challenges ahead.  And while this preparation may not lessen the grief or anger, it does amplify our resolve. We are committed to a deliberate and steady approach––ensuring that our efforts are sustainable and impactful for the road ahead.

As  Rebecca Solnit wrote in The Guardian following the election:

I want to talk about being resolute and lining up resources, the way people generations ago laid up supplies for winter. Just like the fossil fuel industry loves doomers who give up on defeating it, so authoritarians love fear, surrender, people who’ve decided they’re already defeated, who are already afraid to resist. 

Now is the time to dig deep, share your talents, and ask how you can best serve your conscience by serving your neighbors and the most vulnerable among us. There’s a role for everyone.

Let’s keep moving forward, together.

In a panic, I then went to 2 other international delivery places and finally DHL said that their envelope should arrive by Tuesday morning. So it cost $150 and a quite a bit of effort to be able to cast my vote, but it’s a small price to pay for the privilege of voting in this election.”

Ria Stewart
Mexico City

“Here in western NC a lot of people’s lives have been upended by Hurricane Helene, so another elder friend and I wanted to make sure people without homes and cars could still vote. So for three days my car turned into a VOTER TAXI – we showed up at the downtown bus transfer station and approached people to ask if they had voted. If not, we offered to take them to a nearby early voting site and then on to wherever they were planning to go on the bus.

Over the three days we took 12 people to vote, most of whom I’m pretty sure would not have voted had we not come along. One old fellow voted for the first time! We helped one lady who had recently become “unhoused” for the first time in her life resolve her provisional ballot, another fellow get out to his appointment with FEMA which was beyond the bus line.

Here’s Jonathon, unhoused, struggling with MS, but one of the sharpest most delightful human beings you’d ever want to meet!”

Debbie Genz
Ashville, North Carolina

“Three generations went to the early voting location together, me, my daughter and granddaughter. It was my granddaughter’s 2nd vote, but first for a President.”

Jane Kahan
St Paul, Minnesota

“Exhausted by so many months of angry rants, fearmongering, and vindictiveness from Trump and MAGA Republicans, many of us sensed a subtle change in the national mood, an air of expectancy, after the Democratic convention.

Our next president wore a contagious smile, not a sinister scowl. She promised opportunity for all, not recrimination and discrimination. Rather than abandoning our allies and courting dictators, she aspires to a renewed spirit of international cooperation to peacefully achieve global prosperity. Discerning Americans have been perplexed and frustrated that so many reasonable friends and neighbors have accepted the absurd, false realities concocted by Trump and Vance, and they find it frightening that virtually every Republican member of Congress is unfazed by Trump’s treasonous, criminal and immoral behavior. So they rejoiced in Harris’s fact-based policies of inclusion and her enlightened vision for the future.

Desperate to tune out the constant drumbeat of ridicule and hostility, millions of people welcomed her message of hope, joy, and a brighter tomorrow.”

Dick Wildermann
Seabrook Island, South Carolina

“Third Actor, Jon Gorham, organized 58 volunteers who wrote 6,500 get-out-the-vote postcards to Democrats in Pennsylvania, and 2,500 postcards for Jahana Hayes, Connecticut’s three-term Congresswoman. Jon and his group also made and distributed over 2,000 nesting, origami boxes for Johanna Hayes, who has used these boxes to thank her staff, energize volunteers, and motivate first-time voters.”

Jon Gorham
Woodbridge, Connecticut

“While canvassing in a Merced CA neighborhood for Adam Gray (D) in the CD 13 race, I couldn’t catch these voters. Or maybe they were canvassing. Still, we knocked on hundreds of doors, and got to meet Adam.”

Nancy Tierney
Pacifica, California

Share your voting story with us!

We’d love to hear from you. In a time when only 14% of U.S. adults trust national news for election information, your voices are more crucial than ever. Third Act wants to amplify your voting story this election season to inspire others with your perspective and commitment.

Share your story and image here!

One of the blessings of growing older is that—if you’re fortunate—you’re also growing less judgmental. With any luck you’ve come to understand that the world can be hard, and so to have some affection for your fellow travelers through it. Which is another way of saying: it was sweet to spend a sunny Tuesday morning in a not-so-good section of Philadelphia, knocking doors to turn out the vote.

I’d gotten to town the night before, coming from Atlanta, where we’d had a wonderful night with the local TA group (and where I’d gotten to spend a memorable afternoon at the Civil Rights Museum, reflecting on our colleague Heather Booth and on older voters in general. You can read my report for the New Yorker here).

Anyway, the visit to Philadelphia began with a big rally at the Arch Street Meeting House in the center of the city. We heard from a dynamic young pastor and city councilor named Nicolas O’Rourke, and from two young women studying at St. Joseph’s, and then I rambled for a while about the stakes of this election—a knife’s edge chance between electing a dangerous authoritarian or choosing our first woman president. The main job was just to psych people up for the real work, which at this late stage is nothing but turn-out.

And so we gathered, fifty or so gray-haired activists, in Clark Park in West Philly the next morning. We stood around a statue of Charles Dickens as we took our marching orders—each team of two had an app called Minivan that gave us our catalog of doors. The morning’s canvass had been organized by the non-partisan Environmental Voters Project, which has a big list of ‘low-propensity’ voters who can be counted on to pull the right lever if they make it to the polls. And so we set off.

Mike Tidwell, the veteran leader of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, and I set off through the streets of West Philadelphia. It was morning, so not surprisingly most people weren’t home—the usual routine was to ring the doorbell, wait for a minute, and then print the person’s name on the literature encouraging them to be a “good voter” (apparently, testing shows this kind of ‘social pressure’ actually works) and hang them from the doorknob.

About halfway through, a young woman on our list answered the door. I explained that we just wanted to make sure that she knew how to get to her polling place, at which point she said that was going to be a problem. She pointed to her right foot, where her sock covered a bulge—it was, she explained, an ankle monitor, and she wasn’t actually allowed to go out to the polls because she was awaiting trial.

