By Winta Mebrahati
PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. - At the Rota Gallery, walls were lined with work by local artists, while racks of clothes and stacks of books, VHS, old kitchen ware and electronics competed for floor space. It's a garage sale where young and old, Canadians and Americans were mingling and purchasing items. They, like thousands across the nation, were preparing to march in support of the presidential candidate from across the lake, Bernie Sanders.
Organized by Wendy Bridges, Adam Guillette and Patty Blanchard, the “March for Bernie” event that started at the Rota Gallery Saturday 27 Feb was a sequel to the “March for Bernie” event held in 35 cities earlier this year. The trio, who had never met before, came together on social media and discussed what they could do to raise awareness in their community.
“We're pretty darn happy [with the turn out] since we've advertised for 8 days only,” Blanchard, a mother of four, said.
Blanchard who used to be a Hillary Clinton supporter, decided to support Sanders instead when she found out about him and his work. She also didn't want to support Clinton solely because she's a woman, Blanchard said.
Guillette on the other hand said that he appreciates the grass root aspect of his campaign, which is one of the many reasons Sanders appeals to many of the younger generation.
“It's very inherent that special interest money is flooding into the political process, and it's corrupting main parties. I feel like he's one of the only people who's willing to say no to that money and rely solely on organizing grassroots democracy and fight back against the power,” Guillette said.
At the gallery, Blanchard waves her hands enthusiastically flashing her blue nails decorated with Bernie Sanders' name and helps people make their way in the crowded room. Blanchard and Guillette said they'd expected around 50 attendants, but more than 200 people showed interest on Facebook and more than three quarter of them came to the Rota Gallery.
Just as they'd hoped, the room was filled with people of all shapes, sizes and ages. One of the many young supporters there to support Bernie was Blanchard's 15-year-old daughter Cera Blanchard.
“He [Sanders] wants to give everyone a chance to survive,” Cera Blanchard said standing behind the Sanders merchandise table with her friend Emily Seymour.
Seymour who hasn't been exposed to politics before said she enjoyed taking in the impressions at the gallery and learning about politics from the Blanchard family.
Patty Blanchard believes that it is important that political awareness starts at a young age. She said she didn't learn about the rules and regulations of voting registration and the elections through school, but through her involvement. Some systems in place, like the Electoral College System, she later found out were outrages. Patty Blanchard said that if she and her peers can not affect change now, she hopes the younger generation will, if made aware of how the system works.
That is one of the reasons the trio decided the march would head toward the Angell College Center and back to the Rota Gallery where college students, and others could register to vote.
Though the organizers were thrilled by the turn out, Patty Blanchard had her concerns given the lack of rules for the march. However, she was surprised by what she saw. The marchers were picking up garbage that wasn't their own and came well-prepared for the march.
“People had packed water bottles, cough drops, tissues and band aids, just in case, and I'm like [those are] Bernie people. We look out for the guy in front of us for the guy behind us and the people on each side of us ...We didn't need to give rules out to anybody. They followed the rules of being human,” Patty Blanchard said.
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