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Vote Yes on Prop 1 to Keep Seattle’s Elections in the Hands of the People, Alice Woldt In the Advocate August 2025: Vote Yes on Prop 1 to Keep Seattle’s Elections in the Hands of the People Alice Woldt For more than a quarter-century, PSARA has fought to protect the security and dignity of older Americans and the generations that follow. That mission is deeply tied to the health of our democracy. If billionaires and corporate interests drown out our voices, we all pay the price – whether it’s in lost retirement security, unaffordable healthcare, or neglect of our most vulnerable neighbors. That’s why I’m urging PSARA members to vote Yes on Proposition 1 this August to renew funding for Seattle’s groundbreaking Democracy Voucher Program. Since voters first approved it nearly a decade ago, this program has transformed how our city elections work by putting real power back in the hands of everyday people. Seattle’s Democracy Voucher Program gives every resident four $25 vouchers to contribute to local candidates of their choice. It’s a simple idea that has had extraordinary results. Instead of local campaigns relying on a handful of wealthy donors and corporate PACs, they’re fueled by small contributions from people like us – retirees, renters, working families. And the proof is overwhelming: Since the program began, small donor participation has increased fivefold, with more than 105,000 Seattle residents using Democracy Vouchers. The vast majority were first-time donors, many from lower-income house- holds and communities of color who previously had little voice in our local politics. The candidate pool is more diverse than ever. There’s been an 86% jump in the number of candidates per race, opening the door for more women, younger candidates, and people of color to run competitive campaigns. And it’s made our elections more fair. Contributions under $100 have surged by 156%, while large contributions over $250 have dropped by 93%. Big out-of-city money has plummeted by up to 84%, making local campaigns truly local again. This is precisely the kind of change many of us dreamed of when we first took up the fight to reduce the influence of big money in politics. And it’s working. A study even found that Seattle’s Democracy Voucher Program boosted voter turnout by nearly 5 percentage points – an enormous shift in local elections that typically struggle to bring people to the polls. Right now, we have a chance to protect all of this progress. Prop 1 would renew the small property tax levy that funds the Democracy Voucher Program for another 10 years. For the average Seattle homeowner, it’s a modest investment – about $13 a year – to keep our democracy strong, fair, and accountable. Without renewal, the program’s dedicated funding will disappear. Seattle would either have to drastically cut back or eliminate the program, or raid the city’s general fund – already under strain from other vital needs. Worse, letting it lapse would send a terrible message: that we’re willing to let billionaires and special interests reclaim their grip on our elections, right when so much is at stake. Our country is at a crossroads. Across the nation, we’re seeing voting rights rolled back, dark money unleashed, and attempts to silence the voices of working people. Here in Seattle, we can show there’s another way. We can stand up for a democracy that works for retirees on fixed incomes, young families starting out, and everyone in between – not just the wealthy few. So here’s what you can do: Mark your calendar and return your ballot by August 5th. Talk to your friends, family, and neighbors – especially younger voters – about why voting Yes on Prop 1 matters for the future of our city and our democracy. And if you have questions or want more resources, visit www.YesOn Prop1Seattle.org. As a long-time advocate for democracy reforms, I’ve seen countless efforts come and go. Seattle’s Democracy Voucher Program is different. It’s a proven success, built by voters, supported by voters, and now ready to be protected by voters once again. Let’s make sure we keep our elections of, by, and for the people. Vote Yes on Prop 1 this August. Alice Woldt is the former Executive Director of Fix Democracy First and Washington Public Campaigns and a member of PSARA. PSARA has endorsed a Yes vote on Prop 1. BACK TO THE ADVOCATE

Check back often to see upcoming PSARA events and meetings. -5198757490226798476 IMG_6872 20230321_115056_edited -5198757490226798476 1/6 Meetings & Events IMG_6872 IMG_9037 France Giddings Karen Richter, Jeff Johnson and Robby Stern IMG_6872 1/8 PSARA committee meetings and events will be virtual unless otherwise noted, to attend any of these meetings, email organizer@psara.org for the link.

In the Advocate July 2025: Tim Wheeler Tim Wheeler Rural Protestors Urge Senate to Kill Trump Medicaid Cuts Tim Wheeler Senior citizens stood near Clallam County’s only full service public hospital, June 7, holding signs proclaiming “85% of OMC Patients on Medicaid, Medicare” and chanting “No Cuts to Medicaid or Medicare.” The vigil, initiated by PSARA, attracted 18 participants who lined First Street a couple of blocks south of the Olympic Medical Center (OMC), a public hospital that serves 111,000 on the isolated, rural Olympic Peninsula. The protesters held up their signs and waved as passing motorists honked and gave thumbs-up salutes. In the crowd were two candidates for the OMC Board of Commissioners constantly struggling with millions of dollars in debt due to the low reimbursement rates for Medicare and Medicaid. The vigil was in protest against President Trump’s “Big Beautiful” budget bill passed by the House and now pending in the US Senate. The bill would inflict $715 billion in cuts to Medicaid and $300 billion in cuts to the SNAP nutrition programs to defray the trillion dollar tax cut for billionaires and millionaires. Laurie Force, a retired nurse and a candidate in the August primary for the OMC Board, was holding a sign as was her husband, Larry, whose hand-lettered message was “Stop the Steal.” Her campaign slogan is “A Force For OMC.” The other candidate for the OMC Board, Dr. Gerry Stephanz, Medical Director of the Olympic Peninsula Community Clinic, pointed out that Trump’s budget bill is a grave risk to rural hospitals across the nation, including the OMC, that are totally dependent on Medicare and Medicaid payments to stay afloat financially. OMC, he said, should file to be designated a “Rural Health” provider, like the hospital in Port Townsend. If recognized as a rural hospital that provides life and death services to more than 100,000 people, OMC would enjoy far higher reimbursement rates for the 85% of its patients now covered by Medicaid and Medicare. The vigil took place one week after a “town hall” meeting, also organized by PSARA at the senior Shipley Center in nearby Sequim. Speaking at the Shipley Center in Sequim on May 24, PSARA leaders Robby Stern and Anne Watanabe urged fightback against President Trump’s so-called budget “reconciliation” bill that will inflict hundreds of billions in cutbacks to Medicaid, the SNAP food stamp program and other human needs benefits while handing trillions in tax cuts to themselves and their billionaire cronies. Said Watanabe, “The GOP ‘big, beautiful bill’ means that by 2034, 8.6 million lose health insurance because of cuts. Another 5.1 million lose health insurance through loss of tax credits….13.7 million total will lose healthcare insurance.” She cited the disastrous impact the cuts would inflict in Clallam County where 20,866 children, 38 percent of youngsters, are protected by Medicaid and 21 percent of those 55 years or older. In neighboring Jefferson County 7,641 people, over 29 percent of children and 27 percent of those 55 years are older are enrolled in Medicaid. Rural hospitals, she said, like the Olympic Medical Center (OMC) in Port Angeles that serves 111,000 people, are at grave risk of closing or losing their public status, being privatized through merger with private for-profit hospitals like Providence, a Catholic hospital chain that bans abortions and other reproductive health care. These hospitals, she charged, are being forced into bankruptcy due to ruinously low reimbursement rates for their Medicaid and Medicare patients. In the past twenty years, 200 rural hospitals across the nation have been forced to close due to this crisis in rural America. OMC is the only full service hospital in an isolated region two hours drive from Silverdale or Tacoma and a long ferry ride from Seattle. Treatment for a heart attack or delivery of a baby is care needed instantly not after a two hour drive. Enactment of the Trump-MAGA budget bill will be a death sentence for tens of thousands