To most, the word retirement conjures images of long rounds of golf, hotly contested games of bingo, and sitting in a recliner chair with the Sunday crossword. But for the seniors of Third Act, this couldn’t be farther from the reality.
Founded by legendary climate writer and activist, Bill McKibben, ThirdAct is bringing together elders around the United States for collective action on climate and democracy. And they are not just writing postcards and signing petitions from the comfort of their home. They are taking to the front lines of protests to demand an end to the reign of the fossil fuel industry.
Many of the 65+ activists are a bit old for laying out on the concrete out in front of big banks where they are demanding divestment from fossil fuels. So in many of the places they go, they enlist an army of secondhand rocking chairs to create a blockade.
Bruce Hamilton, a longtime National Deputy Director of the Sierra Club and now National Volunteer for ThirdAct, points out that seniors have a unique position to leverage change.
“Elders have most of the voting power. They have most of the financial resources,” Hamilton says. “It’s the big generation that’s basically created the problem, but also has a great contribution to make as far as fixing the problem.”
Lead by lessons learned from the anti-war, women’s empowerment, and civil rights movements of the 60s and 70s, they find strength in numbers. While individual action is essential, Third Act members echo the refrain, “The best thing that an individual can do for the environment is to stop acting as an individual and band together in movements large enough to create change.”
Many have images of their grandkids on the posters that they carry, reminding the world who they are in the fight for. “I have a grandson newly born this year,” McKibben says. “I now deeply love someone who will be alive in the 22nd century and that does reframe your sense of time.”
While many in Third Act are experienced activists, some, like 73 year-old Shekinah, are getting involved for the first time. They experience the joy and renewed sense of purpose from fighting for change as a community.
The best part? They have fun doing this work. Until their last breath, these seniors will be demanding for a better planet for future generations. That is the Rocking Chair Rebellion. Rock on elders!
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