This is the darkest moment for our country and our planet in our lifetimes—by a large margin. We’re watching our democracy flicker and falter. We’re seeing our planet on the brink of irreversible climate chaos. As older Americans who are closer to the exit than the entrance, we have very little time to waste.
Three years ago, Trump’s Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Many of the images from that decision appropriately featured young women, since their lives would be upended. But for us older folks, it was a profound psychic shock, because the right to choose was a fundamental aspect of our lives for five or more decades.
As Baby Boomers, we were raised with vivid lessons on the dangers of totalitarianism and autocracy. Watching Trump usher in authoritarianism, enabled by the likes of Nevada Rep. Mark Amodei and Gov. Joe Lombardo, goes against our deep-seated beliefs that American values, which our father fought for, are fundamentally opposed to fascism.
We also saw a new environmental awakening with passage of the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the National Environmental Policy Act and other bipartisan efforts to ensure our grandkids and future generations had a shot at a healthy planet. We assumed progress would continue. As we witness Trump’s unprecedented, merciless assault on the environment and public health, we are shocked and saddened.
It would be easy to grow bitter or to numb ourselves to cope with these catastrophic reversals. But we are not going gently into that good night. We’re finding community and hope through shared purpose and collective action.
Anyone who has listened to John Prine’s “Hello in There” knows about the epidemic of loneliness that affects older people. That’s why we appreciate joy and relationship-building. We also use ridicule and humor to mock fascism. When Trump sidekick Steven Miller boasted about using military force against U.S. citizens in our nation’s capital and said, “It’s all going great, except there’s all these elderly hippies out in the streets protesting us, and they should go home and take a nap,” we joined scores of seniors from Third Act, a national progressive organization of people 60 and older, to post videos of us awakening from our naps and heading to a protest.
Older people have been turning out in massive numbers at anti-Trump protests like Hands Off! and No Kings. We speak out against anti-trans hatred, because a hallmark of democracy is equal dignity and equal rights. And we are practicing allyship to stand up for our immigrant neighbors.
We need a new president and a new governor who respect the rule of law and govern as if climate change were real. Almost immediately after taking office, Gov. Lombardo appointed a lobbyist for Southwest Gas to run the state energy office, pulled Nevada from the U.S. Climate Alliance, and gutted the state climate plan to make it more compatible with the profit motives of his rich donors at NV Energy.
In 2024, then-candidate Donald Trump told oil oligarchs that for a billion-dollar campaign donation, he would give them anything they wanted. They ended up ponying up about a half-billion. They’ve gotten more than they could ever dream of. This year in August, the Trump administration halted construction on a wind farm off the coast of Rhode Island that was 80% completed—a federal judge overturned the order in September—and cancelled one of the world’s largest solar projects, right here in Nevada, without a peep from Lombardo.
Ten thousand Americans turn 65 every day, according to the AARP, and on average, we’ll live another 23 years. There is no known force on Earth that will keep us from voting. And you can bet we’ll do all we can to keep Amodei, Lombardo and Trump’s successors from getting elected!
We’re active in and support many worthy organizations, from the Sierra Club to Indivisible to PLAN. We’ve found a home in Third Act, founded in 2021 by Bill McKibben to organize older Americans into a force for progressive change.
Nevada is in desperate need of more ordinary people rising up to wrest our state and country from the forces of authoritarianism and climate denial. The actions taken by those of us who are alive today will impact hundreds of generations to come. Find a group that is working on solutions—and dive in.
The Fulkerson siblings, born in 1957 (Cathy) and 1960 (B) and raised in Reno, are proud Army brats who deeply love their country, planet and community. Cathy is the facilitator of Third Act Nevada, and B is Third Act’s national organizing director.
Here, here! I’m with you, Fulkersons! SO much progress made in the past decades, lost to tRump’s horrific agenda. The earth, our climate, basic human rights, justice, all need to be protected and fought for. I, also, will not go gently into that good night. I will be (and am) on the front lines, every day, fighting for the soul of our country. Thank you both for being there, too.
Thank you Cathy and B for your activisim and leadership.