The Gray Panthers is an organization that advocates for greater equality, for not only the elderly, but for every group marginalized by discrimination. Maggie Kuhn started the Gray Panthers in 1970 when age discrimination forced her to retire.
Preston Chipps is not only the secretary for the Gray Panthers San Diego, but he is also a cofounder of the chapter (graypantherssandiego.org).
Last year, AARP California sponsored Chipps when he attended the California Village Movement conference in Oakland, where he asked a speaker about the nearby chapters of Gray Panthers. Upon contacting the chapter closest to him, the president of that Long Beach chapter told Chipps that she wants “to help you guys” in SD “get a chapter started because we want chapters up and down the coast.” As a community advocate for AARP California, he is a perfect fit to help raise the organization in SD.
In order to assist further development of this branch, a connection has been made with Henry Wallace of the Black Panther Party. It’s been suggested the Gray Panthers should “get together with the Black Panthers and do a story” about what their organizations do and what they could do when working together, considering that both are community centered. When Black Panthers age, they get gray.
A story that they could do, for example, is the benefitting effects they have on the communities that they are involved with and how these effects work together. The Black Panthers helped massively with the civil rights movement progression, garnering rights for black people and continuing to do so. The Gray Panthers have helped and are continuing to help advocate for rights for the elderly. This organization helps with issues that are personal too, not just larger social issues that regular citizens can’t always see or participate with.
Social isolation is an epidemic, especially among older crowds. “The problem that we typically face is that people have families” that separate over time, the “kids move away and the spouse dies, and all of a sudden, there’s a lonely neighbor.” Being able to host and attend social events regularly is important for people of every age. The Gray Panthers want to integrate this idea and have it be more widespread, being able to depend on each other and help those in our community will keep everybody strong and healthy.
Just like a cat colony. Meow!
