To the generation that never stopped showing up, to the silent generation, to the retirees, to the baby boomers who have spent decades standing up, speaking out and refusing to give up: Thank you. Nov. 3 was partly your victory.
Thank you for marching when marching was necessary. Thank you for protesting, rallying, organizing, writing, calling, educating and reminding the rest of us that democracy is not a spectator sport. Thank you for showing up in the dark days, even as you witnessed the erosion of so many of your generation’s hard-won victories.
You fought for civil rights. You stood up for equality, dignity and the belief that every person deserves to be treated with fairness and respect. You helped push environmental protections into law, recognizing that clean air, clean water, healthy communities and a livable planet were necessities, not luxuries. You championed social justice, challenged discrimination and helped create a society that, while never perfect, moved forward because people like you refused to accept that things could not change.
Now, after all those years of fighting, the civil rights you worked so hard to secure have been challenged. The environmental laws you fought to establish have been treated with contempt and disregarded. It must be heartbreaking to watch, but you haven’t let despair silence you.
I see you at No Kings rallies. You stand on street corners holding signs. You gather on top of highway overpasses, waving to passing cars and reminding people that there are still those who care enough to stand in the wind, the cold and the rain. You write postcards. You make phone calls. You attend meetings. You organize. You encourage. You bear witness. You are the familiar faces at the rallies, the steady presence in the crowd, the people who know that change rarely comes from one grand gesture but from thousands of small acts of persistence.
And I want you to know that it matters. All of it matters.
While I was busy working and raising my family, you were out there leading the charge. You were keeping the flame alive. You were reminding people that citizenship is a lifelong responsibility, that caring about the future doesn’t come with an expiration date, and that standing up for what is right is never something we outgrow. While I was showing up where I was needed most, you were fighting our collective battle in the public square. You were doing the work that needed doing, often without recognition, without applause and probably without ever knowing how many people were watching and drawing strength from your example.
There is something profoundly moving when people who have already given so much of their lives to making the world better still refuse to stop caring. Out there holding signs, licking stamps, making calls and standing up for the next generation — you are reminding us that the work of democracy is never finished, rights are not self-sustaining, environmental protections do not defend themselves and justice does not advance simply because it once did.
Every generation inherits both the victories and the responsibilities of those who came before it. And when the times have grown dark, you have reminded us that hope is not passive. Hope is something we practice. It is something we carry into the streets, write on postcards, hold above our heads on protest signs and pass from one generation to another.
So, this is my thank-you letter to the retirees, the baby boomers, the women and men who have spent decades working, raising families, building communities, fighting for progress and who now find themselves once again on the front lines. Thank you for your persistence. Thank you for your courage. Thank you for your stubborn refusal to surrender to cynicism. Thank you for understanding that even when the road bends backward, we cannot stop walking forward.
You are proof that age does not diminish conviction, retirement does not end responsibility and hope does not have a shelf life. Your community sees you. We appreciate you. We are grateful for you. And we hope the generations coming behind you will carry that same torch with the same determination.
With admiration, respect, and heartfelt gratitude, I look forward to seeing you at protests and celebrations to come.
Emily F. Lash lives in Leverett.