Fellow lifelong Hoosier (rural Huntington County). Our Democratic Party in our county was one of the top counties to trend more blue this time. We have a long way to go, but we keep filling the ballot and taking baby steps.
I'm glad to see shifts and we just keep working to show our communities a better way. And I do everything I can in my classroom to help students dig deeper to find answers, which isn't easy but is so necessary.
Hello! I live in very red Marshall County, where I run the Solid Waste district and recycling depot. I spend a lot of time with elected officials, and it can be pretty discouraging, because it’s very red here. However, we are still here after 30 years, even after our two grown daughters have moved away. We are geographically center to most of our family, including our aging parents, so we don’t feel that now is the time to move away. But there are some nice things about living here. We live on our main street, so we can walk downtown. We’ve made some good friends who are lonely liberals like us. Ha ha. Community is where you find it.
Yes it is. And while I'm having a really hard time having grace for those who raised me to believe that everything that is happening is wrong while they are turning a blind eye, I have a lot more grace for my neighbors. I believe we all are going to need each other more than ever in the coming months and years. We need to be building those strong communities everywhere.
I had a similar journey back to Indiana. Moved away, thought I would never come back, and now couldn’t be happier to be back home. Still struggling to find my footing politically. I know it’s exacerbated by the current moment, but even sitting at the center, much less left of center, feels like political Siberia. Appreciate your reminder that there is far more blue than one realizes!
Boone County Dem here, a Michigan transplant since I was 18 (came for college and never left). I’ve been involved with local politics for nearly 20 years. Agree with so much in this essay but also clear-eyed that I cannot encourage our grown daughters to return to Indiana from the blue states where they currently live and have reproductive rights and better public schools for their future children. And that’s a real bummer.
I have friends who have exit plans, so I'm pretty clear eyed about this. I tell my kids I want them to live where it's best for them... After they go to college, of course. But I also want Indiana to still be an option for them. I know it's an uphill battle. But I also know that history says it's possible. Difficult, but possible.
Well stated. As a Yankee NYer, and now retiree who should look for more affordable state to spend her senior years, cannot leave b/c with all its flaws and expenses, it's home. The political climate is abrasive and I tread lightly in most social situations, but the reality is we are a nation with rights the big one freedom of speech. Some are louder than others but the bottom line is I can have my say, strive for what is right for myself and neighbors, and demonstrate respect.
Thank you for coming back to Indiana! Our state needs you! I’m a southern Indiana native who returned after a career that took our family all over the place. Initially we stayed to help my parents through their final chapter in life. Now, I’m resisting my husband’s desire to resettle somewhere warmer so that I can stay and work to make this place better.
I understand and support people who want to get out. I believe that moving to different states over the course of my lifetime has taught me that the grass isn't always greener. (Although I could probably make an exception for Hawaii because my family is lucky I got back on that plane to come home 😉) If "red" states are a lost cause, then the country is a lost cause, and I'm not willing to believe that.
I'm a born and bred West Coast liberal but I LOVE visiting the mid-west. I have fantasies about moving to Kansas or Iowa or Indiana, just to get out of my bubble.
Not as easy as Hallmark movies make it look 😂 But I believe there is something to love about nearly every state. (Although some make it harder than others.)
I moved to Terre Haute from Tennessee after my husband died to be near my daughter . I actually love it here and I certainly have more democratic friends here than I did in Tennessee. But I definitely miss the mountains and the beaches in Florida
I've lived enough places around the country to understand that there are things to love and things to hate about nearly everywhere. There are things I miss about Michigan and things that I miss about Texas. But Indiana is home, which is so weird to say. So I want my home to be better for me, my kids, my students, and the future.
Fellow lifelong Hoosier (rural Huntington County). Our Democratic Party in our county was one of the top counties to trend more blue this time. We have a long way to go, but we keep filling the ballot and taking baby steps.
I'm glad to see shifts and we just keep working to show our communities a better way. And I do everything I can in my classroom to help students dig deeper to find answers, which isn't easy but is so necessary.
