Talking to Strangers

Last Friday, Juneteenth, under beautiful blue skies and pleasant breezes, I meandered through the celebratory crowd enjoying the vibe of the day at the Norristown Jubilee Street Festival. Smoke from the BBQ tents wafted through the air, and vendors offering everything from psychic readings, Juneteenth t-shirts, jewelry, and public information from public health organizations lined the streets.

In addition to having fun, I had signed up for a tabling event for Fair Districts PA. Fair Districts is a non-partisan citizens group working to end gerrymandering in our state. With the US Supreme Court's weakening of the Voting Rights Act, I figure anything that helps ensure fair elections is a good thing.

Norristown Jubilee Street Festival, Juneteenth 2026

When I finally found the Fair Districts booth, I met a crew of smiling college interns in matching green t-shirts. I committed to a two-hour shift, but I could not imagine standing around awkwardly for that long, so I took up a clipboard and began to wander.

At this stage of life, I'm not shy—maybe I can chalk it up to my years of teaching. So, I passed the time by corralling folks and giving them my anti-gerrymandering spiel.

I was mostly met with smiles, but a few listened with an understandable air of skepticism. Not everyone agreed to sign my petition, but most did. As I sit writing this, I can picture the young families listening to music, the psychic who encouraged me to keep writing, the man selling art and mugs who asked me to watch over his booth while he took a quick break, and the older woman who was so troubled by all of the suffering she sees in our country today that she needed a few minutes to talk.

At the end of the two hours, I was very pleased to have filled up all of the spaces on my forms, but the real pleasure was talking to so many people—connecting face-to-face was very satisfying.

I have felt for a long time that connecting during these troubled times is what it's all about. I'm still trying to find ways to incorporate resistance to our country's current leadership into my routine.

After this tabling event, I searched for ideas, but with a new appreciation for real-life interactions.  

I found some interesting suggestions on substack and a lovely pdf put out by a group of Dominican Sisters. Also, for those who want to read banned books, I found a good source through the New York Times.  

And while reading banned books and donating to those in need are all useful, I keep coming back to how satisfying it is to talk to people in person. So this brings me back to my little library project—Breaking Bread with Neighbors. We had our last meeting the other week, and now we are taking a hiatus for the summer. But we'll be back in the fall with a slightly different mission. 

In its new iteration—Breaking Bread with Neighbors will be open to anyone who wants to build community and strengthen our members sense of belonging. Additionally, we hope to support each other's efforts to put more positivity out in the world. Stay tuned for more information next fall.  

So what about you? Have you had any satisfying experiences recently through an act of resistance or community building? If so, please share!