of low income people, children, immigrant and native-born alike. Already approved by the House, Stern and Watanabe urged the crowd to bombard the U.S. Senate with mes- sages demanding the Senators vote down the budget scam, the most sweeping attack on federal human needs programs ever. Both Stern and Watanabe addressed the issue of defending traditional Medi- care from privatization by so-called “Medicare Advantage.” Stern described in detail the life-threatening struggles by PSARA member Richard Timmins, of Whidbey Island, who was forced to undergo intense treatment for skin cancer because his so-called Medicare Advantage (MA) provider refused to approve in time treatment by a dermatologist despite his physician’s recommendation. By the time the MA provider reversed course and approved examination, the tumor had metastasized into cancer. Stern told of his own family forced to file multiple appeals against a Medicare Advantage provider to win skilled nursing coverage for a parent/ grandparent in a nursing home. Medicare Advantage was authorized in 1982 said Watanabe. “The intention was to lower the cost of Medicare and improve outcomes for patients. So what happened?” Corporate insurers paid a per patient capitation fee, seek to inflate their profits through massive overcharges, false claims, "upcoding" in which patients are over-diagnosed to allow MA providers to receive higher capitated payments from Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The total overcharges by MA is estimated to be $80 billion to $140 billion annually. Much of this corrupt profiteering has been exposed by the MEDPAC, a commission that oversees Medicare and Medicaid. PSARA is part of a nationwide coalition seeking to preserve Medicare against privatization by “leveling the playing field,” enacting reforms that allow traditional Medicare to offer the same extra benefits offered by MA like dental, vision, and hearing, and capping out-of-pocket costs for traditional Medicare enrollees. PSARA also supports “Medicare For All” or universal publicly paid healthcare for every person in the U.S. native born and immigrant, said Watanabe. Ellen Menshew, a member of PSARA and also Chair of the Clallam County Democratic Party (CCD), and Lisa Dekker, an Outreach Vice President of PSARA from Clallam County, introduced the guest speakers from Seattle. Dekker told the crowd that PSARA members and other volunteers are standing in front of the Federal Building in Port Angeles every Friday at 1 p.m. to protest the Trump-Musk attacks on Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid focused now on demanding that the U.S. Senate reject the MAGA-Trump budget bill. It was Memorial Day weekend and many in the crowd came directly from a “Hands Off Our Veterans” protest by hundreds at the main intersection in Sequim denouncing cuts by Trump and unelected Elon Musk to the Veterans Administration, and sharp reductions in healthcare and other benefits for war veterans and their families. In the audience were members of PSARA from Sequim, Port Angeles, Port Townsend, Gig Harbor, and Tacoma. US Army vets, and active union members were present. Tim Wheeler is a veteran activist, journalist, and a leader of PSARA's Clal- lam County organizing committee. BACK TO THE ADVOCATE

The Dash Shuttle runs on 10 - 15 minute headways between the Labor Council and the State Capitol. It is a free shuttle service. You should allow at least a half hour to 45 minutes to get to your meetings at the State Capitol.

In the Advocate July 2025: 4,000 Attend No Kings Event at People’s Park, Tacoma! John Alessio Our Vote, Our Choice, Our Power, Our Voice!” “Power to the People, We Insist-Billionaires Should Not Exist!” “Say it Once,Say it Twice, We Will Not Put Up With ICE!” These are just a few of the chants heard at People’s Park Saturday, June 14th. PSARA joined Indivisible Tacoma and many other organizations to create an informative, riveting, and festive event on “No Kings Day”. Other participating groups were: 350 Tacoma; AF- SCME Council 28; Evergreen Resistance Tacoma; Black Panther Party, The TSM Shop; Jewish Voice for Peace Tacoma; La Resistencia; Rainbow Center; The Tacoma Urban League; LD27, LD28, and LD29 Democrats; Oscar’s Enemies; Pierce County Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO; Pierce County Immigration Alliance; Tacoma Democratic Socialists of America; Tacoma Fellowship of Reconciliation; Tacoma for All; Tacoma Veterans for Peace; The Conversation 253; Washington Wildlife First; and United Food & Commercial Workers Local 367. Careful planning included meetings and continuous communication between the leaders of many of these organizations to assure a safe and meaningful protest of the Trump administration’s immoral and unconstitutional activities. Preparation included de-escalation training sessions that resulted in a roaming Safety Team during the event. A First Aid Sation was created, with drinking water, snacks, and other relevant supplies. Various groups had their own information booths, plus a booth for sign-making, and even a face painting booth. People’s Park was humming with excitement and enthusiasm. Four thousand people, peacefully demonstrating, were completely rapt for two and a half hours listening to inspiring speeches about what is being done, and what still needs to be done, to stop Trump and his minions from destroying our democracy and inflicting more grievous harm on large segments of our population. The event started and ended with lively protest music, and there were clever chants interspersed throughout. The importance of local elections was emphasized, and people were encouraged to get involved by door-knocking, providing support to progressive candidates, and especially voting in the upcoming 2025 Primary on August 5 and again in the General on November 4th! Action events were announced, such as a June 18th “Door-Knocking for Introverts” to help people become effective doorknockers. On July 9th Indivisible Tacoma endorsed candidates will participate in a Candidate Forum at 6:30PM at Tahoma Unitarian Universalist Church, 1115 So. 56th, Tacoma. La Resistencia and others will continue to strategize and call for united actions against the activities of ICE and the Northwest Detention Center - a critical court hearing is set for September. Some people may want to attend the “Breakfast With the Sheriff” meetings to remind Pierce county Sheriff Keith Swank that Washington state laws protect people from unconstitutional harassment and arrest. The next scheduled breakfast is 7-9AM Saturday, June 21st. We know he would love to see us. A Facebook message to a friend read: “I was at People’s Park with my brother who is blind and paralyzed on his left side. We had the best day. He felt part of society.” That statement captures the mood and inclusive spirit of the Tacoma “No Kings Day”. Let’s keep it going! John Alessio is a member of PSARA and Indivisible Tacoma. BACK TO THE ADVOCATE

PSARA Board Members PSARA BOARD Steve Bauck has served as an officer of PSARA and is a co-chair of the Social Security Fiscal Commission Task Force. Claude Burfect is on the Executive Board of MLK Labor, representing the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU); the Executive Committee of Seattle King County NAACP; the Board of RPEC (Retired Public Employees Council); and the Heath Care is a Human Right (HCHR) Steering Committee. Claude is a veteran activist, a former member of SNCC and CORE, and participated in the historic 1963 March on Washington. Maureen Bo has served as the Administrative Vice President of PSARA and is a retired member of Office Workers Union Local. Tim Burns Retired from Northwest Airlines after 39+ years.Served as Grievance Committee rep 26 years (12+ years as Chair), also as auditor and trustee (IAM LL 1040) and IAM DL 143 Vice President and contract negotiator. Currently on LL 2202 Legislative Committee and retiree rep and delegate to the State Machininsts Council, MLKCLC and WSLC. Former(6 years) Chair of the 30th Legislative District Democrats. Former Co-President of PSARA and former Chair of the Government Relations Committee (GRC). Current active member of GRC. Pamela Crone is a lawyer and PSARA’s former lobbyist. She represented clients in Olympia for 20 years. Her lobbying portfolio included advocating for the legal rights of women, LGBTQ persons, workers, people with disabilities, and people experiencing homelessness. Pamela developed a legislative and policy externship at the Seattle University School of Law where she was a Distinguished Policy Advocate in Residence. Prior to lobbying, Pam was the Attorney Director of the Unemployment Law Project where she mentored many new lawyers and law students. In retirement, Pam is active with PSARA and serves on the Board of Directors