Now, I imagine that at some point in my younger years, I might have thought: this person could be a criminal, should I be helping her vote? But I’ve lived long enough and attentively enough to understand that just because a young black woman has fallen afoul of our criminal justice system, it doesn’t mean an enormous amount. I’ve spent a fair amount of time in jail (for crimes I’ve been happy to admit) and in the process met a fair number of people who, it struck me, were guilty mainly of being born in the wrong place. I haven’t suspended judgment entirely—I don’t like crime, and I wouldn’t vote for a presidential candidate who had managed to acquire multiple felony convictions. But I sensed that this young woman probably did not have a crack legal team at her command, and anyway she wasn’t running for president—she just wanted to vote for president. So I helped her figure out how to approach the Secretary of State’s office. I hope it works, and not just because it will help Harris—because voting is good. (One thing I deeply admire about older Americans is that for all the opportunities we’ve had to develop real cynicism, we continue to vote.)

A few blocks later we came to one of our addresses and there was actually someone sitting on the porch. “We’re looking for Janis Merton,” I said (though I’ve changed the name.)

“Oh,” he said. “That name is deceased. I wish you would take it off your list.”

Now, for the first two-thirds of my life, I would assume that he meant Janis had died, and I would have offered my condolences and moved on. If I’d somehow understood that this was a person born a woman who had become a man I wouldn’t have known what to say; raised to be polite, I probably wouldn’t have said a thing, but I might have thought: ick.

But again I’ve been lucky. I’ve had the chance to get to know a fair number of people who’ve transitioned from one gender to another, and in every case it’s been a blessing. The idea that we live in a moment when people are able to connect with something deep inside them, and instead of feeling shame and sadness do something about it—that’s a joy. And one of the ugliest parts of this fall’s campaign is the degree to which the GOP has decided to stigmatize and target those people. The cruelty of the radio ads and the tv spots can take your breath away. As Tim Walz would say, none of your damned business—but to the degree it’s of the public interest, it’s awfully nice that you can love who you want, including yourself. I’m pretty sure this guy was never going back, and more power to him.

We finished up our day’s list and returned our clipboards, and then I got on the plane to Phoenix. Again we had a wonderful evening program, thanks to the folks at Third Act Arizona—among other things it featured Candice Fortin, the organizing director at my old stomping ground 350.org. And Rebecca Solnit was there to headline things, thank heaven, since I was getting a little weary. Some native dancers set the mood; a trio of young people brought it home. We ended by telling everyone to show up the next day to canvass, and a lot of them did.

This time the proceedings were organized by Seed the Vote and by La Lucha—the phone app took us across the sprawling Phoenix metro area to the suburb of Avondale, which has almost tripled in population in the first fifth of this century. It’s mostly Hispanic, a pretty solidly middle-class community—we were in a subdivision filled with twisting roads and not-quite-identical houses, each with a gravel front yard (Phoenix has successfully kicked the lawn habit, though there was one unfortunate experiment with astroturf). It was a fairly perfect rendition of the America that’s coming by mid-century, where white people are no longer a majority—the thing that may subliminally drive the MAGA rage. And yet it was so…normal. Pickups, a few of them jacked-up. Fancy doorbells (Ring vs Vivint, with a few SimpliSafe—you notice these things when you’re doorknocking).

The sun beat down—when we’d left the car it had insisted the outside temperature was 100, and it felt like that. The trees weren’t big enough yet to provide much shade, and I was inordinately grateful when the phone app sent us to the shadier side of the street. People were mostly missing—it was midday—and so, conspicuously, were solar panels. If this were California or Texas (or Vermont) you would have found them on many houses, but so far the Arizona utilities have roundly resisted any real efforts to take advantage of the fact that they are the sunniest city in the country, with the sun shining down 88.5 percent of the time. One would think that the record-smashing summer they’ve just endured—at one point 21 straight days set new daily temperature records, a streak with no equal in this country—might have convinced them. But no. We desperately need four more years for the IRA to roll out, and really step up to the task of changing out the 140 million homes in this country, and we desperately need the great advocacy at Public Utility Commissions that so many Third Actors are now engaged in.

It was good to be outside walking the streets, even in the heat, in part because it meant there was no chance to worry about the polls, and all the other craziness. (While we were out there news came that the police had arrested the gun nut who shot up the local Democratic headquarters, and also the nut nut who set a mailbox on fire last night perhaps to burn up some ballots). Politics used to be kind of fun, but not since 2016—everything seems desperate, especially this gut-wrenchingly close election. But while it’s happening, there’s the chance for everyone to take part: to get out and knock doors, and in the process be reminded what kind of tenuous, noble, important lives our fellow Americans are living. To remind ourselves that one goal of all of this to make those lives a little easier.

Reno the next night was like coming home–Third Act’s first big electoral effort had come here in the fall of 2022, when we played a real role in helping save the Senate by picking up Nevada’s seat. Our great national organizer B Fulkerson is also the great local organizer here, and so we had a truly beautiful evening at a packed Unitarian church, which featured Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar. Rebecca spoke with great wisdom, reminding us how much of the arc of change we’d seen in our lives, and that this was our chance to move it on.

As a huge passel of canvassers–from Third Act groups in Nevada, Oregon, and California, and our wonderful Bay Area friends from 1000 Grandmothers–set off the next morning, I told them I’d talked to my wife back home the night before and that she’d reported our 7-month-old grandson had learned to give High Fives this week. So I told them what I’ll tell you: if you find yourself weary as this week goes on, just imagine a chubby-cheeked little Vermont boy slapping you on the hand, in thanks for being out there protecting his future. That’s what it’s about!

As explained by The Brennan Center, “the results that you see on election night coverage are not final and official results. They are instead a combination of unofficial results reported by election officials and news organization projections.” Counting votes actually involves a series of steps, including multiple checkpoints and safeguards, to ensure the accuracy of results and protection of voting rights.  Election results only become official once certified. We’ll get into how this happens below.

