Join Indivisible Ecuador’s Earth Day celebration Saturday at Santa Canela

By Naomi Herndon

The important thing is not to stop questioning. – Albert Einstein

As an expat coming from the United States, living in Ecuador for almost three years has been a great experience. There is so much to see and do and learn. Although I enjoy my new home, the United States will always be a very important part of me. I love the U.S with all of its assets, and its flaws. One area of frustration for me as an expat in Ecuador, has been how to participate in the political process in my country of origin. After all, democracy is not a spectator sport. A strong democracy requires that everyone has a voice and that everyone uses that voice, even from abroad.

Motivated, I spent hours researching resistance groups to see which would best serve the needs of Democrats living abroad. I discovered that since Indivisible was written by former Congressional staffers, their knowledge of the inside workings of our government was invaluable for effecting change. Indivisible is not “blind resistance”; the group teaches the fundamentals of how government works (now I know what cloture is) so we can be informed citizens and better understand the issues on which we are voting. Our country was founded through the process of resistance. It is not unpatriotic; it is fundamental to democracy.

Marchers demand Trump release his tax returns.

There are now 5,834 Indivisible Groups throughout the U.S. That is at least 2 in every Congressional District in the US. Www.indivisibleguide.com has been viewed over 18 million times by over three million unique users from every state. Indivisible has become this popular because it assists ordinary people, like me, with the process of getting our voting preferences actually heard by our state Senators and Representatives.

That is why I sought out a group of like-minded people and started Indivisible Ecuador. Indivisible Ecuador is the sister group of Indivisible US. We are very proud to be (to our knowledge) the first international Indivisible group. Indivisible Ecuador has adopted and adapted Indivisible’s take-action tools to help citizens living abroad participate in the democratic process and make our voices heard from afar.

Our Indivisible Ecuador formation committee members and I have spent many hours vetting the resources listed on our Facebook group. Only the most current and accurate sources and facts are included. The committee members are passionate, committed people who, like myself, want equality, inclusion, and human rights for ALL citizens of the USA. We want a country where everyone can thrive, not just for ourselves, but for our children, grandchildren, and future generations. It is a pleasure working with these loyal Americans.

I encourage those of you who want to help shape the future of America to go to our Facebook Group, Indivisible Ecuador, and see what we are about.

Another way to get to know us is come to Indivisible Ecuador’s Earth Day Celebration on Saturday, April 22 from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Santa Canela Restaurante on Calle Larga. “Science, not silence!” say the organizers of the Earth Day March for Science. Join us for:

• Vocalist and guitarist for Earth Day songs and some fun “sing-a-longs”
• Great food and some very interesting cocktail choices
• Live coverage of the National Earth Day March for Science, including featured Teach-ins
• Indivisible EC members available to help you write an email, send a postcard, call your representatives, or register to vote using online tools and a click of the mouse

Meet Indivisible Ecuador and sing out with us in support of science and the environment!

Santa Canela Restaurant and Hostal is located at:

3-82 Calle Larga, corner of Vargas Machuca (across the street and next block down from Todos Santos on Calle Larga)

For links to online tools, join our Facebook Group: Indivisible Ecuador and click on the Files tab, Links and Resources.

For more information, contact Naomi Herndon at: indivisible.ecuador@gmail.com