of the Cedar River Clinics. She loves spending time with her family, traveling and reading. Carlos de la Torre Originally from Southern California, Carlos has been a member of the Teamsters, Meat Cutters and United Cement, Gypsum & Lime Workers unions. After leaving the blue-collar world, Carlos returned to school and earned an accounting degree from California State University, San Bernardino. Upon graduation and relocation to the beautiful Pacific Northwest, Carlos worked in the private-sector financial arena spending more than 20 years in the chemical distribution industry. Evolving motivations and changing life perspectives have led Carlos to the non-profit world, where he has worked for an organization that addresses homelessness and formerly the accounting manager for WSLC. Carlos is on the Education Fund Board and is proud to be part of an organization that supports the struggle for fair wages and social justice. Barb Flye is a successful mosaic artist. Her art focuses on the beauty of the pacific northwest, and the issues facing our country and world. Prior to becoming a full time artist, Barb’s professional experience included over 30 years of community and coalition organizing on social, racial and economic justice. She is also the cartoonist for The Advocate. France Giddings was born in Canada and attended Reed College in Oregon where she lived for many years. She was on the board of Portland NOW and helped organize a large International Women's Day celebration and was a resource for women in crisis. She moved to Seattle in 1985 and joined the board of Seattle NOW until she adopted her daughter as a single parent. While her daughter was growing up she became active in the local Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) as the legislative liaison. She also worked with a coalition for years to get single payer health care in Washington. She also joined the Block Bork coalition and worked to protect the Supreme Court. France worked as an investigator for public defense. She spent time lobbying in Olympia for NOW, for the PTSA, for public defense, and more recently for the Washington Farms to Food Coalition. She currently serves on the Seattle NOW board and volunteers with Moms Demand Action and Save Shoreline Trees. Larry Gossett has been a civil rights activist in the Puget Sound region for more than 55 years. Larry served on the King County Council from 1994 to 2020. He was a long time member of the Seattle chapter of the Black Panther Party. The Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project describes him as having been one of Seattle’s best known black radicals. Larry served on the King County Council from 1994 to 2020. He is not only a voice for African Americans he continues to speak for civil rights, social and economic justice for all marginalized communities. Rhonda Gossett is a homemaker, caregiver, artist and a grandmother. She is blessed to be a cancer survivor and she researches cancer fighting foods, diabetic and kidney health nutrition to share useful information with family and friends to encourage good health and wellness. She serves as a medical advocate. For many years she volunteered to help with the local Food Bank and she continues to support the Food Bank. Jim Grayson Retired business owner. Previous boards: NW Regional VP of American Library Ass. Trustee Assn; King County Library System Trustee; President Washington State Library Trustee Association; Cities in Schools; Washington Women’s Employment and Education (WWEE). Steve Kofahl President of AFGE Local 3937, representing Social Security Administration employees throughout Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. Also active with JWJ, WSLC and MLKCLC. Susan Levy came to Seattle in 1970 and taught Economics and Labor relations at Shoreline CC for 30 years. She was an Activist and leader in American Federation of Teachers and the Washington State Labor Movement for20 years. Susan retired in 2000 and has continued her involvement with senior, labor, and other progressive issues. David Loud has been a peace and social justice activist since his first Ban the Bomb vigil in 1960 at age 15. After graduating from Harvard in 1968, he fell quite by accident into a 46-year career in health care in Seattle: Swedish Hospital laundry (1969-71), Yesler Terrace Free Clinic (1971-72), Veterans Administration Hospital ward clerk (1972-77), US Public Health Service Hospital/Pacific Medical Center Patient Advocate (1978-98), SEIU 1199NW organizer (1998-2005), Congressman McDermott’s Community Liaison for health care and Veterans (2005-2015). Since retiring in 2015, David has continued his activism for universal health care and social justice, currently serving as a Co-Chair of Health Care Is a Human Right WA. He is married to Thu-Van Nguyen, 1975 refugee from Vietnam, and has four grown sons. Bobby Righi is a retired community college instructor and is a co-chair of the PSARA Climate and Environmental Justice Committee. She was a Peace Corps volunteer in the mid 1960's and worked as a teacher and an organizer in the south of the U.S. in the 1970's. She is a member of AFT retiree chapter in Washington. Ronnie Shure has been an active member of PSARA since 2012; and he has been involved in the grassroots movement for universal health care since 1972. He worked as a pharmacist providing care to underserved populations in public health, behavioral health, and substance abuse programs for 42 years. Instead of retirement, he has transitioned to become an advocate for social justice in health care. He is President of Health Care for All - Washington, one of the CoChairs of the Steering Committee of the Health Care as a Human Right coalition, and participates in the work of many healthcare advocacy groups across the state and nation. Most importantly, his retirement transition allows him the joy of spending time with his wife and daughters and grandchildren. Sarajane Siegfriedt is the former King County Democrats Platform Committee Chair. She worked in human services and became a committed low-income housing advocate. As a member of the Washington Low-Income Housing Alliance Public Policy Committee, she shares their legislative priorities with PSARA and helps us advocate in Olympia. Sarajane was a lobbyist for nonprofits in Olympia. She served on the boards of Solid Ground, the Unitarian Housing Group and the Lake City Neighborhood Alliance. She helped organize the Seattle Coalition for Affordability, Livability and Equity. She's currently on the boards of Seattle Fair Growth, the Lake City Neighborhood Alliance and Northaven Senior Living. Robby Stern retired from the staff of the WA State Labor Council in 2008. He has been an active member of PSARA serving as president for nine years. He presently serves as the president of the PSARA Education Fund, Chairs the Social Security Works WA coalition, and is active in PSARA's Fund Raising, RAGE, and Climate Justice Committees. Anne Watanabe is the co-chair of PSARA's Race, Gender and Equity Committee. Anne is an attorney with a background in land use and environmental law, and formerly served as a hearing examiner for the City of Seattle and King County. Anne is a Seattle native and a third-generation Japanese American, and is grateful to be part of PSARA's work to achieve equity and social justice. Mike Warren started working for the state in 1967 and in 1968 was singled out for shop steward training. I was a shop steward for the next 25 years, I also spent time as an elected officer in my local and my bargaining team. After I retired, I was asked to be president of the Seattle RPEC Chapter, which I held for 10 years, until I was able to find a successor. I was elected to the board of the Puget Sound Council of Senior Citizens, There I stood and marched with Will and Louise Parry. I helped found the Washington State Alliance for Retired Americans and served as secretary, treasurer, Vice President and President. I spent 30 years as chair of an advocacy organization foe people of disability. Tim Wheeler served as a reporter and editor for the Worker in New York and later in Washington D.C. He has written more than 10,000 news reports, exposés, and commentaries. He is also an activist and an organizer. He grew up on a dairy farm in Sequim and lives on the family farm near Sequim. His books News from Rain Shadow Country and News for the 99% are selections of his writings over the last 50 years. Katie Wilson is a co-founder and the general secretary of the Transit Riders Union, a grassroots democratic membership organization that fights for transit and economic justice in King County. She has been involved in leading local fights for progressive taxation, affordable housing, renter protections, and affordable and accessible public transit.