Because there are a variety of ways that people can vote—in-person at the polls on Election Day; early in-person voting; vote-by-mail; and absentee ballots—there are also a variety of ways that votes can be counted and tabulated. And different states have different laws about when and how votes can begin to be counted. For example, Michigan now allows local officials to process and tabulate mail ballots before Election Day, allowing officials to count and report these vote totals faster than they previously could. In North Carolina, however, election officials must now wait until polls close on Election Day to begin tabulating ballots cast during the early voting period. Some states require that mail-in ballots must arrive by Election Day, while others ask that mail-in ballots must be postmarked by Election Day even if received after Election Day. 

There are also provisional ballots that must be adjudicated and counted. And 30 states allow for a “ballot curing” process whereby small errors in a ballot can be fixed within a certain time period (such as a mail-in ballot’s envelope missing a signature). The Brennan Center’s blog clearly lays out the roadmap to the official vote count and the administrative procedures that are followed at every step in the vote counting process. 

Election results: Expect delays and shifts

There are several legitimate reasons why it may take time to know the official results of this year’s election. Firstly, the aforementioned  variety of ways in which people can now vote and the administrative processes involved with tabulating and cross-checking different types of  ballots, all take time. Another factor is the different state rules about when certain types of ballots can start to be counted. And everyone already anticipates that challenges to vote counting and election practices will be brought up by candidates, further delaying the process. 

Even if the election goes smoothly, there will likely still be a known and anticipated “red mirage” on Election Night where election results can initially appear to be favoring Republicans because it is known that Republican voters prefer in-person voting at the polls on Election Day and those ballots are counted and reported faster, whereas more Democrats prefer mail-in ballots, which are counted more slowly. So, a “blue shift” can appear as time goes on and more mail-in ballots are counted. These “mirages” and “shifts” are not an indication of election fraud or manipulation; rather, they are an expected phenomenon that has been observed, studied, and understood in earlier elections.  

Republican voters prefer in-person voting at the polls on Election Day, and those ballots are counted and reported faster. In contrast, more Democrats prefer mail-in ballots, which are counted more slowly. Hence the terms “red mirage” and “blue shift.”

Understanding the presidential vote certification process and timeline

As described by the Campaign Legal Center (CLC), a nonpartisan legal organization advancing democracy through law, election certification is “a ministerial task that confirms the election process has concluded. At that stage, every vote has been counted and the results of the various races on the ballot have been determined.” Certification includes a series of deadlines at the local and state level that must be met before the results are officially finalized.

November 5, 2024—Election Day this year—marks the final day on which voters can cast a ballot in this year’s election, but the electoral system for choosing and inaugurating our president extends well beyond November 5. Notably, the Electoral Count Reform Act, enacted in late 2022, updated certain dates and procedures in the electoral vote counting process.

The 2024 election will be the first presidential election utilizing the ECRA’s updated rules and timeline. 

Here is an outline of the timeline for the presidential vote certification:

• Appointment of state electors no later than December 11, 2024
• Meeting and Vote of Electors in their States: Tuesday, December 17, 2024
• Deadline for Electoral Votes to be Received by officials in Washington, DC: December 25, 2024
• 119th Congress Convenes: January 3, 2025
• Congress Counts Electoral Votes: January 6, 2025
• Inauguration Day: January 20, 2025

The ECRA clarifies the process for appointing electors; provides an expedited process for federal courts to resolve disputes about a state’s certification of electors; clarifies the vice president’s role in the process when Congress meets to count electoral votes; and raises the threshold for embers of Congress to object to a state’s certified election results. 

Election certification is “a ministerial task that confirms the election process has concluded. At that stage, every vote has been counted and the results of the various races on the ballot have been determined.”

Republicans are already setting the stage to challenge the election results. They are trying to purge voter rolls (pushing actions that are illegal within 90 days of Election Day). And they will try, again, to challenge the certification process at local, state, and federal levels. However, the ECRA reforms make it impossible for states to submit alternate electors. As mentioned above, certifying the election results is a ministerial, not a political act, and it is illegal for local officials to refuse to certify election results. Constant vigilance will be required and numerous government officials in both parties and watchdog organizations are working to ensure that the rules are followed..

Election protection efforts

Third Act is a member of the 300-member strong Election Protection Coalition. Organizations in the coalition are involved with a variety of nonpartisan efforts to uphold the integrity of our elections, including Common Cause, Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights, ACLU, League of Women Voters, and many others.

You can do your part as a voter by knowing the voting rules in your state by checking here. You can use these Voter Tools to: register to vote, confirm your registration status, find your polling place, request an absentee ballot, and more. If you face problems in casting your vote, you can get help via the voter hotline: 866-OUR-VOTE.

You can also sign-up to be a Protect the Vote volunteer, help monitor the polls, fight misinformation, and support voters.

Many Third Act Working Groups are getting involved with election protection efforts, including ballot curing, and other efforts. We are also following Lawyers Defending American Democracy and the Democracy Docket, organizations bringing suits to uphold election integrity and the rule of law. You can check GrayPAC’s website and Third Act’s Elections page for various events and volunteer activities. 

(GA, PA, AZ, NV) Beginning October 19, older Americans will rally for “Get Out the Vote” events and door-to-door canvassing across Georgia, Pennsylvania, Arizona, and Nevada. This is part of the Silver Wave Tour: Elders Rising for Climate and Democracy, organized by Third Act, a movement with nearly 100,000 supporters nationwide, co-founded by environmentalist and author Bill McKibben, and supported by GrayPAC, a new political action committee launched by Third Act’s founders.

McKibben adds, “Mobilizing older Americans is one of the key parts of winning this election––maybe the key part, given the size of our cohort and their willingness to get out and vote!” He continues, “At a time when our democracy and climate are both on the line, elders have a critical role to play, bringing their experience and determination to the forefront. And when an elderly lady is on your doorstep to share her thoughts on political candidates, you’re more inclined to open the door and respectfully listen to what she has to say!”

As climate disasters like hurricanes and wildfires intensify, the Silver Wave Tour will highlight the urgency of collective action, reminding voters that this election is not just about candidates, but about the future of our planet and democracy. The Silver Wave is rallying older Americans to be the decisive force in the fight for both.

