An Activist

I knew when we started going together that Pam was an activist going back a number of years but what I didn’t know was how rapidly she stood up when things appeared unfair. This first came to my attention when we were at the Hollywood Bowl for a classical concert and at the half point in the concert there was an intermission to get refreshments and use the restroom. We separated between men’s and women’s bathrooms and I easily walked in without waiting in the line while Pam was at the end of a long line of women that was moving slowly. Before I could wash my hands I heard a familiar voice behind me say “Don’t worry, we won’t get arrested!”. The voice belonged to Pam who had led a dozen or so women into the men’s latrine.

I learned that Pam and her best friend Karen Owens had been active for another organization called “Another Mother For Peace”. The organization is still active and their poster continues to be famous. See the poster in the attached photo with Pam on the right.

On August 4th, 1985 (our second year together), we went to Washington D.C. to participate in the RIBBON with 18,000 other people surrounded the Pentagon with our RIBBONS tied together. The RIBBONs were 2x4 pieces of cloth stating “What I would miss if we experienced a Nuclear War”. We were next to the Warnings who were Quakers from New Hampshire who invited us to come see them.

Before we got together Pam was protester against the Gallo Wine family and Gallo grapes. Pam wasn’t a member of the United Farm Workers but supported them a number of times. When we lived in Lompoc the state was going to shut down the La Purisium Mission and Pam got us to march with 600 other people to protest and the Mission remains open today.

Pam has a lot of empathy as to how people are treated. The picture of the two Albanian women forced off a refugee train brought her to tears and she said “This could be me and any number of women friends”. We have lost more than my wife or your relative or friend, we’ve lost a special human being!