By William G. Stothers
I have known Joe Stern for nearly 20 years. He looks the same today as he did when I met him. He came into the newsroom of the newspaper here where I was working.
Joe came in often, in fact, lobbying and advocating for his causes. They centered on human rights, labor and senior citizen issues and the need to hold people in power to account. Joe is unflagging as he beats the drums for his issues.
In his 67 years "as a foot-soldier in the progressive movement, never as a leader, but always as a trooper," Joe has walked thousands of picket lines, distributed billions of leaflets, attended thousands of demonstrations, and had millions of bull sessions. And a lot more.
Two months from now, in May, Joe Stern will turn 88 - maybe. A year ago, he was told he has inoperable, untreatable terminal cancer. He decided not to look for a cure, or even spend time taking tests. Instead, he chose to make the most of the rest of his life for his causes.
In fact, Joe is making the end of his life an event to bring people together once again to focus on forging a people's movement to work for improving people's lives.
Not only did I meet Joe Stern in the newsroom of my newspaper, I met him at meetings of our local disability community. Whether it was health care reform, or campaign finance reform - two big issues for Joe recently - Joe was there urging us to join with senior citizen groups and others in order to achieve a bigger, stronger, more powerful voice.
Joe doesn't always succeed, of course. But he keeps coming back with his message:
"There is only one way real change occurs: people bring it about. It starts with small protests. If people are ready to act, they join in and the protests become larger and larger until they are finally irresistible. Once they reach this stage, we get legislation. That is how we freed the slaves, won women the right to vote, got labor the right to organize and every other social advance in history. Every one was resisted by the powers that be."
That quote is from a pamphlet Joe has just published called "Toward Building a People's Movement." He wanted to put down the ideas he has developed from his 67 years of experience in the struggle for change. I don't agree with everything he says. But I respect and admire him greatly. He is a wonderful model of active citizenship. At the time I first met Joe, he qualified for retirement, a time to take life easier after years of work and community involvement. But that was not for Joe. He burns with determination to make a better world where ordinary people are valued and upheld.
Joe's method is not slash-and-burn revolution. It is good old-fashioned organizing. He's doing that until he dies, literally.
Joe's passion reminds me of Justin Dart, Jr., whose story graces many pages of this issue of MAINSTREAM. They are both men full of life. They struggle. They put their bodies on the line. And they have a presence that exudes both power and a certain peacefulness.
They both honor our collective strength and prod our individual power and responsibility to make a difference.
Despite obstacles and disabilities these men of vastly different backgrounds march the same road together, even though they have never met.
It would be easy to feel put to shame by their example, to beg off for lack of energy, time or skills. Or interest. It is easier to stay home and watch TV. I can understand. I've done that myself in times past. Some of us need all of our time just to survive, make a living, raise a family. Or, maybe that's just what we tell ourselves.
I have worked in places where it was clear that some of my colleagues had, as they say, quit and stayed. They really hated being there but they would not leave. It is a kind living death, being unhappy, unproductive, stuck. Being afraid to take a chance, to leave, to really live. We all know people like that.
Disability has a nasty habit of letting the air out of a person's balloon. It's tempting to give up on life, to quit and stay, counting all the things we can't do.
Neither Joe nor Justin would have any of that. Sure life's a struggle, a real bitch more often than not. But, hey, if we join together, maybe we can make it better. See what you can do, they say, it is great work to be part of. Change the world. Make Joe happy.
William G. Stothers is editor of MAINSTREAM.
Back to the MAINSTREAM Home Page