A yard sign — I had hope. It might inspire action or at least questioning. In fact, my yard sign was a question: Do you know what your retirement earnings are invested in? The only response I got: “Nice lettering.” Now the yard sign is in the shed.
A bumper sticker —more visibility. I ordered one, same question. Didn’t expect this answer: “Who wants to look at someone else’s politics?” I canceled the order.
A letter to the editor — that has reach, but not if it doesn’t reach publication. My previous letter hadn’t. I felt certain Oregon PERS investment in assault weapons manufacturers was newsworthy. Once published, I believed PERS members would rise up en masse to demand divestment. We’d take to the streets if we had to. And then I remembered when I took to the streets to protest gun violence some years back. I attended a rally at the federal courthouse. I was fired up, wearing orange and bellowing: “Boycott stores that sell guns! Don’t shop at Bi-Mart, Big 5!” I felt empowered and influential — for about an hour. It was only a matter of time before I was back shopping at Bi-Mart and Big 5.
I’m finally understanding something I’ve said for a long time but not lived up to: I’m the only one I can change, though even that is questionable. But I’d rather die trying to be who I want to be than die trying to make someone else be who I want them to be.
Molly Sirois
Eugene
A Note From the Publisher
Dear Readers,
The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.
That’s because of you!
Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.
Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.
We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.
And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.
None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.
As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.
Thank you for standing with us!
Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
(541) 484-0519
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