The Stroller Brigade for Safe Chemicals: An antidote to discouragement

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By Elizabeth Saunders, Massachusetts Legislative Director It can get discouraging in this line of work.  With state legislatures that never take votes, a congress that seems to think it’s job is rolling back environmental protections, and dirty tactics by polluting industries it’s easy for an organizer to get down. So I’ll admit that when I got on a chartered bus to Washington DC two weeks ago for the National Stroller Brigade for Safe Chemicals I had these discouragements on my mind and was somewhat begrudgingly giving up two evenings at home and nights in my own bed "for the cause." But here’s the thing—when I got back on the bus, two days later, to head back to Massachusetts, I was elated, energized, and eager to get home and plan the next action to demonstrate the real power of the people. The National Stroller Brigade for Safe Chemicals was organized by Safer Chemicals Healthy Families -- a national coalition including Clean Water Action that is working to reform our nation's outdated chemical laws.  200 moms, dads, cancer survivors, nurses, legislators, and others came together from across the country.  200 passionate, fiery activists--many of them regular, every day people who became activists because of this trip.  Twenty-two women from Maine got on the bus at 6:30 AM (many of them having gotten up many hours before to get there) to come.  Parents came from as far away as Alaska. A mother from Michigan brought her 3 young sons and spoke about losing her husband to cancer.  Nurses told stories of treating babies whose mothers have been exposed to toxic chemicals.  A team from Mossville, Louisana held a hand-drawn map of their town which is laden with 14 chemical plants.  The stories were personal, profound and devastating. What struck me about this group, or more accurately what was infused in me from being in their presence for 3 days, was a great sense of hope.  These are not people who have given in to discouragement.  Their stories of suffering and loss motivated them to go to DC, but what sustained them was hope.  No one comes all the way across the country for a lobby day without hope.  No nurse takes 3 days off from work to go lobby congress without hope.  No mom packs up her 3 young children to go talk to the national press without hope.  And you know what?  If they are hopeful, so am I. Because it's that hope and the enthusiasm, energy, and passion that comes along with it that will win these fights. So the next time you're getting discouraged about the fight for environmental protection, I've got a prescription for you: turn off the computer, put down the newspaper, take a day off from work if need be and then walk out your front door and join the nearest rally, protest, or gathering of passionate moms or people working for a healthier tomorrow for our families or our communities at large.  There's no better antidote to discouragement and no better way to put fear in polluters than to join a team of people acting on the basis of hope.