Marooned in Atlanta bus station, Theresa Makes Friends

Theresa, who usually sits behind the desk each Monday at 5:30 as people troop in for Sen. Rickey Hendon’s weekly meetings, is always making sure you sign your name correctly. She’s making a list and checking it twice. She knows everybody and misses very little that goes on. She can be properly stern.

But last week Theresa was more excited than stern. She had just come back from a long bus trip. Not just any old bus trip, but a trip that left her and dozens of other people marooned by a blizzard in Atlanta, of all things. Stuck in the Atlanta bus terminal, nothing going anywhere, for three whole days.

Being one of Hendon’s Heroes, Theresa took lemons and made lemonade. She made herself a half-dozen friends—people of all ages and ethnic groups-- who stuck together like glue, told stories, ran errands for each other, minded baggage while some went outside to smoke, showed each other pictures of family and friends. By the end of the three days, they all hugged, cried, scattered to the four winds on various buses.

This week Theresa got a phone call from one of her Atlanta mates who she called Granny. It looks like they may be friends from now on.

When the chips are down, Hendon’s Heroes make friends and stick together. Even after placing only third in the Democratic primary for lieutenant governor, Rickey’s Monday night meetings have continued to be packed. Rickey says he led the race in 19 of 21 city wards that have a substantial black population, and with some communities of other ethnic groups as well. He would have done even better if the turnout had been more than the lousy 20-some percent that it was.

Rickey’s explanation for the low voter turnouts echoes that of some national pundits: the Democratic majority is depressed and disillusioned. “People are broke. And a lot of people are getting crazy, y’all. We need to spend money here at home, for jobs, education and mental health. Not in Afghanistan killing people!” He says the spending on the war is what’s killing our economy here, and it’s making us more enemies abroad: “The only people who want us over there are the heroin poppy growers that are making a killing off of poisoning our people. I love you Barack, but you gotta bring our troops home!”

He said people should not be afraid to criticize our president even though most of us supported him. If Obama hears from enough people now, he will have time to change course and make the changes he promised, Hendon says.

Join the group that sticks together and pushes for the change we can really believe in!
Every Monday night at 5:30 p.m. Be sure to sign in with Theresa.