CommentsBCK FILE--The laid-back South Bay community perhaps best known for beach volleyball and bike rides along The Strand has become an epicenter of activism, thanks to a group of local moms, including Jen Jenkins Dohner who founded Postcards for Progress, a cottage industry of artisan postcards to use to contact not only legislators but also for Get Out the Vote drives throughout the country, run through the Georgia-based group Postcards to Voters.
The Trump Administration and current political climate have brought newly minted activists into the fold, joining the more experienced. “We’re definitely a mix of those who have been active in the past,” says Dohner. “With an 8- and 11-year old, I hadn’t been active since college. Many didn’t see the need for activism till now. This is not normal."
Many of the activists are organized through two separate groups, South Bay Cares, a 501(c)(3), which is the social action community, and South Bay Cares Political Fund, a political action fund.
“South Bay Cares gives me community engagement, inspiration, and the bulk of the buyers for Postcards for Progress,” explains Dohner. “South Bay Cares Political Fund is the beneficiary for the sales of Postcards for Progress.” In addition to selling postcards to members, Dohner has started an Etsy store which sells throughout the country. She says one mom has bought 600 postcards to send to legislators and voters.
Dohner (photo left)finds inspiration for her designs from issues, as well as the beach with symbols including waves, the sun, and hearts. She began to create collages, which she says took on a life of their own, to deal with the “disbelief from regressive acts in so many areas, from the environment and women’s rights to LGBTQ rights and gun reform."
Writing postcards is a great way for those with time constraints to get involved and Dohner says it really makes the difference.
“The way I see it, you have four ways to contact Congress: phone calls, emails, faxes, and postcards. If you’re trying to influence someone of whom you are not a constituent, as many of us are in California, depending who it is, phone and email may not be an option. Fax services are a mixed bag,” advises the artist activist. “If you can’t get through by phone or email but the issue is time-sensitive like an upcoming vote, then a fax is your best bet. On equally important but less pressing matters, sometimes, I’ll do FaxZero AND a postcard for a one-two punch.”
Dohner says writing postcards is a great way for those with limited time to make a difference and to stay positive. She has included postcards in her daily routine, writing a few after she drops her kids at school and mailing them en route to walk the dog.
“It's an excuse for me and my dog to get outside and walk down to the nearest postbox on a regular basis. The act of putting the cards in the box helps me feel like I am "putting away" my concerns for the day as well,” she adds.
“You don’t have to write a long message. Sometimes, I just write IMPEACH in a Sharpie,” she suggests.
For Dohner, the act of writing a postcard each day for a week to the moderate candidates feels like her best form of expression. “It’s physical so they have to DO something with it. It’s visual so it communicates via additional senses, and it’s manual so it’s a nice change of pace for the resister,” she says. “I like writing in multiple colors and pen thicknesses to emphasize my message. When I am speaking about the president, I use the color orange, for instance.”
For the activist, expressing gratitude to legislators is another important component. “Postcards are a great way to send thanks to any congress member. I write these last in any batch, so the feeling of gratitude lasts through the day,” she says.
Postcard activism has become a key part of Dohner’s life. “For the most part, I’d write a postcard on just about any topic I might make a phone call about so any circulating “action item” is a potential excuse to break out the postcards,” she says. “I think of my resistance as a practice like yoga or meditation. I try to make it mindful. So far, I’ve raised $1,000 for my cause and when I’ve sold all the cards in the current inventory, I’ll raise $1,000 more.”
To purchase Postcards for Progress, visit the Etsy store.
For information on how to send Get Out the Vote postcards, visit Postcards to Voters.
(Beth Cone Kramer is a professional writer living in the Los Angeles area. She covers Resistance Watch and other major issues for CityWatch.) Prepped for CityWatch by Linda Abrams.
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