My friend and mentor, Henry, talked me into joining the local feminist group after the campaign he and I were working on was over.  I finally went to a meeting and was surprised at the participation.  The guest was the president of the state organization and she was a dynamic and charismatic speaker and I felt motivated and enjoyed myself, so I continued to participate.  I had attended the meetings regularly for about five months when Henry told me the election of officers was at the next meeting and was I interested in running for President.  He was kidding, right?  It turned out he wasn’t.

He told me it would be great experience for me.  I told him NO.  He said I needed to stretch and this role would give me that opportunity.  I told him NO.  He told me he had been the president a few years ago and he had really enjoyed it and so would I.  I told him NO.  He told me everyone wanted me to be the next president, and I asked him why, after which I told him No (I was beginning to weaken).  He told me that the organization really needed me – desperately (sure, right).  I told him no – but my resolve was becoming much weaker).  He told me there wasn’t anyone else willing to run and grinned at me.  Oh well, what the heck, right?  I told him oh all right, rather grudgingly and went home hoping he was wrong and someone else would be running – after all there were quite a number of regular attendees. I decided not to worry about it after all it would never happen.

At the next meeting I was elected president by acclamation.  I was woefully unprepared.  I knew little about running a meeting, having only attended them and never presided at one.  I was very unfamiliar with Robert’s Rules of Order which we used to conduct all the business.  I knew less than nothing.  Oh well, I learned.  Trial and error.  Lots and lots of trying and errors and learning along the way.

I had been in office for a fairly short time when I received a letter from the city – the mayor’s office to be more precise – asking if we were interested in supporting a Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday for the city.  Remember this was over twenty years ago, right after our nation adopted this new federal holiday.  I brought it up at the next meeting, knowing that we would support it since the elimination of racism was one of our top priorities.  What I hadn’t bargained on was that I would have to testify at the city council hearing to support our group’s position.  Public speaking had clearly not been part of the package Henry had sold me.  I had never publicly testified or spoken and I didn’t want to begin doing so.  I was too nervous, too anxious, and downright scared, and I figured someone else could do a much better job.  So I asked one of the more experienced members to represent us.  She smiled pleasantly, patted me on the arm, and told me I needed the experience and I would do a wonderful job.  She then beamed at me and told me several of the members would accompany me to the meeting and give me moral support.  “Don’t worry,” she told me, “the city council was composed of wonderful people who would love to hear from our group.”  Right.  Okay.

On the appointed day and time three of us attended the city council hearing and tried to make ourselves comfortable on the uncomfortable folding chairs.  Our item of business was in the middle of the agenda.  It is not true that listening to others speak is conducive to relaxing.  At least it wasn’t for me that night.  As each individual spoke about their particular issue I became more and more anxious and nervous.  Finally our topic came up and it was time for me to testify.  I stood up and made my way to the mike and addressed the council members and the mayor.  After introducing myself I told them that our group supported this holiday and hoped that the city council members would also support it.  One member asked me how large our group was, how many members we had.  We had several hundred members in our small community and I was able to supply the number.  He paused and turned to his other councilors and discussed our membership numbers, and I realized at that precise moment that we had won, that the day would be declared a holiday because we represented a large portion of the community.  While several other individuals had testified in support of the holiday, I really “got it” that particular evening that when individuals worked together in support of group goals we had a much better chance of achieving them.  It was the whole “sum is greater than its parts” analysis in action.

Looking back in the context of time and experience I realized that that evening was a milestone in my life and although my voice would wobble and my nerves were anything but calm, Henry had been right after all.  The experience taught me that we are always stronger when we work together and support each other on the road we travel.  Fellow travelers, all of us, helping to make all of our journeys easier.