Thursday, September 6, 2012

Kids Today: An Open Letter to W&M SEAC

This is something I just posted on Facebook about the students at the College of William & Mary who worked on this coal plant fight.  But it needs to be given more permanence and circulation. So I'm putting it here, too.


I don't presume to speak for our community generally, but I'm going to on this.

We are ALL so impressed and grateful for the help of the William and Marys.

Truly, y'all went above and beyond...

You restored our faith in "young people."
You volunteered to help in ways that were the least glamorous.
You stood in the heat and cold for us to save us the best seats--and then you took the bad seats or stood or waited outside.
You watched our kids.
You let us take over your email listserv as our own.
You carried our messaging--even when it might not have been your first choice.
You went door to door.
You raised money so we could make signs.
You circulated petitions.
You got your college and your community aware and organized. Shoot, you even got a guy on your city council.
You videotaped hearings (which were instrumental in showing the world how we were being treated by the utility).
You spent hours traveling back and forth on the ferry doing this work FOR YEARS. While your peers used the time to study, party, sleep, etc. While many of you wanted to do "real activism" like direct action.
I feel like we didn't say "thank you" enough at the time. Partially because we were so preoccupied with the crisis at hand, but mostly because you did all this work in the quietest, least assuming way imaginable.
My heart bursts to really remember the way you all sacrificed to be our allies...when you could have easily gone about your studies, lives, and activism in much more interesting and glamorous ways.
We came to count on you...for your service, advice, ideas, and inspiration. You will always be in our hearts in Surry. We love seeing you grow up. You are asked about regularly and thru the wonders of fb I can let everyone know how you are. Just how families do.
THANK YOU, W&Ms.
We love you and will never forget.

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