Grassroots Advocate Summer 2024 Story: Wilma Solomon, New Jersey

Wilma Solomon joined RESULTS New Jersey in the 1990s. Her good friend Phyllis AlRoy was part of the group and encouraged her to join too. She recalls when advocates would gather to listen to the Monthly National Call on their phones. Then, they would take action together before going home. “Phyllis would always make hummus. She had envelopes and stamps so she could send our letters off. Then there were the Regional Conferences and the International Conference. RESULTS was all about connection, community, and building relationship.”  

“The basis of RESULTS power is relationships. We know it’s key with members of Congress and their staff. That’s why we try to meet in person, including with their local staff which we are looking to do more often. That’s true for building power in the community too. That’s why I’m still doing this. In addition to the advocacy results, I have the best friends now because of RESULTS. That’s hard to let go of. And we still have more work to do.”  

During COVID, Wilma reflected on how the pandemic made building community different — and sometimes harder. Now that it feels safer, she’s started having in-person, one-on-one meetings with folks who had recently joined her team that she hadn’t met in person yet. She has stories about people “ghosting” her (in other words, never replying). But persistence pays off. She met up in person with a newer advocate on her team that she’d only connected online with before. They had a wonderful connection and a great time together. Within a few days, that advocate went to their member of Congress’ local office and met the Deputy Director. Wilma praised another new team member who “steps up, looks at what needs to be done, and does it.” Despite the disappointments of ghosting, she admires the passion and achievements of the new advocates who do show up. And she has a drive to keep them connected and together, just as Phyllis did for her group when she was new. She sees this as an opportunity to continue building the relationships that started online.  

This is why her team is planning a September gathering. It will be their first effort to come together as a team since before the pandemic. Wilma wants to do this. She wants to bring back the connection and friendship of her early RESULTS days. “If you’re interested enough in this work, you know it’s not easy. There are ups and downs. Just like there are ups and downs in our personal lives. By working together, we experience those ups and downs together. But the bond is already there. We’re connected by the fact that we’ve chosen to put our time into this.” She hopes that all attendees will leave more committed to action. Whether it’s “I’ll set up a meeting this fall,” or, “I want to be the go-to person, so I’ll learn more about this issue.”  

Wilma, who has been hesitant to do outreach, reminds us: “We often hold ourselves back with ‘What am I going to say? It must be meaningful. I’m afraid of making a mistake.’ We forget that people are grateful to hear from another person. It doesn’t matter if the words are perfect or what their response is. The most powerful part is that you are a person reaching out to another person. It’s the connection and the care. You have to put the hesitations aside. Don’t listen to what your mind is telling you. You have something to offer them. Your intention is to share a little bit of yourself and whatever happens at the other end will be okay.”