A message from the founder Grassroots Of Democracy
My name is Annette Dion. I started Grassroots Of Democracy in January 2022.
For as long as I can remember, I have had activism in my blood. At the age of 7 I recall a childhood friend coming to my door and telling me that the earth was dying and we had to save it. Turns out it was Earth Day. We spent the better part of the day picking up trash in a local park, and somehow the story of us made it into the local newspaper.
I am a proud American. I grew up in blue-collar America, in a democratic household where JFK’s presidential picture hung proudly on the wall. Democracy has felt precious to me for as long as I can remember. On Memorial Day and Veterans Day I have watched and participated with awe and reverence as we remember those who have selflessly sacrificed life and limb to preserve our freedom.
Through all our mistakes and unfortunate tragedies, I, like you, understand America’s being a government by-the people as a work-in-progress; a living organism that needs to be fed and nourished properly to function well, for the greater body’s good health.
With the rise of Donald J. Trump in 2015, which directly aligned with the infiltration of Russian bots and right-wing media spewing dangerous lies and fascist rhetoric, I could not sit idly by.
When the attack on our precious Capitol occurred January 6, 2021, I found myself in a state of complete shock, stunned and shaking in my boots. I will never stop considering it a kind of miracle that we kept our democracy after that horrific day.
I WANTED TO DO WHATEVER I COULD TO GET CITIZENS TOGETHER, TO RISE UP AND SAVE OUR DEMOCRACY.
The frustration I felt with mainstream news reporting all the bad news stories about how DJT and those “republicans” continue ripping our precious Constitution to shreds, yet hearing zero follow-up “calls-to-action” really started to get to me. This is exactly what brought me to create this organization.
Grassroots Of Democracy is for every American. You can participate at the level you feel able to.
We meet twice each week in a virtual Zoom meeting room. At the conclusion of our one-hour Thursday night meeting, members receive the call notes from group member Terri with pertinent links to inform and guide us in doing tasks for the week. If you are unable to attend you still receive an email with a recap with great information to move us forward.
Our Saturday afternoon 90-minute meetings are virtual “work sessions” where we support each other in quiet time together, doing our “saving democracy” actions. We start that meeting with a 25-minute civics lesson presented by Maria, a fellow lover of democracy and group member.
We urge you to join us. We are not going to ask you for anything. We just want you to be part of this.
Because democracy is not, and democracy never has been, a spectator sport.
To join, enter your email address here. We do not share or sell your email address with anyone. It is solely to send you the Zoom invites and the notes.
We look forward to your presence!
Let’s roll.
Annette
Who joins us at Grassroots Of Democracy?
Annette has been using the platform of her YouTube channel to promote and gather participants for the group.
We are people from all over the United States. This gives us, collectively, a pretty good overview of what is occurring at any given moment in our country.
We are from any state in the nation; we are able to get real life, on-the-ground accounts of state government races, voting rights, laws and bills that are being pushed forward, radical right-wing extremist and christian nationalist tactics that are happening everywhere, and more. We let each other know what is being done, and figure out what needs to be done to save our democracy. We get to work doing it.
We have our “finger on the pulse” of what is happening because we come together for discussions, where we inform each other, twice a week, every week.
We look to other democratic organizations that have been popping up in huge numbers, joining with those who are working as hard as we are to save democracy. Grassroots Of Democracy is constantly moving, expanding and motivating to get our civic duties done! When there is a breaking news story, we are on top of it. We leave no stone unturned.
If you have been waiting for a place where we all fight back as one entity, this is IT.
Democracy has never been a spectator sport. It will die if we don’t engage, without ceasing.
Do as much as you can. Just do something. We very much look forward to seeing you soon.
Hi, I’m Terri Hall and I’m the webmaster and historian for this group. I also compile the call summaries each week after we meet and keep my eyes open for action items to share on this site.
I never imagined myself as an activist. Yet., here I am. Why now? I’m standing up because I care about people and making this world a better place for us all. I no longer want to sit on the sidelines and hope someone else does it.
The past few years, I read/saw the news saying “Something needs to be done” and “Someone needs to do something.” I wholeheartedly agreed. But WHAT we can do was never mentioned. Annette was the first I saw who stepped forward and said “Let’s do it together in a a new group called Grassroots of Democracy. It’s free, it’s online. Let’s get together and talk about what we can do.”
Her leadership brought Grassroots of Democracy to life and she continues to inspire me with her passion and sincere heart. There is much to do. I know I can’t fix it all, but I can do something. I can do my part. My new friends in the group are doing their part. Won’t you join us and do what you can do?