By DAVID DUPONT
BG Independent News
The needles were out on Friday as a group of 20 or so, almost all women, gathered at Grounds for Thought to knit and crochet and create a new work for those wishing to oppose recent actions both by the Trump administration and in the state legislature.
The event was inspired, said Sandy Wicks, by two events.
At the march against Trump’s policies on Presidents Day, she and other women wore what she called “pussycat” hats, pink hats that were made to wear during the March on Washington in January 2017. Several college-age women at the march complimented them on the hats, and the older women explained their significance. The younger women wanted to make their own.
So the fiber event was planned.
Wicks added that during a meeting of her banned books reading club, people wondered about how they could get involved. “They didn’t know where to go, who to talk to, how to get informed,” she said. They wondered: “‘How did you know to show up at the march?’”
Wicks and others decided that “we need to form a little group come together share our expertise.”
Holli Luring-Gray was among those at the Grounds event though she admitted she was not adept at crocheting. She’s more skilled at organizing.
When the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, upending reproductive rights, she and five other mothers organized Bowling Green Persists.
The group led the effort to amend the city’s non-discrimination ordinance to include protections for women who have had an abortion or given birth or are breastfeeding.
Now she is concerned about the backlash against Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion measures.
Her daughter, a recent BGSU grad, is becoming a school counselor, and could be forced to tell parents details shared with her by students even if the student would prefer their parents not know.
She’s also concerned because her son, who recently moved to Portland, Oregon, is involved in cancer research. And funding for science is being axed at the federal level.
Gray-Luring is concerned about the climate, and she’s concerned about getting burned out.
Wicks said that’s the point of the group. To help people concentrate on what action they can take.
Wicks said she will participate the candlelight vigil Tuesday, March 4 at 8:30 p.m. on Wooster Green. Organized nationally by We the People, the local event is being hosted by the League of Women Voters. The event will coincide with President Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress.
The organizers state: “Democracy is not just a system of government—it’s the power of the people. It begins with us, our voices, and our votes. At a time when democracy is under threat, we’re asking you – and countless folks across the country – to come together to defend it.”
On Thursday, March 7, activists will meet at 9 a.m. at Grounds for Thought to carpool to Columbus for the Stand Up for Science rally at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus. They rally will be held from noon to 3 p.m. This is also part of a national effort. Click to register.
According to the organizers: “Science is for everyone – and benefits everyone. When the federal government supports scientific research through taxpayer funding, it fuels innovation, creates jobs, and sustains the world we live in. From purified water to the polio vaccine to the cell phone you might be reading this on, science has significantly impacted our lives in countless ways. And science has revealed a world of unmatched beauty, order, and mystery, from the inside of the atom to the farthest galaxies.”
