(Click here for a pdf copy of our program to print out.)
We are elders living in the United States and its colonies whose lives have been immersed in the struggles to replace a failing and oppressive social system with a society that is just, stable and sustainable.
Our experience has taught us that, to be successful, those struggles must clearly oppose capitalism, colonialism and imperialism, and specifically target their enabling forms of oppression such as racism and white supremacy; sexism and homophobia; ageism and ableism; and the dehumanization of systematically excluded or oppressed populations. That’s why we pay close attention to the issues confronting these oppressed groups and intentionally seek leadership from within those groups.
Our programs, demands, and plans emanate from the understanding that elders play a critical role in the struggle for a just society and from the belief that our struggle is one of survival in a society whose rulers deny us the means to live a natural life in peace and comfort.
We also understand that our struggle contributes to the struggle of everyone in this society seeking the same kind of life; that we fight not only for ourselves, but also for our children, grandchildren, and future generations.
In that spirit, we demand a life in which we can be certain that…
– we are not humanity’s last generation and that our children and grandchildren will have the lives we have worked to give them
– ours is a society that will…
- take on the challenges of climate change and the protection of our water and air
- work to end world hunger and disease
- end all fossil-fuel projects and transition to a renewable energy economy
- end the U.S.’s militarist foreign policy and eliminate the obscene budget for wars, war-mongering and international bullying
- respect the rights of all people
– we are all guaranteed a livable federal pension
– we are guaranteed housing that preserves our privacy and access to family and friends, respects our dignity, and prioritizes our security
– we have access to completely free and available healthcare, medicine, well-being/good-health maintenance and home health and nursing facility care
– all tax-generated funding helps ensure the quality and protection of human life
– we have access to a national program of effective public transportation: urban and rural, local and long distance
– we have full and free access to in-person and digital education at all levels
– we have full and free access to unfiltered, high-speed broadband service
– we have full and easy access to all voting places and to a voting process that is truly accessible and accommodating to all
– all elders currently incarcerated be immediately freed
We ask that all who agree with these points support them, circulate them within your communities and get your organizations to publicly endorse them.
We are part of your past and present; our struggle is part of your future.