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Everything Old is New Again

by TONI TUCKER

Many years ago, when I was young, I was passionate about my nation and my world. I marched tirelessly against the Vietnam war and for equal rights for us all – both integration and women’s rights.

I marched in Boston and in New York in support of them all. I marched with my infant daughter on my back with marijuana fumes floating in the air. (My husband had a huge problem with this as he said I was exposing our child to drugs!) Nonetheless, I continued to demonstrate in the streets.

I also sat for hours with my sister, Gay, and watched the Watergate hearings. I am unclear as to why we ended up at her apartment; perhaps she had a better television or reception, but I was glued to the drama of it all.

And here we are, many years later, and the landscape still seems the same. Some things have improved but the noxious roots remain. There are still Americans openly hostile to those who look different from our Anglican ancestors. Women’s reproductive rights are under assault all over the nation. We are enmeshed in the longest war in American history. And we are deeply divided over the use and control of guns. The sense of success, accomplishment and hope we felt in the past is becoming a distant memory.

Okay, there are some bright spots. I participated in the Woman’s March the day following Trump’s inauguration in New York. The crowd was mammoth – I joined it about 20 blocks north of the original meeting place and felt the same old hope that perhaps, if only in a small way, I was making a difference.

And there are still courageous crusaders: The parents of the children brutally murdered at Sandy Hook and the youth who rose up after the senseless slaughter at Stoneman Douglas His School. These brave parents and teenagers are committed to stricter gun laws. The latter are so wise and media savvy, I cannot help but be both impressed and hopeful for their success.

I am still passionate about the state of the world. I am still addicted to the impeachment inquiry and hope for its successful conclusion. But I now pass the mantle to the next generations in the hope that they will be able to solve these issues for once and for all.

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