Lois Clark, 89, gets what Occupy Wall Street is about. She has a message for the world: "Wake up."
I noticed Mrs. Clark as she slowly made her way into the middle of McPherson Square and looked over the Occupy DC encampment and the protest signs hanging around the iron fence surrounding the statue of Major General James B. McPherson.
She took out her camera from the bag hung around her walker and snapped a photo. She smiled and nodded agreement to the sentiments expressed on the hand drawn signs. "Reinstate Glass-Steagall." "Stop the Wars." "Love."
Mrs. Clark was in Washington, DC to take part in the dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial. She arrived via Amtrak from her home in South Bend, IN for the MLK event. On Monday afternoon, she came to the Occupy DC encampment.
About the Occupy Movement, she said, "I never thought I'd see this day." Then, in a more serious tone, "You can't have peace with out justice."
Mrs. Clark sticks to her convictions. She protests against the injustice of war and against economic injustice. But, she doesn't just exercise her civic right every now and then. She's protested every Monday since George W. Bush took us to war in Iraq (aside from 46 weeks after she had her hip replaced.) And she hasn't just protested every Monday. Mrs. Clark has been exercising her civic right to protest since she began protesting nuclear armament - in the 1950's.
Lois Clark has occupied South Bend. Now she has occupied Washington, DC.
Wanna know what democracy looks like? Lois Clark is what democracy looks like.
Rush Limbaugh said, "These protesters, who are actually few in number, have contributed nothing. They're parasites. They're pure, genuine parasites. Many of them are bored, trust-fund kids, obsessed with being something, being somebody. Meaningless lives, they want to matter."
Lois Clark matters. She is one of the 99%.
Thank you Lois for your passion, inspiration, and Light.