Local and National Resources for Seniors Resources Labor Organizations Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO Statewide coalition of labor unions for political action and education on workers’ issues Seattle: (206) 281-8901, Olympia: (360) 943-0608 http://www.wslc.org/ County Labor Councils County coalitions of labor unions for collective political and job action: Martin Luther King County Labor Council (206) 441-8510 http://www.mlklabor.org/ Snohomish County Labor Council (425) 259-7922 http://www.snolabor.org/ Pierce County Labor Council (253) 473-3810 http://www.wa.aflcio.org/pcclc/ AFL-CIO America’s Union Movement, national coalition of labor unions http://www.aflcio.org/ Labor Constituency Groups Worker advocates within the labor movement: Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA) http://www.apala.org/ A. Philip Randolph Institute (APRI) http://apri.org/ Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU) http://www.cbtu.org/ Labor Alliance for Latin American Advancement (LACLA) https://www.lclaa.org/ Legacy of Equality, Leadership and Organizing (LELO) http://www.lelo.org/ , 206-860-1400 PRIDE at Work http://www.prideatwork.org/ Labor Archives of Washington State Funded by the Washington State Labor Council, the ILWU Longshore Division, the Harry Bridges Labor Center at the University of Washington, and many more labor unions and and individuals. http://www.lib.washington.edu/specialcollections/laws/ Senior Services and Information Advisory Council on Aging and Disability Services King County (206) 448-3110 or 1-(888) 435-3377 http://www.agingkingcounty.org/advisory-council/ Pierce County (253) 798-4600 or 1-(800) 562-0332 Snohomish County (425) 513-1900 or 1-(800) 422-2024 https://snohomishcountywa.gov/961/Council-on-Aging Washington Association of Area Agencies on Aging http://www.agingwashington.org/ National Alliance for the Mentally Ill 1-(800) 950-6264 http://www.nami.org/ National Council on Aging (NCOA) Nonprofit service and advocacy organization and a voice for older Americans – especially those who are vulnerable and disadvantaged 1-(800) 950-6264 http://www.ncoa.org/ Alzheimers Association Patricia.Hunter@alz.org http://www.alz.org/alzwa/ Crisis Clinic (206) 461-3222 http://www.crisisclinic.org/ Home Doctor Visits Tacoma-based doctors provide home visits in Tacoma and Seattle for homebound patients. Take Medicare allotments. (253) 589-6484 National Advocates Social Security Works National Organization that PSARA works with in the areas of Social Security and Mediare https://socialsecurityworks.org/about/ Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP) PSARA works with PNHP on a range of Healthcare issues including Medicare, Medicaid and working for a single payer solution for all. PNHP has a local Chapter. National: https://pnhp.org/ Seattle: www.pnhpwashington.org Community Advocates Washington Community Action Network https://www.washingtoncan.org/ Transit Riders Union https://transitriders.org/ Washington Senior Lobby http://www.waseniorlobby.org/ Tenants Union Support for renters in housing justice (206) 723-0500 http://www.tenantsunion.org/ Government Washington State Toll-free Legislative Hotline Messages to Governor and Legislators 1-(800) 562-6000 Governor Jay Inslee (360) 902-4111 http://www.governor.wa.gov/ Washington State Insurance Commissioner (SHIBA), State Health Insurance Benefits Advisor and Consumer Advocacy 1-(800) 562-6900 cad@oic.wa.gov Washington State Attorney General, Consumer Protection 1-(800) 551-4636 http://www.atg.wa.gov/ City of Seattle Mayor’s Office for Senior Citizens (206) 684-0500 Senior Information and Assistance (206) 448-3110 or 1-(888) 324-2277 Federal Senator Maria Cantwell 511 Dirksen Senate Office Building: (202) 224-3441 Local phone: (206) 220-6400 Maria_cantwell@cantwell.senate.gov http://www.cantwell.senate.gov/ Senator Patty Murray 173 Russell Senate Office Building: (202) 224-2721 Local phone (206) 553-5545 http://murray.senate.gov United States Representatives Susan DelBene - District 1 (202) 225-6311 www.house.gov/delbene Pramila Jayapal - District 7 (202) 225-3106 https://jayapal.house.gov/ Kim Schrier - District 8 Phone: (509) 850-5340 http://schrier.house.gov/ Adam Smith - District 9 (253) -896-3775 www.house.gov/adamsmith Marilyn Strickland - District 10 Phone: (360) 459-8514 For other Representatives, search by zip code at http://www.congress.org/news/ Regional Offices King County Information http://metro.kingcounty.gov/ Puget Sound Regional Council http://www.psrc.org/ Sound Transit Information http://www.soundtransit.org/ Port of Seattle Information http://www.portseattle.org/ Medicare 1-(800) 522-31177 Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services http://www.cms.gov/ Social Security Online http://www.ssa.gov/ Senior Centers Central Area Senior Center (206) 726-4926 North Shore Senior Center (206) 487-24411 Ballard NW Senior Center (206) 297-0403 Senior Center of West Seattle (206) 932-4044 Shoreline Senior Center (206) 365-1536 Southeast Senior Center (206) 722-2768 Other Useful Resources Seattle Housing Authority (206) 615-3300 http://www.seattlehousing.org/ Seattle Senior Housing Program (SSHP) Judith Anderson; Senior Property Manager (206) 615-3347 janderson@seattlehousing.org Noel House Programs (206) 441-3210 http://www.ccsww.org/ New Beginnings (206) 783-4520 or (206) 522-9472 (Crisis Line) http://www.newbegin.org/ WomenHeart http://www.womenheart.org/ Black Women’s Health Imperative http://www.bwhi.org “They Represent You” A nonpartisan resource published by The League of Women Voters http://www.lwv.org/

Puget Sound Advocates for Retirement Action (PSARA) Archive collection of PSARA Advocate Newsletters (a monthly publication) on current issues in the area of Social and Economic Equity, Environment, Labor Justice. Advocate Newsletter Print Version

PSARA Oral Histories Project: Larry Gossett Return to Oral Histories Main Page Larry Gossett Interview PSARA Advocate February 2023 Page 4 Part I March 2023 Page 9 Part Ia July 2023 Page 8 Part II August 2023 Page 8 Part IIa A Story of the Great Migration North (As described by Larry Gossett) By Angie Bartels Larry Gossett is a former King County Council member, a longtime activist, and a member of PSARA's Executive Board. Angie Bartels is PSARA's Membership VP. This story is part of a series of interviews she's doing with PSARA members. Angie Bartels is PSARA's membership VP. This is one in a series of interviews she's conducting with members of PSARA. The Gossett family joined the Great Migration of Blacks leaving the old Confederate States between World War I and the end of World War II. Nearly 6,000,000 Black people headed for northern cities during this time period. Joining this historic migration were Nelmon and Johnnie Gossett. Johnnie was born in Nigton, an all-Black town- ship in southeast Texas.Nelmon was born in Marshall, a very small country town also located in southeast Texas. They had met while students at Texas College, a small historically Black college located in Tyler, Texas. The only work available to Black young adults was picking cotton, so that is what Nelmon was doing in May, 1944, whenthe white boss paid him only one dollar for working from sunup to sundown. Nelmon was no fool – his slip said he wassupposed to get $1.75 that day. He protested to the white boss man and demanded his full pay. The white man replied,“Boy, you don't talk to me like that. You're not going to get no $1.75, nigger. You keep talking, I'm going to whip your assand have you put in jail!” Nelmon was extremely upset and wanted to argue. But he knew there was no way he could win, given the operations of the Jim Crow south. He went home to his new wife, Johnnie, and said, “Honey, we're getting out ofhere, this is it! These white folks are crazy. We are going to leave before I do something I will regret or die from… Where's that place where your sister Editha moved to?” Johnnie said she and her husband Woodson had moved to Seattle, Washington. Nelmon didn’t know where Seattle was, but he knew it was up north. Editha told her younger sister that her husband justgot a job in the war industry up in Seattle. She said they were hiring Negroes in the lower-pay- ing jobs. Nelmon and Johnniepacked their things and joined the Great Black Migration to northern cities. It was mid-July, 1944, when they got on the Greyhound bus heading to Seattle. They had a box of chicken to eat when they boarded the bus in Tyler. Neither of them knew how far Seattle was. After aday on the bus, they got scared and asked the driver, “How much longer before we get to Seattle?” He said, “It will takeabout one more day.” They both wondered, “Oh, my God, where is this place?” The bus driver explained that they weregoing up near Canada, which made them even more nervous. They didn't know what to do, so they just stayed on the busthat sec- ond day and eventually disembarked in Seattle. Nelmon got a job working at Todd Shipyards making $8 a day, way more money than he had ever made picking cotton down South. When they arrived in Seattle, Johnnie went to a doctor and found out she was pregnant with their first child. The only clinicthat would accept her as a low income patient was Thompson Clinic, located on East Broadway Street near the old KingCounty Hospital. When Johnnie, Nelmon, and Editha arrived at the clinic with Johnnie in labor during the early morninghours of February 21, 1945, the white nurse at the front office immediately saw that Johnnie was a “colored girl” and toldher she would