In 2016, I laid the aging issue in front of my activist network that had been in place for almost 40 years. I began with an email: in ten years, a whole lot of us will retire and I want to know what we plan to do about that. It took months of constant prodding and one on one conversations to get people to start making plans. Most of us decided to serve young activists any way we could.

Today, we continue to introduce young activists to supporters, public officials, funders, attorneys, supporters, etc. in our personal networks. We help young activists build support networks of their own, train them in parliamentary rules, and develop a functional understanding of the public, private and nonprofit sectors. We review various documents including strategic plans, contracts, legislation and funding plans. We also stuff envelopes, walk precincts, babysit at meetings, serve coffee and help clean up.

By phone, zoom, text and in person visits us old activists stay connected, and measure our success, by the independence of the young. I am amazed at how often answering a young person’s question leads to an hour-long conversation. I’m even more amazed at how often young people say, “why didn’t they teach this in school?” Apparently, high schools, colleges and universities do not teach basic civics anymore.

My point is simple. Every one of us is a library unto ourselves. If we don’t pass our knowledge to the next generation, it will die with us.

Shame on Diane Feinstein.