Dear RUN, Whew. It’s been a year. After a flurry of regional convenings in February, we were all ready for Lobby Day in March - and then COVID hit. RUN went virtual, and many of you have been with us all the way. We started meeting on weekly Community Care calls on April 1, checking in via Zoom from Coachella to Oakland. We met through stay-at-home orders and wildfire smoke so bad we couldn’t open the windows. We watched grandbabies grow, danced on the 19th of September, and celebrated election wins live. And RUN’s Quarantine Superstars were there every week, or close to it. We want to take a minute to recognize Joyce Roberts, who did not miss a meeting and whose wisdom carried us through. Also a constant presence on our screens, showing up 13 or more times: Verica Mancich, whose hair was always perfect; Willie Stevens, who kept us well informed about all things Oakland; Zella Knight, whose insistence on racial justice stays in our heads; Theresa Winkler, who reminds us that organizing is really about love; Daphine Lamb, who joyfully brings her full self to our work; and Alice Mouradian, always keeping her eye on people struggling the most. We had members who suffered major losses this year - both jobs and family members, some to COVID and others to racialized violence. We fight for housing justice in honor of those we lost, and so that those grandbabies can have a safe place to live in California when they grow up. Join us for the last Community Care call of 2020, this Wednesday at 1pm, where we’ll celebrate and look ahead. Take good care, Tori | |
