The Electoral College

Today at my Congressional District Caucus (37th District, Washington State) I was voted on to the Electoral College!

I gave my one-minute speech:

I am Candidate #2, Esther “Little Dove” John. My friends call me Dove.

In 1983 I walked From Seattle to the United Nations in New York for World Peace.

In 1987* I performed at the first Arab and Israeli women’s peace conference in Israel-Palestine and at the World Environmental Summit in Brazil. ** As a Quaker I Lobby for peace in the other Washington.

I am inspired by local social justice advocates like Tyree Scott, Roberto Maestas, Bernie Whitebear and Aki Kurose, may they rest in peace.***

On the other hand, we see the world’s banks feasting on the misery of the millions, money and power their sole concern.

While an ardent Bernie delegate, I know that the world and all our children are imperiled by a Trump presidency.  We must all work together to resist that outcome.

Please vote for candidate #2, Esther “Little Dove” John.

The Electoral College! I remember learning about it from my favorite junior high school history teacher, Mr. Smith.

Ever since then it has seemed to be this big, scary, secret society that most of us U.S. citizens would never view from the inside.

And now I am on it!

Angela Gilliam said, “This is a memoir in the making! You have to start a blog or a facebook page about this!”

My caucus buddy Sara Torvoi agreed to be my technical liaison, finding the blog template and launching/maintaining the blog posts – and we’re in business!

 In 1987 I was one of 200 Americans and 200 Soviets who walked together as one big family visiting relatives between Leningrad, USSR (St. Petersburg, Russia) to Moscow (USSR) for peace and nuclear disarmament. My involvement in that walk stems directly from at least four people between here and New York telling me that I should try walking in Russia. Try looking for footage on HBO or maybe YouTube. More on this when the time is right.

** Of  1992: My Israel-Palestine experience was shared with beloved friends Pesha the poet, dancers Betsy, Sara and D’vorah and families intensely. Brazil was highly talented fellow artists (U. S. visual designer Paul, Kaaren the jazz/new age keyboard player (with various CDs) and members of the Brazilian group Kriyah (they have an eponymously titled LP) in the mountains and on the seacoast of beautiful Brazil.  It involved, at one point, world cultural asset and recent Brazilian Minister of Culture, the immortal guitarist-vocalist Gilberto Gil. More later.

***I wish to add to this list of inspirational local peace and justice advocates, my sister and CCEJ co-Founding Mother Ticiang Diangson.