Where & When

• Atlanta, Georgia

Local representative contact: Bill Millkey, bmillkey@gmail.com 

Saturday, October 19, 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Friends Meeting House, 701 West Howard Avenue, Decatur, Georgia 30030

Join Third Act Georgia for an evening featuring  Bill McKibben and Southern Environmental Law Center senior attorney Bill Sapp in dialogue about elders, climate change and the upcoming elections. RSVP here.

• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 

Local representative contact: Jo Alyson Parker, joalysonparker@gmail.com

Monday, October 21, 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
320 Arch Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19106

Join Third Act Pennsylvania  for discussion about our crucial role in the election, featuring Bill McKibben, and Philadelphia Councilmember Nic O’Rourke. RSVP here.

Tuesday, October 22, 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Clark Park, Chester Ave & S 43rd St, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104

Canvass to turn out climate voters, southwest side of Clark Park, with Environmental Voters Project, POWER Interfaith, and Dayenu. RSVP here.

• Phoenix, Arizona 

Local representative contact: Chris Wass, chris@wormlab.co

Wednesday, October 23, 5:30 p.m.
Bulpitt Auditorium at Phoenix College, 1202 W Thomas Road, Phoenix, Arizona 85013

Join Third Act Arizona for discussion about the crucial role of older Americans in the election, featuring Bill McKibben and Rebecca Solnit. RSVP here.

Thursday, October 24, 12:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Lucha Office, 5716 N 19th Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona 85015

Canvass to mobilize voters for Harris. RSVP here.

• Reno, Nevada 

Local representative contact: Cathy Fulkerson, cathy.fulkerson@gmail.com ‭

Friday, October 25, 6:00 p.m.
780 Del Monte Lane, Reno, Nevada 89511

Join Third Act Nevada and Indivisible Northern Nevada for discussion about our crucial role in the election, featuring Bill McKibben; Rebecca Solnit; Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar; Jan Gardipe from the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony, and Katia Escobar from Seed the Vote. RSVP here. 

Saturday, October 26: 10:00 a.m.
The River School Farm, 777 White Fir Street, Reno, Nevada 89523

Canvass to mobilize voters for Harris, with UNITE HERE, Seed the Vote, and Indivisible. RSVP here.

Summary 

The Silver Wave Tour mobilizes thousands of older Americans in critical states to protect the future of our climate and democracy. Formed in 2024, GrayPAC is the political action committee powered by Third Act, for Americans over 60, to elect leaders who support a vibrant future for our democracy and climate. Third Act works with many thousands of supporters year round on initiatives that help safeguard democracy and protect the climate. In addition to the featured events, GrayPAC is mobilizing older Americans in dozens of other districts like these.

We’ve seen firsthand the incredible power of grassroots activism, and postcarding has emerged as one of the most impactful tools in our toolkit. Across the country, our working groups are harnessing the energy and enthusiasm of our volunteers to mobilize voters, protect our democracy, and raise awareness around critical issues like climate justice. Whether it’s flipping key districts or empowering new voters, Third Act volunteers are leading the charge with a pen and paper in hand.

In a step-by-step video, Bay Area Third Actors Clara Greisman and Shalom Bruhn walk you through how to host a postcard party, from inception to execution, while Third Act Tennessee offers numbered tips and tricks, using what they’ve learned. As Emily Cathcart says, “keep it fun,” which they do with pins, cardboard cutouts, and of course, food. Tennessee has also found it to be an effective way to recruit new Third Actors. 

Michigan has also published a helpful checklist to support those hosting postcard parties. Be sure to check out your local working group for tailored suggestions (and to find out how to get involved). 

New Hampshire recently wrote about the effectiveness of postcard writing, which we highlighted in our August newsletter. The post references a DemCast newsletter that speaks to the effects of handwritten mail on voter turnout. From their post:

A handwritten postcard arriving in the mail makes it through the messaging clutter and is noticed. The resulting increase to voter turnout may be small but still significant, especially in tight races or elections. Results showed that the postcards increased turnout by 0.4 percent (a typical get-out-the-vote, or GOTV, canvass increases turnout by 0.3 percent) and concluded that the postcards had as good or better effect on voter turnout than going door to door.

And don’t they have a good time doing it!

Across every region, from coast to coast, Third Act volunteers are showing up and getting it done. Let’s keep the momentum going and reach our new goal of 300,000 postcards by Election Day.  

As we watch what is unfolding in Gaza, Israel, in the West Bank, in Sudan, Ukraine, Armenia and the Congo, in Pakistan, Tigray, Ethiopia and elsewhere––we are reminded of the way human beings are capable of so much harm amid so much life. We join the United Nations, Doctors Without Borders, Amnesty International and so many more in asking for a ceasefire in Gaza.

As I sit in the relative comfort of my home, I’m asking myself ‘what are the depths and limits of my humanity?, should not all suffering be an offense to my conscience?’ Indeed it is offensive to my conscience, to my heart that works and to my firmly held belief that a better world is possible for all of us.

This time is harsh and painful, and so it demands of us to activate our better angels; to educate ourselves on the ways in which we are complicit in harm; and the ways we can do and be better. I’m comforted by how many Third Actors have reached out on behalf of humanity. What a gift to generations to come. In the words of our very own advisor Rebecca Solnit, “Hope is a gift you don’t have to surrender, a power you don’t have to throw away.”

If you, like many others, feel daunted by the enormity of what’s happening, one place to start is by educating ourselves. Knowledge breeds empathy, it’s difficult to remain apathetic when we know one another. Knowledge, like action, is an antidote to despair. Below you’ll find a series of articles, books, and readings to help you be better informed on the state of the world. This knowledge will crack open your heart, but in the words of the great poet Rumi ‘The wound is where the light enters you.’

I said: what about my eyes?
He said: Keep them on the road.

I said: What about my passion?
He said: Keep it burning.

I said: What about my heart?
He said: Tell me what you hold inside it?

