Yesterday, I attended the latest steering committee meeting for theRadicalAgeMovement (RAM), an organization I have worked with since 2015. During that time, I have had the pleasure of helping this small nonprofit grow to a national presence with multiple chapters. RAM has a simple mission – to confront ageism wherever it appears and to stand up for equal rights for everyone. RAM uses education, consciousness raising and social action to combat the stereotypes and demeaning attitudes about older adults.
As Ashton Applewhite points out in her book This Chair Rocks and in her blog, most of us accept that it is wrong to discriminate based on a person’s gender, race or color. Yet it is still acceptable to assume that older persons are no longer of value in our society, and that they all face a life filled with disability, disease and decline. The reality is that many seniors are very diverse, and many live active lives well past the traditional retirement age of 65. Sadly, many of us have faced job discrimination due to our age, and it can affect people at any time in life.
RAM fulfills its mission through regular meetings, by partnering with other senior focused organizations and by participating in events that promote the rights of older adults. The next members’ meeting will be Thu, Sep. 6. A rally for Age Justice will be held in NYC in Union Square Park on Tue, Oct. 16, 2018. For details on either event, email RAM).