Forward Together: Organizing For Our Future

By Gary Zuckett, WV CAG Executive Director

CHARLESTON, WV — Thursday, August 15, 2024. Gary Zuckett of WV Citizen Action Group speaks at a rally outside Appalachian Power headquarters during the Utility Justice Week of Action. Photo by Rebecca Kiger | Survival Media Agency

As we approach the 50th Anniversary of WV Citizen Action, I find myself reflecting on my time spent here. I’ve been working with WV CAG for over half of those 50 years, going back to when David Grubb, our founder, was our director and Norm Steenstra was our environmental organizer.  Before I came on the scene as a volunteer, I learned of a daily initiative where a van from the office on Virginia Street would canvass different neighborhoods. Canvassers would go door-to-door, signing up new members to build our organization and its grassroots power. That was decades before the internet or even e-mail. My, how times have changed our communications channels! 

Someone smarter than me once said, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” Here we are in 2024 with the whole world connected on one screen or another, yet too many of us feel isolated and alone. Basically, it comes down to the fact that screens are not a substitute for hugs!

The COVID pandemic drove this point home for so many of us. As we are finally pulling ourselves out of our pandemic isolation, our national affiliate, People’s Action, has developed an aspirational campaign called the ‘Organizing Revival,’ which we have fully embraced as a major project. Their web page clearly outlines the multiple crises we’re all dealing with: “People in the United States and around the world face a triple crisis. Authoritarianism threatens democracy. The climate crisis threatens to displace millions from their homes. And there is a decline of civil society resulting from disconnection and despair.”

This Organizing Revival is taking us back to our roots in many ways. We’ve engaged a new team of canvassers to get back out into select neighborhoods all over the state. They’re knocking on doors to inform residents about our major campaigns, including:

• Promoting new jobs in the clean energy economy
• Pushing back against skyrocketing fossil-based electric rates
• Advocating for health care justice for all
• Reaching out to disenfranchised and purged voters

Our canvassers are also signing people up for newsletters like this one. These newsletters keep residents informed and, we hope, inspire them to become citizen activists! 

This is where YOU come in! You’re the ‘Citizen’ in Citizen Action! 

We can’t knock on every door, but with your help, we can grow our movement for economic, racial, and environmental justice. Together, we can build the power that will make policymakers pay attention. With our votes, we can replace policymakers who don’t pay attention. Please take a minute to share this e-newsletter with your friends and family and encourage them to sign up and take action. 

One action that is always needed and so very important is renewing your membership or making an additional contribution for the work ahead. This election year is like no other in our lifetimes, and the stakes are high. Your financial support is crucial in helping us organize and build the people power we need to create real change. Thank you for your commitment and support!