I said: Pain and sorrow.
He said: Stay with it. The wound is the place where the Light enters you.

–Rumi

Resources

• Information on Tigray conflict
• Information on Sudan Conflict
• Information on Armenia Conflict
• How the Israel-Hamas War Imperils Action Against Global Warming

Books

• Freedom is a Constant Struggle by Angela Davis
• The Hundred Years War on Palestine by Rashid Khalidi
• King Leopold’s Ghost by Adam Hochschild
• Maus by Art Spiegelman
• On Antisemitism: Solidarity and the Struggle for Justice in Palestine by Jewish Voice for Peace
• Peace, Justice, and Jews: Reclaiming Our Tradition by Murray Polner and Stefan Merken
• Free book resources from Verso Book
• Free ebook resources from Haymarket Books

Films

• Ghost Hunting (2017) dir, Raed Andoni
• A World Not Ours (2012) dir, Mahdi Fleifel
• They Do Not Exist (1974) dir, Mustafa Abu Ali

Where the playing field was a tiny bit more level, you got it done! From Pennsylvania, Ohio and Virginia to Kentucky and New Jersey, the letters you wrote and the doors you knocked pay off with wins over the forces of election denial. People stood up for women’s rights, for climate action, for local representation and for a real democracy. But don’t take it from me; some Third Actors from across the nation sent us their experiences.

“Working as an election officer on Election Day was long hours (5 am–9 pm), but you really get an understanding just how safe our voting system is.” Lisa Finn

“I canvassed for local and regional candidates who support democracy and saving the planet (including our new State Delegate Amy Laufer, pictured on the right). Happy to report that everyone I worked for won! ” Donna Shaunesey

“I think our canvassing and help at the polls made a difference…the defeat of Dominion’s deadly, gas-powered Reliability Center is now within our reach.” Bill Muth

“I did work the Democratic tables at the polls this election day.  We had an impressive 43% turnout… much more than normal for a judicial and municipal election.” Tammis Dowling

“I am a poll worker and one big takeaway for me was the number of elderly voters who commented that there was too much at stake to stay home.” JoAnn Karsh

We know what the polls say about next year, and we also know that when we put in the effort we can win. But only if we put in the effort. So you’re allowed to bask a tiny bit this week–and then it’s back to writing letters, making calls, registering voters. Because it matters, and because no one can do it like we can. I’d say no rest for the weary, but in fact I feel energized. We’re ready to push on.

That’s where The Civics Center comes in. The Civics Center is a non-partisan, non-profit organization that wants to make voter registration a part of every student’s high school experience.

We host two annual events that promote high school voter registration: Cap, Gown & Ballot in the spring to ensure every graduating senior has an opportunity to register to vote; and High School Voter Registration Week in the fall. This year High School Voter Registration Week will be October 2-6, 2023.

High School Voter Registration Week is a week of action aligning the school calendar with the election cycle to establish a dedicated time for students, educators, parents, and others to team up, share resources, and organize student-led voter registration drives at schools. The start of a new school year is an ideal time to encourage teens to register to vote and to build awareness for registration efforts later in the school year.

During High School Voter Registration Week the Civics Center will be holding free workshops for parents (and grandparents!), educators, and teens on October 2, 3, and 4 so anyone can attend and learn about the importance of welcoming our newest voters with a smooth on-ramp to democracy. Participants will walk away with tools specific to their cohort that will help bring voter registration to their high schools on a permanent basis.

On October 2 at 4pm (PT) / 7pm (ET), parents, grandparents and other adult friends and family members will learn about the importance of high school voter registration and its role in strengthening our democracy. We’ll help identify important resources teens can use to organize a drive in their schools. Click here to register.

In addition to training workshops, The Civics Center provides free supplies and resources to high school students and educators at any school in the country. Our “Democracy in a Box” toolkit includes everything students need to organize successful voter registration drives, like pens, clipboards, stickers, tote bags, promotional posters, and candy (a must-have for every drive!).

Third Act volunteers in Southern California and Arizona are actively promoting High School Voter Registration Week by contacting schools in their communities to help recruit educators and students. Over 35 volunteers from those Third Act Working Groups attended a one-hour training session, before getting a list of schools to call to identify educators and administrators best positioned to be liaisons for student-led voter registration efforts at each school.

This outreach is key to The Civics Center’s ability to get the word out about High School Voter Registration Week. Most schools have no current plans to help their students register to vote, and the best contact person at each school varies tremendously. We are extremely grateful to Third Act and its wonderful members for helping to make High School Voter Registration Week a success!

If you would like to contact schools in your own community to encourage educators and students to participate in High School Voter Registration Week, please visit Third Act’s “Senior to Senior” Page (linked below), which has more info about how to use TCC’s Volunteer Toolkit, including email templates you can copy and paste into a message to send to educators, students, principals, and superintendents. Just scroll through the Toolkit to find your target audience and click on the pink oval to access the desired template.

If you have high school students in your family I hope you will join me at the workshop on October 2. If not, you can still help recruit schools in your community to participate in High School Voter Registration Week using our Volunteer Toolkit and Third Act’s resources or help raise awareness of the potential for high school voter registration in your community. Thank you!

The most important election in the U. S. this year occurred on May 12 in Fort Valley, Georgia, where workers at the Blue Bird school bus company voted 697-435 in a National Labor Relations Board election to join the Steelworkers Union. (Badgers may disagree.)

At Third Act, we fight to save democracy and our planet; at the intersection of these two existential issues are workers and unions.  We can’t have democracy unless workers have their own organized voice to counter the organized voice of employers, and we can’t save this planet unless workers are involved in that struggle.

That’s why the union election in Fort Valley is so important.

We can be proud that Third Act  got the September 17  NYC Climate March coalition to include in its three demands that we must “provide a just transition to a sustainable clean energy economy that supports workers and community rights, job security, and employment equity.”

But using the words “just transition” isn’t enough. Creating millions of jobs in the new sustainable economy isn’t good enough. Even creating good jobs isn’t enough.  We have to make sure workers get the chance to make them good union jobs.