have to pay $175 for childbirth care. Nelmon didn’t have any money on him, so the staff said Johnnie and Editha could stay, provided that Nelmon went home and brought back the money. They agreed, and Nelmon went to see if hecould hustle the money up. In the meantime, Johnnie’s water broke while they waited for a room. When the nurse announced to Johnnie and Editha that a birthing room was ready, they were told that this was the roomthey used “for colored girls.” As they walked into the dark and dingy room, the nurse went on, “You colored girls are always having babies, anyway.” The nurse went on with her ignorant and stereotypical lecture, “You colored girls know theroutine.” Then she left the room. Johnnie was only 20 years old and Editha was 26. Neither of them had ever had a baby.They just looked at each other in fear and anxiety. They were young Black women from the South, so they didn’t speak up.And unfortunately, they really didn't know anything about having babies. Johnnie’s labor intensified, and she thought that she had to go to the bathroom. There was a bedside commode, so Edithahelped Johnnie onto it. Johnnie felt like she was having “the worst bowel movement ever.” She kept pushing, and suddenlya baby popped out. The young women were stunned! The nurse had left the room, and neither Johnnie nor Editha knew what to do. Johnnie remembered that she had seen a movie recently with Nelmon in which a baby was born. She remembered the doctor slapping the baby’s behind to get it to cry. So Johnnie slapped her baby’s behind, and itbegan to scream. After the newborn started screaming, then and only then, did a nurse run into the room and finish thebirthing process of properly cutting the umbilical cord, etc. Johnnie finally asked, “What is my baby?” The nurse said he was a boy. Upon Nelmon’s return, he was told that he had aboy. Johnnie and Nelmon proudly named their baby boy Lawrence (Larry) Edward Gossett. Nelmon and Johnnie went on to have five other children: Brenda born in ’47, Ricky in ’49, Glen in ‘52, Theresa in ’53, andPatrick in ’55. And in spite of the ugly racism that weighed against them, they continued to have high hopes for their six children. Johnnie and Nelmon Gossett, Larrry’s parents, stayed with Johnnie’s sister, Editha, the first three months they were in Seattle. In October of 1945, they were lucky enough to secure a one-bedroom apartment in Duwamish Bend, a low- income housing project located in the Georgetown neighborhood of Seattle. During the end of World War II, it wasn’t easy for a newly married Black couple to move from the deep rural South to a bigNorthwest city like Seat- tle. Both Larry’s parents had lived their entire lives in rural Texas, where the racial restrictions wereenforced in an ironclad fashion. In addition to Larry’s parents receiving slave wages for jobs they did in Texas, it was illegalin the South for most Blacks to quit their jobs without the permission of their white bosses. Johnnie and Nelmon Gossett, Larrry’s parents, stayed with Johnnie’s sister, Editha, the first three months they were in Seattle. In October of 1945, they were lucky enough to secure a one-bedroom apartment in Duwamish Bend, a low- income housing project located in the Georgetown neighborhood of Seattle. During the end of World War II, it wasn’t easy for a newly married Black couple to move from the deep rural South to a big Northwest city like Seat- tle. Both Larry’s parents had lived their entire lives in rural Texas, where the racial restrictions were enforced in an ironclad fashion. In addition to Larry’s parents receiving slave wages for jobs they did in Texas, it was illegal in the South for most Blacks to quit their jobs without the permission of their white bosses. Larry said, “When my parents left the South, it was a veritable police state – they had to use separate toilets, water fountains, and restaurants. Blacks were treated as being inferior to ALL white people, and the police kept them under control.” In the North, the white man’s rules weren’t as restricted. Larry’s parents could eat in any restaurant they wanted. They could drink from any water fountain and use any toilet available. Neither of them was called “Nigger” in the days after they migrated to Seattle, but some of the fears learned down South remained within their consciousness. Around December of 1945, Larry’s parents got on a Seattle bus to ride downtown. The bus was very crowded, so they were not able to sit together. Johnnie sat in one of the horizontal seats, while Nelmon sat nervously nearby in a vertical seat next to a white man. After a few more stops, the white man next to Nelmon disembarked. About half a mile later, a young white woman boarded the bus and took the seat next to Nelmon. After a few more stops, Johnnie looked over at her husband and saw he was sweating profusely. Then she heard him say, “Johnnie, we gotta’ get off this bus. I am not feeling well.” They immediately got off the bus, and Johnnie nervously asked Nelmon if he needed her to try and get an ambulance. Nelmon responded, “No, I don’t need an ambulance, honey. The problem is that was the first time in my life I had ever sat next to a white woman, and I was scared to death.” This is a classic example of Black reaction to the ways of white folks in the North versus the South. Larry’s Daddy knew that if had he sat next to a white woman in the South – anywhere in the South – he would be attacked, beaten, jailed, or pos- sibly lynched. In Seattle, Larry’s Dad wasn’t sure what could happen to him if a white woman sat next to him. His southern conditioning made him very scared. By 1956, Nelmon had the best blue- collar job of his life – working for the United States Post Office in West Se- attle. And he had accumulated enough money to buy the family’s first house. Nelmon told Johnnie, “Honey, I want to look for a house out here close to the West Seattle Post Office, so I don't have to drive a long distance to work.” At that time, most Black people in Seattle lived in the Central Area, but Nelmon wanted a house in West Seattle close to his new work place. He went to not one, but two white realtors, both of whom told him the same thing: “If I show a Negro a house in West Seattle, I will get run out of business. But I will show you a house in the Central Area.” The first time he heard this, Nelmon got really mad and went home and devised a new approach. He decided that he would approach a second realtor differently than he did the first. He confidently told the second guy, “I'm looking for a house.” The realtor said, “Okay, why don't we take my car and check a few out.” Nelmon thought they were going to drive around West Seattle, but instead, the realtor drove onto 35th Ave SW headed towards the West Seattle Bridge. At this point, Nelmon knew his cause was hopeless and resolved that he would not get a house in West Seattle. Instead, he bought a house on the corner of 18th and Alder, right smack dab in the middle of the Central Area, where all their new neighbors would be Black. The Gossetts learned that white people in Seattle practiced de facto segregation. “There were no laws saying you can only live in the Central Area, but that was the only place a white real estate agent would dare show you a house. After that experience, Daddy started calling Seattle “up south.” He controlled his anger and got on with it, always working to get the best for his family where it could be gotten. For the first time in his life, Larry was enrolled in an elementary school that was 98.6 percent Black. “The only thing white about that school was the teachers, nothing else,” Nelmon said. But Larry, Brenda, and Ricky adjusted quickly and attended Horace Mann Elementary. Larry made a lot of friends at his new school. His friends introduced him to the Rotary Boys Club, where they played ping pong and basketball. In the 7th grade Larry was sent to mostly-Black Washington Junior High School. There he played on the varsity basketball team as a 7th and 8th grader. “When I was in 11th grade, my daddy purchased his second home on Beacon Hill. I transferred to Franklin High School, which by 1962 was 85 percent white. That was the first time that I consciously went to school with a majority of white kids, and I wasn't as scared as my daddy. I rapped on the white girls and they were responsive. That was an interesting phenomenon because when white man rules, you can't power talk to no white girl. I was an athlete. I wanted to stay at Garfield because I was a basketball player, they were a fabulous team and the kids I grew up with. But I enjoyed Franklin High School in ‘63. Now, I didn't have no racial consciousness or anything like that. “I dated white girls, many of them. Also, some of the white girls started the Larry Gossett Fan Club when I made the varsity Basketball Team at Franklin High School. They wore buttons that said Gossett Fan Club and they were 99 percent white. There was one Chinese girl who became a city council member, Cheryl Chow. She was in the Gossett Fan Club and went to high school with me. My sister kind of got fed up. One day, we’re just sitting around after school and she said, ‘Big Brother, so embarrassing. He doesn't shovel any coal, just snow.’ So Momma didn't know what Brenda was talking about so she says, ‘Brenda, doll, while we were living in High Point, your daddy and Larry shoveled coal into that furnace so we would have heat!' And my sister Brenda got upset with me. ‘Momma, he doesn't go out with any Negro girls, he only goes out with white girls!’ Momma said, 'Oh, that's what you mean! Well, honey, he can go out with whoever he wants.' Poor Brenda left the room in disgust. “I was an athlete in high school, and that had its privileges. I got pretty good grades because I wanted to play college basketball, even though I was very short, 5’7”. So I told my daddy that I wanted to go to junior college because I thought that would be my best chance to start in basketball. And Daddy said, ‘I have something else in mind for you Larry. I've already checked your grades. Your grades are good enough to get into the University of Washington.’ My daddy was the first person I ever heard reference the University of WA as the University of Washington. ‘And that's where I want you to go, boy.’ Daddy called me boy, I don't know where he got that from! And I said, ‘No, Daddy, I want to go to junior college.’ And then Daddy looked at me and said, ‘Boy, now I got to thinking. I'm gonna’ take you to the Registrar’s Office at the University of WA and enroll you.’ And I don't know if you're aware of this but back in the fifties and early sixties, you don't be saying ‘no’ to your black parents. I was 17 so I didn't talk back to Daddy. “The next week he set an appointment with the Registrar and he took me to the University of Washington. The Registrar and Daddy went over my transcripts and she said, ‘Yeah, Larry's grade point average is right up there. But he needs to take geometry.’ I'd had algebra and you couldn't get in the U back in those days without geometry. So Daddy said, ‘What can we do, because I'd like to get him in.’ And she said, ‘Okay, I will enroll him in the University beginning winter quarter, but not in September of ‘64. Then she turned to me and said, ‘I need you, this summer and fall, two quarters, to enroll in geometry at Central Seattle Community College.’ We were living on Beacon Hill then, so I could get over to Broadway easily. ‘But he has to get at least a C in geometry.’ Daddy said, ‘Yes, I'm going to enroll him in school to start winter quarter.’ So, I got a C both quarters, and they let me in the UW in January ‘65. So that's how I got to be at the University of WA. And I knew that I was way too small to try to be able to make the team at the UW. I wanted to but I didn’t get there until January, the third month of basketball season in college. So I didn't even try out. I just focused on becoming a graduate of the University of Washington.” Part II: Black Power Captures Larry Gossett’s Soul While in Vista The American war in Vietnam was escalating in 1965 as President Lyndon Johnson doubled the number of men drafted into the armed services. During this time, selective service requirements, deferments, and exemptions changed rapidly in the government’s efforts to make the draft appear “fairer.” By 1966, a draft lottery was instituted, which no longer provided exemptions to college students. Young men were all given a draft number between 1 and 366, corresponding to their birthday, and lower numbers were called up first. It was at this time that Larry Gossett's life changed dramatically. “I found out in late fall of 1965 that there were only two ways you could avoid the draft, and that was to join the international Peace Corps or the domestic Peace Corps, which was called VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America). The international Peace Corps required a two-year commitment to serve poor people abroad. That made me nervous, because I had never been outside the boundaries of the United States. I had lived my entire life in Seattle, except for the brief period of time that I lived in Los Angeles. But because I learned that VISTA was only a one-year commitment for volunteers to live and work in a poor urban or rural area in the US, I decided to apply. That felt right to me, and fortunately, I was accepted. I became a VISTA volunteer in March of 1966 and was sent to Toledo, Ohio, for three months of training. “All our training instructors were professors or graduate students at University of Toledo. We lived and worked in the Black community of Toledo during our VISTA training. Like most cities in our country, Toledo was racially segregated. I lived on Door Street, and everybody on that street was Black and lived in big ghetto houses reminiscent of those located in the Central Area of Seattle. “Our instructors gave us an interesting list of exciting and inspiring books to read. The most memorable was The Other America, by Michael Harrington, an awe-inspiring historian. His book was very enlightening as it told the truth about what it is like being poor across our nation. I had never read any book like this before, and it had a surprisingly dramatic impact on me. This book made me realize the extent of poverty in Appalachia, among the poor Mexicans, and of course, poor Blacks and Whites. Mr. Harrington’s writing made me empathetic and caring about being poor in America. We were then assigned to read highlighted parts of Manchild in the Promised Land, by Claude Brown, another book which raised my awareness about a poor, young Black kid growing up in Harlem. The streets he had to survive on were far tougher than anything I had experienced in Seattle or even knew existed in our country. Once again, I was surprised by the feelings of anger and frustration I felt about what I had read. “Then our VISTA trainers introduced us to Before the Mayflower, a History of Black America, by Lerone Bennett Jr, one of America's top Black historians. This book, more than any other, made me realize how little of Black history I knew, especially being a third-year university student. I was already a junior at the UW but had never had a class that exposed me to reading this kind of history. Our VISTA instructors had us discuss what we read with them, but the process that proved most meaningful to me was the discussions following our reading of Rules For Radicals, by Saul Alinsky. I realized quickly why this book was a central part of our assigned readings. Mr. Alinsky got right to the point about what a VISTA volunteer’s duty and responsibility must be: “To serve and organize the poor, so that they will desire to be on the front lines in the battle to combat, eliminate, and liberate themselves from the crushing impact of poverty in America.” “By the end of the 12-week training period, my thinking about being poor in the United States was changing, and I had not yet been told where I would be sent as a VISTA volunteer. The head VISTA instructor finally approached me and said, “Mr. Gossett, you are going to be a VISTA in New York City.” He told me I would be working for an anti-poverty program called the Lower East Side Narcotics Center. He explained, “You’ll be working with young addicts and kids who were on the track to possibly becoming drug addicts.” I said, “WOW!” He concluded by explaining to me, “You will hopefully organize an anti-drug youth center for kids under 15 years old on the Lower East Side of Manhattan Island. “I became very excited but nervous about my VISTA placement. I had just turned 21 and had never been east of Idaho before I flew into Toledo a few months before. Now I was about to be sent for a year to the biggest city in the United States, the Big Apple, New York City! “Little did I know that my year in VISTA would become what I still consider to be the signature experience of my life. My flight from Toledo landed at LaGuardia Airport in mid June, 1966. I took a taxi straight to the Lower East Side Narcotics Center. When I got there, a staff person was awaiting my arrival. She had put together a nice packet of information about the agency for me. She had already told me on the phone that the agency had found temporary housing for me at the Henry Street Settlement House, located only a block from the agency. My room did not have a private bathroom, but it was very modern, comfortable, and secure. It was a cool place to spend my first few months living in New York City. Larry was certain his year in VISTA was going to be an important and meaningful life experience. To start it off, he told his family and friends back home in Seattle that he arrived in New York City just two weeks before Stokely Carmichael, the National Chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), articulated a call for BLACK POWER. The phrase spread through all of New York City very quickly, but he reported that it had gone through Harlem like wildfire. Given the trajectory of his life, he felt it had been very fortuitous that he landed in a city so nice they named it twice: New York, New York. In retrospect, he felt very fortunate that he got there at about the same time the Black Power movement arrived. He remembers visiting Harlem and Bedford Stuyvesant, and greeting groups of Black people on the streets with the salutation “Black Power!” Larry said, “I remember greeting people in shops and at the office, ‘Black Power, man, Black Power!’ Everyone in the Black community began greeting each other with the phrase Black Power! so how could I have not been impacted by all of this? “I loved my work with the Lower East Side Narcotics Center, especially the satisfaction I got from setting up a youth center on 5th Street between Avenues C and D. This street was one of the poorest on the Lower East Side. About 80 percent of the youth we served were Puerto Rican and 15 percent were Black. Two other VISTAs worked on the project, and five NYU students came down regularly to volunteer and work with us for school credit. We built a very effective program for about 300 kids who joined the 5th Street Clubhouse within the first month of advertising the club's opening. We set up some of the best English-Spanish tutoring programs, which teachers identified as the best they had ever observed. We took hundreds of kids on field trips that emphasized cultural exposure. I remember in the fall of 1966 taking a group of Black and Puerto Rican youth to the Apollo Theatre to see Gladys Knight and the Pips. As soon as Gladys came out on the stage she said, ‘Black Power Y’all!’ Our youth from the Lower East Side loved it. The whole audience broke out in thunderous applause, responding ‘Black Power’ to her at least 15 times. On the subway home, the kids kept saying ‘Black Power’ including the 9 of the 12 kids who were Puerto Rican, not African American. I loved and learned from these very memorable experiences. Most of these youth had never experienced or thought that they would ever experience a successful drug resistance program. Juvenile counselors would come and check out our program and then work to replicate it. “I think that the Puerto Rican and Black history lessons we taught at the clubhouse raised all of these kids' consciousness about being Black and Puerto Rican in New York. These interventions made a huge difference in whether or not these kids passed their school classes. It also enabled them not to fight against their own people. In this regard, I was surprised how quickly they learned and remembered Puerto Rican and Black creators, who invented things like the concept of zero, the invention of the stop light, and filters that keep electric lights burning for a long time. They loved stories about the Black Buffalo Soldiers and the role they played in the West after the Civil War." Despite the sense of enjoyment I got from working with all these youth on the Lower East Side, I always had a special yearning to work in Harlem. I found out, after about six months of working exclusively on the Lower East Side, that VISTA was looking for supervisors to lead the expansion of their programming in Harlem. Our efforts on the Lower East Side made me a frequent visitor to the office that coordinated VISTA work in the five Boroughs of New York City. So when they found out I would be amenable to working in Harlem, we were able to work a plan where I supervised VISTAs in Harlem for four days a week and continued working about two days a week on the Lower East Side. I was excited because I was already spending a lot of time going to Black Power meetings and demonstrations in Harlem, organized specifically around the unjust effort by the US Congress to kick Adam Clayton Powell out of his House seat where he had been representing Harlem for over 20 years. They accused him of womanizing and missing important meetings. His constituents let it be known that they did not support his expulsion, but Congress successfully, for a short while, voted him out of his seat and called for a new election to replace him. “Harlem was the largest Black ghetto in the United States in 1967. I was told that more than 565,000 people lived in Harlem, nearly all of them Black, Puerto Rican, or Dominican. At the same time, Seattle had a population of about 600,000. But Seattleites occupied land about one hundred times larger than the 45-blocks-long and seven-blockswide space that Harlem occupied. “I was assigned to supervise four VISTAs at Harlem Youth, Inc. The first thing we did was a door-to-door survey on the most crowded block in Harlem. That block was 117th Street between Lenox and 7th Avenue. (Today, Lenox Avenue has been renamed Malcolm X Blvd.) We were also assigned to set up youth programs for kids 11 to 15 years of age on three other blocks: 122nd, 137th, and 143rd Streets. Our survey of 117th Street revealed that about 9,000 people lived in oldand dilapidated eight- and nine story tenement buildings. We couldn’t believe it was possible to have that many people living on one block. I had this same curiosity on the Lower East Side, so I got eight young students at NYU to help me go door to door on 5th Street between Avenues C and D. That block had an estimated 6,000 people living on it. About 1,000 were youth 10 to 15 years of age. This concentrated poverty really impacted and astonished me. I thought it unbelievable that any human being would be forced to live in overcrowded spaces, like the Lower East Side and Harlem. I'm from Seattle, where we had 250 people living on both sides of the street. Yeah, they were all Black, but in Harlem, they were all Black too. In Harlem and on the Lower East Side they had five, six, seven people living in every tiny one- and two-bedroom unit, on every floor, in these roach- and rat-infested tenement buildings that occupied every block. I read in the Amsterdam News, the Black newspaper of Harlem, that 60 percent of all the Black people in Harlem lived below the poverty line. “This survey made me dig out an article I had read in the summer of 1966, in The New York Times. It said that if every person in the United States were to live in New York City, and the population of each block would be based on the average number of people living on the average block in Harlem, which at the time was about 7,000 people, all 300 million Americans would fit on just one-half the blocks in New York City. This was a shocking reality to me, the estimate of how crowded these conditions in Harlem and the Lower East Side were. “In his autobiography, Malcolm X said that on average, two to three Blacks were killed every week in Harlem by police, that Blacks owned no more than two percent of all the stores on 125th Street, and that there was only one high school, Franklin, serving 565,000 people in Harlem – and nearly 70 percent of the students in Harlem dropped out of school by the 9th grade. These school statistics really shocked me. I recalled that in Seattle there were 12 public and 4 Catholic high schools, while Harlem had only one. That's how oppressed and segregated the African American population was in Harlem.” Larry became a frequent visitor to Michaux’s bookstore, (technically called the National Memorial African Book Store, but known to the community as Michaux’s), Harlem’s premiere bookstore, located on 125th Street. This bookstore was a great reservoir of Black history and culture. Larry started reading everything he could afford to purchase on Malcolm X and on past and present great Black writers, who wrote about the experiences of Black people in Harlem during the 20th Century. “One of the clerks in the bookstore with whom I had struck up a friendship said to me one day, ‘Larry, you should read something a little broader than just Black history. You seem to be serious about social movements. Why don't you read Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels? Why don't you read the Communist Manifesto?’ I replied, ‘Where I grew up, everyone says that Communism is bad and evil.’ He said, ‘You have to broaden your horizons. You need to be able to make interconnections between the struggles of poor people here in Harlem, Seattle, and with other places around the world. Karl Marx and Fred Engels will provide you with some good food for thought that you should be aware of. “His persistence had an influence on me, so I bought the Communist Manifesto. I took it home and read it, and went back to the brother who had urged me to read it. I said, ‘Wow, I wonder why I was never encouraged to read this at the UW!’ ‘What made the most sense to you, my man?’ he asked. You have to remember, I'm a descendant of Africans brought to America to work as chattel slaves for 246 straight years for no pay. It made sense to me when they said, ‘the people who do the work in any society or community ought to have a major say in determining where the fruits of their labor go and for what it is spent.’ Maybe they call that communism or whatever, but it made a lot of sense to me. I was thinking, why was I so scared to read stuff about socialism before? “In short, when I left Michaux’s bookstore, VISTA, and NYC at the end of my year and a half in VISTA, I was a radically changed man – philosophically, dress, attitude, values, everything. I even changed my name from Larry Gossett to Oba Yoruba. I would never go back to being bourgeoisie and brainwashed again. VISTA had changed me, the Black Power movement had captured my soul, and I was down for the cause and the people. “At the end of my VISTA term, I wanted to go back home. Many VISTAs stayed in the community that they worked in, but I always had the intention of going back home to Seattle. I landed in Seattle on September 15th, 1967, and my mother and youngest brother, Patrick, came to the gate of the airport to pick me up. But guess what happened? Both walked right by without recognizing me. I had a lot of hair, a big natural, and I wore a dashiki and African beads, and like other Black Power advocates, I wore sunglasses. Finally, I said the magic word, ‘Momma.’ She and Patrick recognized me by my voice. Momma looked at me and said, ‘Larry, is that you, boy?’ She kept calling me Larry, and I should have waited until I got home, but I said, ‘Momma, my n ame is Oba Yoruba.’ And she said, ‘Yuba who? Boy, I gotta get you home so your daddy can see you.’ I smiled confidently and walked to the car with Momma and my little brother, Patrick. “The entire Gossett family embraced the changes I had gone through, after a while that is, and supported me in my work for social justice through the Black Power movement we were about to establish on the campus of the University of Washington and in Seattle's Black community."

