Stick-To-Itiveness. It's Now or Never.
It's What We All Need Right Now.
When the world feels topsy turvy, like everyone else I want to stay in bed and pull the covers over my head. But this dread is not what the world needs from us right now. We all need to take care of ourselves. Take the time to feel your feelings—rage, anger, upset, all of it. And then, we need to get together in our communities and start working to solve the huge issues we face. Host a potluck with your neighbors and talk, get to a city council meeting, or join a non-profit in your community that’s already working on these issues.
It’s been a hard news week. To everyone in Flint, my heart is with you. The news that the Michigan Supreme Court threw out charges against former Gov. Rick Snyder and others in the Flint water scandal, is a travesty. Where is the justice?!
The megadrought out West fueled by climate change is devastating. We always knew this day would come but now that it’s here, what will we do about it?
The federal government has declared a water shortage on the Colorado River for the first time ever, triggering mandatory water cuts for states in the Southwest.
This year, Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the U.S. by volume, has drained at an alarming rate. At around 1,067 feet above sea level and 35 percent full, the Colorado River reservoir is at its lowest since the lake was filled after the Hoover Dam was completed in the 1930s.
Lake Powell, which is also fed by the Colorado River and is the country's second-largest reservoir, recently sank to a record low and is now 32 percent full.
We must learn to adapt to these new normals. We must work even harder to preserve the water we have and protect it from contamination.
In North Carolina, Senators Thom Tillis and Richard Burr voted against the bill they helped craft that would benefit veterans from Camp Lejeune who were exposed to toxic chemicals in the base’s water for nearly three decades.
The Camp Lejeune Justice Act was combined with the Honoring our PACT Act of 2021, and despite their lack of support for the bill, also known as H.R. 3967, it passed 88-14. The road ahead for everyone impacted by this contamination continues to be rocky.
In a statement, Tillis argued that, “While well-intentioned, the PACT Act creates new promises to veterans while breaking existing ones, which is why I could not support its passage. Just this week, I listened to Secretary McDonough describe the challenges the VA is facing in meeting current obligations and it’s clear that the Department does not have the capacity to properly implement the PACT Act. This legislation will have adverse operational and administrative impacts, and I remain concerned that it will result in increased wait times, delays in receiving care, and a substantial increase in the claims backlog. I fully expect that in the coming years, Congress will be forced to make substantial changes to account for these unintended consequences.”
C’mon! Camp Lejeune is considered by scientists and federal investigators to be the worst and largest water contamination our country has ever seen. Stop kicking the can down the line and do everything in your power to clean up this mess and help those in need. NOW.
Our leaders are failing us and not facing consequences. It feels beyond frustrating and unfair. When times get tough, I like to revisit some wisdom from my mom that has helped anchor me and my work throughout the years.
I would frequently come home from school feeling so frustrated from the hurdles of the day, and one time my mom said, “Erin, you’ve gotta have some stick-to-itiveness.” I rolled my eyes because I didn’t think it was a real word. But not a few minutes later my mom came back with a Webster’s Dictionary in her hand, and I was shocked to see it on the page.
The definition: a propensity to follow through in a determined manner; dogged persistence born of obligation and stubbornness.
What a word! I was captivated by this concept and it gave me a lot of hope. Even if I had challenges, I didn’t have to give up on the dreams I had for my life. In fact, I’d argue that these early challenges helped shape me into the woman I am today. Perhaps some of the challenges you are working with right now are shaping you too.
I use this word as a reminder that I can’t give up, even when the going gets tough.
One of my favorite parts about stick-to-itiveness is that it’s not a skill you are born with. It’s something you cultivate. Anyone out there can develop the ability to follow through, regardless of the stumbling blocks.
I want to urge all of you to muster up your own stick-to-itiveness and remember we are in this together. No one person must—or can—fix it alone. Not one senator, one community member, CEO, mom, or dad. It’s up to all of us. We’ve got to work together.
The movie that gave me a platform was not an end, it was a beginning. It was a wake-up call. Let’s get to work!
Got some solutions? Let us know in the comments below. How are you cultivating your stick-to-itiveness right now?
Love the title & appreciate your inspiration so much 💗
In the low country of SC, my ex-husband leveraged his connections (Murdaugh et al), and I lost my precious children and my home after a 20 year marriage.
It didn’t matter that I had recorded convos of his saying he didn’t want the kids, or he was going to take them bc he was angry at me, or that the custody & key players were “taken care of.”
The 14th judicial circuit also turned a blind eye to doctors’ notes, stacks of affidavits testifying to his abuse, videos of DV, ex’s psych disability (“conduct” disorder), his demotions/suspensions from fed gov’t, etc.
Within 6 months of our divorce, he had remarried, and the home we shared went up in flames as my 11 year old son barely escaped.
Connections. Ex’s very good friend, bff, from 1970s is the county attorney is Beaufort who reps the police. There was no police report, or referral for arson, and when I referred it to Sled’s arson team, sled (sc law enforcement division), cpt Jones said that “locals wouldn’t allow an investigation.”
I was still on the deed at the time the home was destroyed and I subpoenaed insurance information. Over $492k that began minutes after fire trucks arrived was distributed to ex and me; again, locals would not even investigate when I told them I did not get a cent.’
This past summer I was tipped off by a friend of a friend at the Hilton Head Island pet shelter who said my ex had turned in my daughter’s cat who he claimed to all had perished in the fire.
With subpoena power this month, I confirmed this was done 48 hours before he torched the house, and provided it to investigatory agencies in addition to the other 35 months of evidence I’ve accumulated via FOIAs, PIs, turning over rocks, countless phone calls, and other subpoenas.
STILL. No investigation, no charges, no change in custody, nothing.
I am incapable of “moving on” knowing that my ex-husband and his bride left my precious son alone within minutes of my returning him to them, as they set a trap that he was lucky to escape with his life.
This happened 1.19.20. My ex had two sons from his first marriage, one of whom testified for me at our final hearing. He “adores” our firstborn, a daughter.
Our girl returned to the home without warning of the fire... her dad was apparently busy with insurance. She drove up with friends to learn everything she had was gone. Just a month earlier, she remembered walking in and being told to “meet your new mom” by dad.
My ex did not even inform me of the fire and does not allow the children to tell me anything that happens at his home; a neighbor called me.
Desperate 🙋🏻♀️ for any plug, name drop, advocacy, shout out, media contact, anything at all... locals do not go against the police/county, and that includes the media.
Promise I am legit. Lee Granade and “clean up the 14th” on Facebook. Also Lee Granade (formerly Jimenez when married) on LinkedIn.
I can support 99.7% of claims. This is public corruption at its worst... but worse still to this momma is that my child nearly died and his dad nearly did it.
Thanks a million for considering 💗
Well, currently, i'm digging into my backlog of e-mail...
I don't have an overarching political agenda that would justify making activism a profession. I'm just a poor old widow trying to eke out an honest living with my laptop, who happens to have a unique, dramatic reaction to glyphosate that I don't want to watch ruin my niece's and nephew's lives. In my case persisting with Glyphosate Awareness is not a virtue. It's a reflex. I'm being lashed until I drop.
Your persistence, dear lady, is as beautiful as Julia Roberts looked when she played you in the movie.