That’s what happened in Fort Valley.  Blue Bird, Peach county’s largest employer, didn’t engage in union busting, so workers actually had a fair election. Why?  Because Blue Bird gets tens of millions of dollars in federal funds from both the infrastructure and Inflation Reduction Acts to build electric school buses.  Those funds come with a requirement that the recipient “have committed to remain neutral in any organizing campaign ….”  In other words, no union busting.

If workers can actually organize and grow unions in the new economy, they will both help to save democracy and support the climate justice movement.

So, as Third Actors this Labor Day, let’s honor “labor” by continuing to make workers’ rights to organize central to our fight to save democracy and the planet.

If we organize, we can change this world. We have to put this into action to protect our freedom and to save lives, a call to action in the face of the June 24 one-year anniversary of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade.

For 50 years Roe protected the most intimate decision of a person’s life—when or whether or with whom we have a child.  

20 states have banned abortions completely or have such restrictive laws that it is inaccessible for most who need it, and to those who need it most.  

Yet, 59% of all people who have an abortion are mothers. They know exactly what it takes to raise a child.  

I started an underground abortion service in 1965, eight years before Roe became the law of the land. I started this as a good deed for a friend who was nearly suicidal and not prepared to have a child. Word spread and more people asked for the same kind of help. Bear in mind that at this time, three people merely discussing the provision of an abortion constituted a conspiracy to commit a felony. So, we named the service JANE. We would publicize it with notices saying, “Pregnant? don’t want to be? Call Jane.” I recruited others to be part of the service. Within a few years, the women in the service learned how to perform the procedures. By the time Roe became the law of the land, the women of JANE themselves had performed 11,000 abortions.

This transformative grassroots organizing experience remains foundational to my work across issues as an activist and political strategist.

Now is always the time to organize. Recruit others, spread the word, raise the funds, show up and drive our concern into the elections at all levels.

IF we organize, it is possible that we can win a national trifecta—a pro-reproductive freedom majority and advocates in the Presidency, the Senate and the House.

In the House there are 18 seats where Biden won and yet a MAGA supporting Republican now holds the seat—opposing reproductive freedom and action to address climate or freedom to vote and more. If we gain four more seats in the Congress we will have a pro-freedom majority. We can do this, if we organize.

Over 70% of the country supports Roe and believe that no politician should come between a woman and her physician on abortion. The same statistic is true for Americans who want to see action on climate change. These are powerful numbers and powerful issues, but we need to drive them into the elections.

Our rights have become partisan battlegrounds. There are more Democrats than there are Republicans in the country––we just need to ensure they register and vote. And we need to engage those who are part of the pro-reproductive freedom majority, but might have voted for a MAGA candidate. We need to both mobilize and persuade.

Yes, there are strong challenges. Nothing is guaranteed. Last year’s Supreme Court decision is evidence enough. But the way to win to expand our freedoms is to join with others, take action, and organize. That is what Third Act was set up to do. When we organize, we can change the world.

Heather Booth, Third Act Advisor, is one of the country’s leading strategists about progressive issue campaigns and driving issues in elections. She started organizing in the civil rights, anti-Vietnam war and women’s movements of the 1960s. Heather started JANE, an underground abortion service in 1965, before Roe. In 2000, she was the Director of the NAACP National Voter Fund, helping increase African American election turnout. She helped found the Campaign for Comprehensive Immigration Reform in 2005. She directed Progressive and Seniors Outreach for the Biden/Harris campaign. Heather was the founding Director and is now President of the Midwest Academy, training social change leaders and organizers. There is a film about her life in organizing, “Heather Booth: Changing the World.”

It’s work, of course, that we’re all engaged in, as we push for a stronger democracy (especially against racialized voter suppression) and a cooler planet (since climate change hurts the most vulnerable humans the hardest).

This conversation has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Bill:

I follow the news around climate change constantly. And so not long ago I was leafing through the latest issue of Current Opinion in Nephrology and Hypertension (a journal for kidney doctors), because cases of kidney disease are going up due to higher temperatures, increased sweating, and dehydration.

But here’s what struck me: They had some interesting data about the temperatures in American cities, and they connected it to something you might be familiar with called redlining. Back in the 1930s, the federal government drew lines around minority neighborhoods, essentially limiting further investments in those areas. 

These were places that just steadily deteriorated as a result of federal policy. Each neighborhood was graded from A to D. When you visit those neighborhoods that were given a D grade a century ago, you’ll notice a significant difference in temperature. Due to the lack of investment, there are fewer parks and trees, which has led to much higher temperatures in those areas. And when I say “way higher,” I mean, way higher.

In comparison, the neighborhoods that received an A grade in the 1930s now have an average temperature that is 8°F lower than the city’s overall mean temperature. On the other hand, the neighborhoods that received a D grade have an average temperature that is 4.8°F hotter.

So, we’re looking at a 12°F temperature difference in these neighborhoods because of the racist policies enacted by the federal government a century ago. But it’s not just history. In my recent book, I dove into the real estate market and how it shapes our economy. Did you know that the total value of real estate in the United States is a staggering $33 trillion? That’s more than the combined GDP of the US and China. It’s mind-boggling.

The connection between race, climate, housing, and economic justice is undeniable, and we need to address these systemic issues head-on.

Wayne actually has a picture of the house that I grew up in, located in the suburbs of Boston. My parents bought it in 1970 for $30,000, which in today’s money is about $200,000. It was as simple and standard a suburban tract home as it was possible to imagine. 

The house that Bill grew up in, Lexington, MA.

That $200,000 investment in 1970, by the time that it was last sold––exactly the same house––over 50 years ago, skyrocketed to a value of $1.2 million in today’s currency. So that staggering $1 million gain came from nothing other than being on the escalator at the beginning. Right place, right time.

And of course, there were lots of people who couldn’t be on the escalator as it began to dramatically rise to the top, either because there were places where segregation kept them from, or in places like the suburbs of Boston, because people lacked the means to participate. People of color. Why? Well, because of things like that red lining all those decades before or the fact that when the federal government adopted Social Security in the 1930s, it exempted domestic workers and farmers: the two largest categories of Black workers at that time.