Social Security, Medicare & Medicaid Are Under Attack Source documents: Overall: FACT SHEET: Senator Murray Outlines How Trump’s Attempt to Shutter Federal Agencies’ Offices Across WA State Will Hurt Taxpayers, Rip Away Services: https://www.murray.senate.gov/fact-sheet-senator-murray-outlines-how-trumps-attempt-to-shutter-federal-agencies-offices-across-wa-state-will-hurt-taxpayers-rip-away-services/ Medicaid: Click here to see what the impacts to Medicaid will be for the State of Washington. Letter to U.S. Senate leadership from The Leadership Council of Aging Organizations outlining the Damage that President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” will do to millions of Medicaid recipients: https://www.lcao.org/article/lcao-june-2025-reconciliation-letter-to-senate/ “Unprecedented” Medicaid Cuts Could Cripple Health Program, BU Experts Warn: https://www.bu.edu/articles/2025/medicaid-cuts-could-cripple-health-program/ House Republican Attacks on Medicaid Expansion Would Threaten Coverage for 20 Million People: https://www.cbpp.org/blog/house-republican-attacks-on-medicaid-expansion-would-threaten-coverage-for-20-million-people Republicans consider cuts and work requirements for Medicaid, jeopardizing care for millions: https://apnews.com/article/medicaid-cuts-work-requirements-congress-republicans-90ec1119f1d95de067c76f79eec7fa87 A Cut to Medicaid is a Cut to Medicare: 5 Key Facts About Medicaid Coverage for People with Medicare: https://www.kff.org/medicare/issue-brief/5-key-facts-about-medicaid-coverage-for-people-with-medicare/ Medicare: Threats to the Social Security Administration and to Benefits Continue to Raise Alarm: https://www.medicarerights.org/medicare-watch/2025/03/20/threats-to-the-social-security-administration-and-to-benefits-continue-to-raise-alarm Will the Trump Administration Fast Track the Privatization of Medicare?: https://www.kff.org/policy-watch/will-the-trump-administration-fast-track-the-privatization-of-medicare/ Social Security: Ann Widger, Director, AFSCME Retirees Letter to Retired Federal Employees asking for their experiences with Social Security. Ball Award Recipients Letter concerning alarm over current actions of DOGE that threaten the viability of Social Security benefits for current beneficiaries and workers. Social Security ends phone ID verification, a change opposed by advocates and retirees alike: https://www.wusf.org/politics-issues/2025-03-21/social-security-ends-phone-id-verification-a-change-opposed-by-advocates-and-retirees-alike Trump and Musk’s Plot to Make It Harder for Americans to Get Their Social Security Benefits: https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/news/minority/fact-sheet-trump-and-musks-plot-to-make-it-harder-for-americans-to-get-their-social-security-benefits#:~:text=SSA%20staff%20ensure%2073%20million,lowest%20level%20in%2050%20years. Donald Trump and Elon Musk Are Making Their Social Security Lies a Reality — By Punishing Maine Families: https://socialsecurityworks.org/2025/03/07/trump-musk-social-security-lies-punish-maine-families/ Regurn to Social Security Page

Civil Rights Reflection: Medgar Evers Pool and the Naming of Public Places Mark Epstein discusses his recent civil rights tour of four Southern states and the all to brief life and death of Medgar Evers. Read

Documents and Presentations on the Privatization of Medicare and Documented Issues with Medicare Advantage and AOC Reach Resources: Don’t Privatize Medicare, Level the playing Field Below are additional resources to help you better understand the issue and hopefully join PSARA in taking action to protect Medicare. PS ARA Webinars/Presentations: Is Medicare Advantage Driving Your Providers to Despair? And Why You Should Care . Insurance companies may be forcing your doctor into a crises of conscience, learn more through this Webinar. "Fear & Loathing on the Way to Levelingthe Playing Field” Five National experts discuss PSARA’s strategy to Level the Medicare Playing field. " Is Medicare Advantage Preying on People of Color ” PSARA’s December 4, 2023 Webinar Featuring Dr. Claudia Fegan " Stop Raiding Medicare" Rally Aug 1, 2023 Highlights video "Pirates of the Medicar ibbean ” Slides presented by PSARA members Rick Timmons and Ellen Menshew "Pulling back the Curtain: Lies, Fraud, and Naked Profiteering in Medicare Privatization Schemes. ” Presented by Wendell Potter, Mr. Potter was previously an executive in the healthcare industry. He brings a unique perspective to the overall healthcare debate and the attempted privatization of Medicare. Mr. Potter is currently the President of the Center for Health and Democracy and also a Co-founder of Business Leaders for Health Care Transformation. Dr. Ed Weisbart is the Chair of the Missouri Physicians for a National Health Program. Dr. Weisbart has done three Webinars for PSARA: "Defending Medicare from ACO Reach" " Don’t Let Naked Profiteering Destroy Our Medicare" "We Can Reclaim Medicare From Greedy Profiteers ” presented September 13, 2023 Testimonials /Letters , personal stories and letters concerning Medicare Advantage delay and denial of care: PSARA member's letter to the Senate Finance Committee (Statementsfortherecord@finance.senate.gov ) Gary: Gary had emergency brain surgery. His doctors had a recovery plan. That plan never happened. Watch the video to learn why. Jacob: Too many families, like Jacob’s, are suffering from the predatory management tactics of Medicare Advantage insurers. PSARA is proud to have the support from the Be A Hero campaign to share these personal stories. We must never stop fighting to end the profiteering from these corporate predators. Please join us in this fight to “LEVEL THE PLAYING FIELD”. Protect and expand Medicare! Rick Timmons: PSARA member Rick Timmons talks about how a slow approval process and delay in being able to schedule a surgery put his life at risk and significantly complicated his recovery from cancer. More information from other organizations: National Public Radio (NPR): Older Americans say they feel trapped in Medicare Advantage plans Bloomberg Law: UnitedHealthcare Accused of AI Use to Wrongfully Deny Claims (1) “UnitedHealth pushed employees to follow an algorithm to cut off Medicare patients’ rehab care” by Casey Ross and Bob Herman (Nov. 14, 2023). Link is a summary by Center for Medicare Advocacy "Level the Playing Field Between Medicare and Medicare Advantage ” talking points "2023 Convention of the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO. Resolutions #2023.01” Washington State Labor Council passed this resolution on July 20, 2023. The resolution calls out the existential threat to Medicare as a public program that is coming from the privatized Medicare Advantage plans and ACO REACH – a threat that has intensified under the Biden Administration. The resolution calls for leveling the playing field between Medicare Advantage and regular Medicare as well as stopping the overpayments to Medicare Advantage companies and recouping the overpayments already made due to fraud by Medicare Advantage insurance companies. This is an excellent resolution for groups to adopt to communicate to their members and representatives their position on this issue. "Hospitals dropping Medicare Advantage because of Concerns with patient care " 8/16/23 by Diane Archer, Just Care "Grand Theft Medicare " 8/21/22 by Dick Conoboy, NW Citizen "The Stealth Plan to Privatize Medicare for All ", 8/24/22 by Rick Staggenborg, Counterpunch Physicians for a National Health Program resources on DCE/ACO REACH: https://pnhp.org/direct-contracting-entities-handing-traditional-medicare-to-wall-street/ 6/7/18: Kip Sullivan article on CMS evaluation of several "medical home" ACO programs: The verdict is in: All three of CMS’s “medical home” demonstrations have failed – The Health Care Blog 1/16/22: For background on the origins of the ACO REACH program, here's a short article on the key Medicare official who for years has promoted corporate interests in federal health policy. 2/24/22: American Journal of Managed Care https://www.ajmc.com/view/cms-redesigns-direct-contracting-into-an-equity-focused-aco-model 5/19/22: Biden’s Little-Publicized Medicare Privatization Scheme Is Starting To Raise Alarm Bells https://portside.org/2022-05-19/bidens-little-publicized-medicare-privatization-scheme-starting-raise-alarm-bells An excellent webinar that addresses the lack of health equity in the ACO REACH proposal. DCEs & REACH: Health Equity or Private Equity? - YouTube Robby Stern, President of the PSARA Education Fund, was interviewed by Richard Eskow about ACO REACH and the privatization of traditional Medicare. Watch the interview on YouTube by clicking this link: https://youtu.be/6FKFsxRs-Rw Robby Stern was interviewed on Twitter Spaces on Jan. 27 about the Medicare Anti Privatization Campaign. Link here: https://twitter.com/i/spaces/1jMKgLrlaOjGL?s=20l Webinar with Rep.Pramila Jayapal and members of PSARA on ACO Reach and privatization of Medicare. Link HERE Read and Download PSARA’s Primer on Leveling the Playing Field