Pittsburgh Grandmother Sees Hope in Obama's Candidacy

60-year-old 'idealist' drawn to candidate and his stance on war, global warming

Friday, April 18, 2008 | By Robert Dvorchak, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

STRASBURG, Pa. -- After leaving her day job, Joyce Akins switches gears to volunteer on a political campaign -- knocking on doors, working the phones or pitching in.

No 60-year-old grandmother would make that kind of a commitment unless she was passionate about doing her part. And as an example of her firm beliefs in who would make the better president, she displays a 12-foot-wide banner on her barn in support of Sen. Barack Obama.

The barn sits smack in the middle of the Republican stronghold of Lancaster County. In her mind, a campaign button or a mere bumper sticker just wouldn't do.

"I thought I had to do it," said Mrs. Akins. "The Democratic headquarters here is so far off the beaten path it's called The Underground, so I had to think outside of the box and take a stand. He's the right person. He offers hope that our children and grandchildren can have a better future."

With the redwood barn sitting just off a rural road that routinely produces the clip-clop sound of horses pulling Amish buggies, the blue banner does attract attention. But not all of the reaction is favorable.

"Oh, I knew what was coming," she said. "I've had some yard signs ripped. I've been yelled at, and some people will shout profanity. But some have stopped to say thanks for having the courage of your convictions, and I think, what courage? For exercising my right to state my political preference? What America am I living in?"

Mrs. Akins hasn't just gotten involved in the Pennsylvania primary. She worked previously as an Obama volunteer in Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and New Jersey.

"It was so cold in Delaware the ink froze in our pens," she recalled.

After her regular workday as an administrative assistant at a school that helps teach dyslexic children, she starts campaigning on the most elementary of levels. If she's at Obama headquarters, there are usually about 50 fellow volunteers with cell phones and laptops, some of them from out of state and living off late night pizza and donated rooms.

Just last week, Mrs. Akins received a shipment of campaign pins from a woman in Illinois who founded the Sisters of the Buttonhood. Each button she passes out identifies the wearer as "Another Middle-Aged White Woman For Obama."

The roots of her activism go back to the days when John F. Kennedy appealed to a new generation of Americans to ask what they could do for their country.

"I was too young to vote for him, but he called us to get involved, and I heard the call," said Mrs. Akins, who grew up in Latrobe and attended Greensburg Central Catholic High School and Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. "America is an ideal, so I guess that makes me an idealist. I'm a dreamer."

And she developed a rebellious streak early on.

"My father raised me to question authority," she said.

For all of the self-indulgence and wretched excess, the '60s were a time of social and political upheaval, marked by assassinations, race riots, campus unrest, environmental awareness and equal rights. The music of the day carried messages -- We shall overcome. ... The answer is blowin' in the wind. ... Stand. ... We can change the world.

"Music was important to us. It united us in many ways," said Mrs. Akins, who still has vinyl albums by Pete Seeger, Joan Baez and other troubadours in her record collection.

While the message has been adapted to the campaign slogan of "Change We Can Believe In," Mrs. Akins wishes more baby boomers would show some of the old activism.

"A lot of them sold out," she said. "Most of my friends have second homes and drive a Mercedes. They did really well."

Mrs. Akins once marched against the Vietnam War carrying her son in her womb. Now, with the future of her 3-year-old grandson on her mind, she marches with Cindy Sheehan against the war without end in Iraq.

She also participated in the first Earth Day in 1970. Now she supports Mr. Obama in part because of his views on global warming. She once drove a Volkswagen. Now she has a Toyota Prius hybrid.

"I can remember being told on that first Earth Day that we'd be doing the same work at the turn of the century, and my heart sank. But here it is 2008 and we're still working to respect the environment," she said.

In many ways, Mrs. Akins still marches to the beat of a different drummer.

"I would love to be able to vote for a woman, but I don't think you should vote because of someone's gender. That's not the way to choose a president," she said. "I don't trust Hillary. I think it would be Bush Lite. I can't vote for her. She voted for the war in Iraq. We need a change. We need someone who can unite us and bring people together."

Barack Obama wasn't her first choice. She liked the candor of Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich, but when his campaign ended, she was drawn to the message of change delivered with inspirational oratory.

"He empowers people," Mrs. Akins said. "He's inspired a new generation. I have a good life, but what about people who aren't as fortunate? There's so much hope, but there's also a great deal of fear."

She's not alone in her volunteer efforts. Her husband switched his voter registration from Republican to Democrat to vote in Tuesday's primary. Her son changed from independent to do the same thing. And her daughter does volunteer work with her.

But there are sacrifices, such as those times when she comes home late at night to hear a voice message left by her grandson: "Oh, you must be at Obama's."

"I know the country is at the precipice," Mrs. Akins said. "Change is not going to come easily, and we're all going to have to bite the bullet. But nothing is more important. Our grandchildren's future depends on it."