So people didn’t have retirement income the way that my parents and grandparents did from social security. That’s why the racial wealth gap in our country has continued to widen over these years. So it’s really important that we talk about equal protection under the law.

But it’s equally crucial to seriously address our history and how we got to where we are today and how to begin making amends One small piece of good news is that in this town where I grew up, Lexington, earlier this year became the first of the Boston suburbs to announce that it was rezoning in order to allow fairly substantial multi family homes for the first time. 

But if you think that battle’s won, then you’re wrong. Most of the suburbs in Boston haven’t taken such steps yet. Just last week, in the New York State budget discussions in Albany, a bill was defeated because suburban homeowners in Westchester and Long Island opposed the idea of multi-family housing.

They put up too much political heat and the legislators in Albany couldn’t stand up to it. This fight is ongoing, and it’s why it’s such a pleasure now to turn things over to Wayne, who understands this history in deep powerful detail. And he’s gonna tell us a couple of stories that are incredibly fascinating and important. Over to you brother!

Wayne:

Hey Bill, thanks for kicking us off. Your latest book did a bang up job describing institutional racism. I think that’s a question people have like, well, what is institutional racism? And you brought it right down to housing. 

And I’m so glad that you did, because housing is everything. I’m super pleased you brought up the fact that the formerly redlined areas in cities tend to be much hotter. I only came across that information about six years ago when I read an article in High Country News.  

It’s astonishing how, in this country, when you dig deeper into any issue that seems to go against the best interests of the nation, you often find race. Who would have thought that peeling back the layers and asking, “Why are these places so damn hot?” you would find redlining?

Ferguson, MO

I chose to start with Ferguson because we’re all familiar with it, and it conjures up a particular image in our minds. Several years ago, I had this idea to go on a winter adventure, so I hopped into my pickup truck and drove all the way to Vermont to go ice climbing. It was a lot of driving for not much ice climbing, but during my journey, I made a stop in Ferguson. It was late at night, and in hindsight, asking a cop for directions might not have been the best decision. 

But the next day, there I was, standing in the very spot where Michael Brown was shot. I had always pictured a typical inner city, but in daylight I saw that it was quite attractive. It really took me by surprise. Ferguson, what we all think of as a Black city, is really a suburb. And not very long ago––into the sixties––it was a sundown town. 

Sign from a “Sundown Town” that reads: “Whites only within city limits after dark”

Sundown towns had signs on the edge or actual barriers across the street, oftentimes way cruder than this one, and Blacks could come into town and spend their money, and if you weren’t out by sundown, you didn’t want to pay the consequences.

Lamar Williams, one of Ferguson’s first Black residents.

But they were pretty clear in Ferguson that they didn’t want anybody other than white people. And how that changed is the story of the turmoil that has shaped Ferguson today.

So these housing projects were in Saint Louis. They typically would go into an integrated community, bulldoze it, and  put up these buildings. Interestingly, they were intended for both Black and white residents, with separate buildings made for each group. You can tell the Black side from the white side, because there’s open and green spaces on the white side. 

Housing projects in Saint Louis, MO. You can tell the Black from the white buildings because of the open, green spaces on the white site.

The United States government began building housing projects at exactly the same time as suburbs developed. And so today’s conversation is largely to help us grasp that the segregation of towns and white flight was not solely a result of individual prejudice and bigotry, but rather a systematic creation fueled by conditions and laws at the state, local, and federal levels.

Now let’s look at Grosse Pointe. I’m gonna guess that white people live in this house. Not only do they have large lots and homes due to zoning, but they also employ another strategy on the outskirts of town, specifically in Black communities.

Grosse Pointe, MI

This is a Black Detroit town situated near heavy industries, a sight typically absent in white areas. These industries effectively serve as boundaries for Black neighborhoods, making them less desirable places to live and causing home values to diminish.

Outside of Detroit, MI

Moving on to Interstate 880 in Oakland, CA, not far from there is 580. 880 runs through West Oakland, permitting a significant volume of diesel truck traffic, with around one and a half million trucks passing through every year.

Interstate 880 in Oakland, CA. One and a half million diesel trucks pass through every year.

Just a few miles away, in the town of San Leandro, which is 99% white. And guess what they prohibit in San Leandro? These massive diesel trucks.

This stark contrast serves to increase the value and desirability of the white area while devaluing and making the Black area less desirable. As intentional laws and zoning take their toll on these Black communities, we also witness the departure of businesses that contribute to the local economy and provide employment opportunities. In their place, less desirable businesses are given the green light to establish themselves.

I’m going to propose that when you’re left only with liquor stores, it’s not so conducive to a well functioning community. Pawn shops and payday loan businesses also make their presence known. The average annual interest rate at a pawn shop is 200%, while payday loans come with an average interest rate of 400%, where borrowers commit their next paycheck to pay off the loan. Clearly, this is not beneficial for residents facing financial hardship. These types of businesses are not found in places like Grosse Pointe.

Another thing is the 1956 Federal Highway Act, which was the largest Public Works Act in history. Originally, it was intended to provide easy access for white suburban homeowners to travel into the city for shopping, work, and conducting business. It was proposed to link 42 state capitals in 90% of all cities with populations of  50,000 or more. It’s hard to imagine a country without interstates today, but prior to 1956, there were no such highways.

Interstate highways were deliberately constructed through Black neighborhoods

These interstate highways were deliberately constructed through Black neighborhoods, creating massive concrete barriers that physically separated the white side of town from the Black side. This intentional division made it difficult, if not impossible, for residents to travel between the two areas. As a result, the Black side of town became less desirable and its property values declined.

Let’s talk about this guy, Robert Moses, the infrastructure czar of New York City and the director of the New York City Slum Clearance Committee. Those two positions are contradictory. He gained a great deal of prestige and power all across the city, and he was very clear in his directives: “ram those highways right through the cities, do not go around.” 

