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| Local residents send messages of support, gratitude, and advocacy. |
A few dozen local residents gathered on Friday evening for a postcard-writing party to commemorate Random Acts of Kindness Day.
They sent messages of support to victims of hate crimes, thanked public officials for doing positive things, and urged other officials to focus on human rights.
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| Some of the postcards going into the mail. |
While participants were unhappy with recent actions taken by the Trump Administration, the postcard party was about doing something positive, rather than complaining.
The event, at Justa’s Chicken, a Peruvian restaurant on N. Chambliss Street, was organized by Lincolnia Hills resident Darcy Franz. She invited people via Facebook groups, Nextdoor, and advocacy groups like Pantsuit District.
Participants were presented with lists of addresses of Muslim and Jewish centers and others that have been subject to hateful graffiti or bomb threats; members of Congress who are opposing the Trump agenda; organizations that are working against hate, like the Southern Poverty Law Center; and “folks who need to do better.”
The latter category included such people as Rep. Jason Chaffets (R-Utah), chair of the House Oversight Committee, who hasn’t called for an investigation into Trump’s ties to Russia; Andrew Anglin, founder of the Daily Stormer neo-Nazi website who has been inciting white supremacists to attack the Jewish community in Whitefish, Mont.; and Prince William County board chair and gubernatorial candidate Corey Stewart, who liked a Facebook comment calling for people to run over liberal protesters in cars.
Jennifer Lyman of Alexandria said she came to the postcard party because she wants to “take every opportunity to do something to push back against the fear and hatred of this Administration.”
“I’m very concerned about the attacks on journalists and the truth,” said Lyman, who has been making phone calls, writing messages, attending rallies, and “doing whatever I can to resist.”
“With everything that’s going on now, it’s important to spread some love in the world,” said Arvin Franz of Lincolnia Hills.