Most people join social movements to try to change the world, but many also find community and a greater sense of purpose
W
hen Lani Ritter Hall’s beloved husband of more than 40 years, Gus, died in 2022, she felt a bit unmoored. Taking care of him had been the thing that got her out of bed in the morning, and with him gone, the 76-year-old felt she’d lost her purpose.
That is, until she found organizing.
Shortly after Gus’s death, she came across an op-ed about a new group called Third Act, focused on mobilizing older adults to protect democracy and confront the climate crisis, and figured she might as well reach out. Though the former public school educator had never been involved in any political organizing or activism before, she soon found herself serving as a volunteer coordinator at Third Act, setting up more than 120 Zoom calls over the course of 10 months to welcome people who were new to the organization and help them figure out how to plug in.