Robert Moses, infrastructure czar of New York City and the director of the New York City Slum Clearance Committee

The Federal Housing Administration (FHA), informally referred to this program as “getting rid of the local *** town.” Alfred Johnson, pictured here, lobbied to get rid of the Black sections of cities.

Alfred Johnson lobbied to get rid of the Black sections of cities

Over a million Black Americans were displaced, given a 30-day notice to leave as bulldozers arrived. There was no help whatsoever to get them into new housing. What happened is those million black Americans just crowded into existing Black neighborhoods, exacerbating overcrowding and making them even less desirable places to live.

When I was learning about redlining, I used to think that the FHA was a bunch of racist bankers, but after World War II, they launched a major initiative to build the middle class. They financed housing subdivisions across the country, offering programs that brought housing prices down to around double the average annual salary.

For instance, these houses in New York back in the 1950s were sold for $8,000, while the average American salary was $4,000. It’s a dream for many of us to be able to afford a house for twice our annual income, but finding such opportunities is nearly impossible nowadays.

Levittown, NY in the 1950s

The FHA became the mortgage lender and insurer in the 1950s. Subdivisions like Levittowns, named after William Levitt, were constructed all over the country. However, the FHA explicitly stated that these homes were exclusively for “Caucasians.” These white-only suburbs were tools for generating wealth available only to white individuals.

For instance, this home in a 1950s Levittown was priced at $8,000. Fast forward to the 2000s, and these homes in the same area now cost around $400,000. They look a little better. White people ought to be chagrined when the Supreme Court ends affirmative action here in a couple of weeks.

A former 1950s Levittown in the 2000s

Not only were Black people unable to live in these areas due to mortgage restrictions, but the FHA also required restrictive covenants. One covenant explicitly stated that the property could never be sold, leased, or mortgaged to anyone of the Negro race or anyone married to a person of the Negro race. Such agreements were mandated by the federal government and included as part of the closing documents.

Documentation of an historic FHA covenant

Another document that reads: No property in said Addition [a house] shall at any time be sold, conveyed, rented or leased in whole or in part to any person or persons not of the White or Caucasian race. No person other than one of the White or Caucasian race shall be permitted to occupy any property in said Addition or portion thereof or building thereon except a domestic servant actually employed by a person of the White or Caucasian race where the latter is an occupant of such property.

We ended up with segregated neighborhoods not only because white people desired it, but also because our government actively created these conditions. The map illustrates a typical red line, with red indicating areas where mortgages were unavailable, while green represented areas deemed suitable for loans.

Redlined map

Bill: 

This was not like just some casual thing that someone sat down and did one day. This was all across America at a really granular level of detail, block by block, figuring out what the good parts were that we wanted to support and the bad parts that we wanted to degrade. 

When people talk about systemic racism, this was about as systemic as it was possible to get. And remember they were doing this in the days before you had GPS and computers; the amount of effort involved in doing this was astonishing.

Wayne:

The FHA justified their actions by claiming that Black neighborhoods were poorly maintained, suggesting that the presence of Black people would devalue the area. Richard Nixon even coined a term for it, benign neglect. A ghetto isn’t necessarily a slum, right? They ghettoized Black people by herding them into specific areas, and then they intentionally turned off services. So, garbage collection, pothole repair, emergency services, and so on were nonexistent or slow. Streetlights went to pot.

In 1970, Lyndon Johnson formed a committee to figure out why Black people were so damn pissed off. And this fellow Adele Allen, who had moved into a white town adjacent to Ferguson, testified:

I don’t know if the police were protecting me, protecting someone from me; we have patrols on the hour. Our streets were swept neatly monthly. Our trash pickups were regular and handled with dignity. The street lighting was always up to par. 

But now that Kirkwood is Black, we have the most inadequate lighting in the city. People from other sections of town leave their cars parked on our streets when they want to abandon them. What they are making is a ghetto in the process.

So the federal government looked at the factors victimizing residents of these towns, but instead of addressing the underlying issues, they used them as an excuse to prohibit mortgages in these neighborhoods. 

Furthermore, national, state, and local realtor organizations would revoke a realtor’s license for selling a home in a white area to a Black family.  I would call that institutionalized racism.

Additionally, in those days, many well-paying jobs were unionized. However, unions actively barred Black individuals from joining their ranks, and the federal government sanctioned these unions to speak for workers.

Unions previously barred Black individuals from joining their ranks

Now we’re in Portland, Oregon. This is called the Albina district of Portland. It was white, then it went Black, and the government stopped investing in it. It reached a point where you could buy a home for the same price as a used car.

Albina, OR impacted by divestiture

This is Albina today, after it was gentrified.

Albina, OR after gentrification

The cycle of decline is evident: Inner city services are gradually withdrawn, resulting in a decline in the neighborhood’s quality. The residents are blamed for the deterioration, leading to banks and investors pulling out and divesting from the community. This further exacerbates the downward spiral: established businesses leave and others of lesser quality take their place. As a consequence, crime rates tend to rise, home values plummet and property taxes suffer.

And when property taxes suffer, schools suffer. So now all of this leads to poorer quality schools and educational opportunities. People don’t have the credentials and the knowledge to get into college, so their job prospects suffer.

They stay at lower economic levels, returning to the same neighborhood they were trying to escape, and then it’s wash, rinse, and repeat.

And here we are, back at the beginning of our conversation. That’s why housing is so important

Some actions that came out of our group discussion:

• Attend local planning meetings to promote fair and affordable housing.
• Speak up and call out racism when it is recognized.
• Punch back hard against politicians who use race as a campaign platform.
• Promote low-income housing instead of affordable housing for middle-class individuals.
• Consider ways to enable home ownership for lower income families to promote wealth transfer.
• Connect issues of race and classism to build more powerful and intersectional movements.
• Support ongoing efforts to allow multifamily housing for affordable housing options.
• Participate in the Power Up Communities campaign to address racial and environmental justice in local energy commissions.
• Continue to deepen the conversation and build personal and organizing skills to mobilize collective action.