Hello! I live in very red Marshall County, where I run the Solid Waste district and recycling depot. I spend a lot of time with elected officials, and it can be pretty discouraging, because it’s very red here. However, we are still here after 30 years, even after our two grown daughters have moved away. We are geographically center to most of our family, including our aging parents, so we don’t feel that now is the time to move away. But there are some nice things about living here. We live on our main street, so we can walk downtown. We’ve made some good friends who are lonely liberals like us. Ha ha. Community is where you find it.
Yes it is. And while I'm having a really hard time having grace for those who raised me to believe that everything that is happening is wrong while they are turning a blind eye, I have a lot more grace for my neighbors. I believe we all are going to need each other more than ever in the coming months and years. We need to be building those strong communities everywhere.
I had a similar journey back to Indiana. Moved away, thought I would never come back, and now couldn’t be happier to be back home. Still struggling to find my footing politically. I know it’s exacerbated by the current moment, but even sitting at the center, much less left of center, feels like political Siberia. Appreciate your reminder that there is far more blue than one realizes!
Political Siberia...that pretty much sums it up! It's good to know that we're not alone.
Boone County Dem here, a Michigan transplant since I was 18 (came for college and never left). I’ve been involved with local politics for nearly 20 years. Agree with so much in this essay but also clear-eyed that I cannot encourage our grown daughters to return to Indiana from the blue states where they currently live and have reproductive rights and better public schools for their future children. And that’s a real bummer.
I have friends who have exit plans, so I'm pretty clear eyed about this. I tell my kids I want them to live where it's best for them... After they go to college, of course. But I also want Indiana to still be an option for them. I know it's an uphill battle. But I also know that history says it's possible. Difficult, but possible.
Well stated. As a Yankee NYer, and now retiree who should look for more affordable state to spend her senior years, cannot leave b/c with all its flaws and expenses, it's home. The political climate is abrasive and I tread lightly in most social situations, but the reality is we are a nation with rights the big one freedom of speech. Some are louder than others but the bottom line is I can have my say, strive for what is right for myself and neighbors, and demonstrate respect.
Thank you for coming back to Indiana! Our state needs you! I’m a southern Indiana native who returned after a career that took our family all over the place. Initially we stayed to help my parents through their final chapter in life. Now, I’m resisting my husband’s desire to resettle somewhere warmer so that I can stay and work to make this place better.
I understand and support people who want to get out. I believe that moving to different states over the course of my lifetime has taught me that the grass isn't always greener. (Although I could probably make an exception for Hawaii because my family is lucky I got back on that plane to come home 😉) If "red" states are a lost cause, then the country is a lost cause, and I'm not willing to believe that.
Hoosoer born and bred, and agree 100%.
Thank you for putting into words how we Indiana blue dots feel.
I'm a born and bred West Coast liberal but I LOVE visiting the mid-west. I have fantasies about moving to Kansas or Iowa or Indiana, just to get out of my bubble.
Not as easy as Hallmark movies make it look 😂 But I believe there is something to love about nearly every state. (Although some make it harder than others.)
So true. I very rarely dislike a place.
Spoken like a true history teacher 😉
I moved to Terre Haute from Tennessee after my husband died to be near my daughter . I actually love it here and I certainly have more democratic friends here than I did in Tennessee. But I definitely miss the mountains and the beaches in Florida
I've lived enough places around the country to understand that there are things to love and things to hate about nearly everywhere. There are things I miss about Michigan and things that I miss about Texas. But Indiana is home, which is so weird to say. So I want my home to be better for me, my kids, my students, and the future.
Have you heard of Jess Piper? She is from MO but the message will resonate with any of us living in red states. https://open.substack.com/pub/jesspiper
Oops, I see you list her at the end of your post. She is great isn’t she!
😂
We are in the Hoosier state for the weekend. From Wisconsin and feel similarly.
Where are you visiting? And I think the more of us who speak up and say “we’re here too,” the better off we will be.
agree. We are staying in Carmel, for a cheer competition at the State Fairgrounds.
Oh, fun!