.JPG)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - When this group gets together, it’s no knitting circle!
"We might be 20, 30 people that come together but then you look around and there’s another 20, 30, 40, 50 people that are joining us and you realize, it’s not just our group that has identified as Elder Witness but a much larger group of people in this city," says Lynne Iser, "That are also saying these issues are important to me and I want to stand with you and bring awareness to it."
Naomi Klayman, Mark Lyons, Lynne Iser and Arthur Schmidt are some of the members of Elder Witness; a Philadelphia based protest group made up of seniors.
"Most of us haven’t become activated only by what’s happening in this country," explains Mark Lyons, "But in fact have felt like it’s time to really in a sense either re-activate or continue our activist stories and that what we -- our past history and what we’ve learned make it even more important that right now we respond and act to what’s going on in this country."
They’ve joined climate strikes popularized by high school students and have created their own street demonstrations; tackling issues like migrant children detention and family separation at the U.S. border. Some would say for seniors like Arthur Schmidt, a lifelong career in migrant issues has given him wisdom beyond his years.
"Well at least it makes me old," Arthur Schmidt tells PBS39 News Tonight Reporter, K.C. Lopez, "But in getting old, I spent a lot of time in Central America and in Mexico so I am familiar with migrants, I’m familiar with many of the issues that drive migration. All of us, as the word elder implies, are old people and we have I think a lot of concerns about immigration issues and we also consider the fact that we have life experience and some particular personal knowledge derived from various different ways."
And so instead of slowing down, these seniors are speeding up.
"It just got to the point where things at the border got worse and worse, I felt like I needed to do something more and that’s when I heard about this group and decided to join," explains Naomi Klayman, "So, when I get together with these people I feel very excited that we are doing something, we’re taking to the streets."
And while most people their age are retiring on a sunny, Florida beach, these activists say, the time to act is now.
"Well we’re not dead yet," jokes Schmidt, "So that. As long as we’re alive, it seems to me we’re part of society and we have something to offer. We also have children and grandchildren that tie us personally in a way that’s very intimate to think of the future and its considerations. And going back to the word witness, we’re observing and reflecting and therefore acting on what we see. I think we have a legitimate role and it’s not just for young people alone. And in many demonstrations I’ve been in it’s very nice; you partner with young people and you accompany them and they accompany us and we inspire and instruct each other."
And think youngsters can learn a thing or two about staying active and staying involved; "Ask questions, don’t take everything at face value, know your history," Klayman suggests to younger protestors, "And know that--be open to hearing other opinions even though you might not agree with them because every time you hear a challenge it forces you to re-think what you’ve committed to and sometimes you need to do a course correction and you will always grow so you need to be willing to hear people that disagree with you. And also to some degree, we’ve been here before."
Meanwhile, Mark Lyons says, "The first life changing event in my life was when I did civil rights stuff in the south back in the mid 60s and then you know was arrested and refused induction in the war against Vietnam and worked with migrant farmer workers for years. It’s important for elders to step up and not only depend on younger people to take the banner.
Even if that means getting thrown behind bars.
"If we get arrested it’s not going to ruin our career, we don’t have to be at work that afternoon or that morning," says Iser, "So, there’s an opportunity for older people to spend their time in activism that’s not as easily done when we’re younger. Younger people have their lives ahead of them, they have their jobs, their careers, their children to care for and if we need to step out there it’s a very scary thing to think about but we might need to make decisions to do that. I thankfully haven’t been there yet."
Got a news tip? Email K.C. at KCLopez@wlvt.org