Activist Hope

By Victoria Koch

Tuesday, I get up early to be at the Lane County Public Service Building for the Lane County commissioners meeting. I am one of the first to sign up to give public comment. Once again, the topic is treating our immigrants humanely, and asking the commissioners to give a written statement in support of our being a sanctuary city and state, and to call out the cruelty of ICE. So far, three out of the five commissioners have been on our side.

I get up to speak. I speak about the journey here of the Salvadoran asylum seekers I sponsor; I speak about needing our immigrants, as we are on Native land and are truly all immigrants. I am nervous and don’t say all I want to say. But all the speakers after me are excellent.

The room is not as full as it has been at previous meetings. I want a larger crowd. But several people do come up to me afterwards to find out more about Oregon Community Asylum Network (OCAN), and so I feel at least it was worth coming.

When I come home, my mood starts to sink. I can feel myself being covered slowly by a layer of sadness, even depression. This current world is way too cruel and full of hate or at least only respecting white people. The bitter cold weather of winter has also begun. I come home feeling lonely as I sometimes do, especially after being in a crowd of people. I toy with the idea of not going downtown to the noon Interfaith Protest Singing and our 1 pm anti-ICE demonstration. But after a quick lunch and some inspired reading, I pull myself together and head downtown.

My parking karma kicks in and I find a place in a crowded parking lot off 5th Avenue. I am late as I walk to the corner of 7th and Pearl. I can hear the singing as I approach the corner.

I love singing, and the singing magic I usually feel kicks in. The songs are old ’60s and ’70s protest songs, yet still so relevant today. This is sad in part because we haven’t come very far all these many decades later. The more I sing surrounded by a community who understands the heartache we are going through, who are standing on this corner in the freezing cold with protest signs and open hearts, the more I feel my depression erased.

The song circle always ends with “We Shall Overcome” and often includes John Lennon’s song “Imagine,” which easily brings me to tears. I walk slowly to the other corner for the anti-ICE protest. We stand mostly silent with signs saying “SHAME,” etc. I seem to know many of the people who call out to me and make me feel so welcome to be there. I chat while holding my sign and always love being in this protest community. I find it does give me hope. One of my friends gave it the title I so love: “Activist Hope.”

Yes, “Activist Hope” is what we create just by being with each other. The singing and protesting uplifts my spirit and does tell me, “We will indeed overcome!”

Victoria Koch is a mother, a retired teacher, a writer, a gardener and lover of the positive human spirit.

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!