If there was anything that became obvious Friday night, it’s that those who show up for Indivisible are from a broad array of backgrounds and placement on the political spectrum.
And while we are finding our footing in Trump 2.0 (https://indivisible.org/resource/guide), it’s that energy, hope, and diversity that will bring us to the finish line in this marathon.
Because that room at Deane Hill on Friday night was filled with everything but MAGA.
The night started with some unexpected delays, but the energy and camaraderie were obvious well before the event started as the growing crowd wrapped around the building and we started our sign-ins ad-hoc from lawn and concrete thanks to volunteers.
Then we watched a room full of folks play musical chairs and many move to the floor and outer walls to open up a place to comfortably sit for those with mobility issues.
And the night continued with that sense of shared humanity. We laughed, we cheered, we clapped, and we occasionally boo’d in harmonious agreement to the play antics of our panelists and speakers.
Our favorite quote on Saturday came from a new group member who said, “A Knoxville friend invited me to the town hall last night, and I was impressed with the enthusiasm and hopefulness.”
Indivisible has always been about tangible, actionable hope for us. And we sincerely look forward to this next period of growth and change as we move out of our comfort zone of rallying folks online to implement policy change into the arena of real world, in-person political activism. Just like Indivisible National (https://indivisible.org/), we’re adapting and learning as we go.
Thankfully our planning team is as diverse, committed, and as adaptable as our members.
Our biggest disappointment of the night was not being able to get to as many storytellers and audience questions as we had hoped before the clocks timed out. So our next step is going to be to pick up where we left off–introducing our brand new Indivisible Knoxville STORYTELLERS page! (https://indivisibleknoxville.org/storytellers/)
Our hope is that, since he refused to attend our town hall for ‘safety’ reasons, that our dear Timmy Burchett will read the real life stories of how his decisions in Washington affect the folks here at home from the comfort and safety of his fancy office chair.
And maybe, just maybe, he can be reminded that Knoxville still remembers the county mayor who used to be ‘one of us’ and was universally respected for always working across the aisle. Can we get that Tim Burchett back? Is he redeemable?
We want to extend a sincere THANK YOU to everyone who teamed up, showed up, and volunteered to make this happen.
Indivisible, above everything else, is a community. We are coming together. We are fighting back. And we are forging a path forward.
– The Indivisible Knoxville Planning Team