Who Would Have Thought?

Who would have thought that 10,000 people from LA to Seattle to Chicago to New Orleans to Phoenix would come together in big and small gathering to discuss the issues and challenges that are impacting their communities and their hopes and dreams for the future…

Who would have thought that 50 family delegates from across the country would spend their weekend away from their family and friends to discuss, modify and ratify a peoples platform that represented the issues and concerns from their communities….

Who would have thought that 6,000 people from California, New Mexico and Washington State would travel by bus, car and plane to Los Angeles to make their voices heard on behalf of poor families and communities across the country….

Who would have thought that those 6,000 people in LA would be joined, by the miracle of technology, by 4,000 people in Chicago and 4,000 more in Birmingham on the same day…

Who would have thought that community-based organizations big and small from every region of the country would set aside their egos and organizational priorities to support and implement a campaign that they may or may not have had a hand in creating, but ultimately wanted a part in supporting…..

Who would have thought a Foundation in Seattle would have the audacity to inspire, cajole, and nurture a movement of and by families….

Who would have thought?

It has been quite a ride, and it is not over yet.

We still have 16 days till September 6th, and a lot of bus routes, brown bag lunches, name tags, child care activities, translation services and hotel rooms to ensure before then, but if the proceeding paragraphs prove anything, they prove:

We Can Do This!

Charles Fields is a program officer for the Equal Voice for America's Families Campaign.

Technorati Tags: activism, economy, politics, poverty, families, working+families, 2008 elections, barack obama, john mccain, social justice, current affairs, current events, immigration, online video, lifecasting.