Column: Wear purple to end hunger in America

Thanksgiving Day, our most cherished national holiday, is only weeks away and many churches and civic groups are organizing now to deliver turkeys or serve dinners to those who otherwise might not enjoy a traditional hot meal that day. Is it possible for us to create a society in which every person can enjoy a good meal every day?

President Joe Biden just two weeks ago held the first White House conference on health and nutrition in 50 years. He presented a comprehensive plan to end hunger in America. Some of his most important proposals, such as expanding food stamps, can only be voted into law by Congress. Only a Congress with a majority who support Biden’s plan in both House and Senate can ensure that all will be fed.

I suggest that we wear purple on Oct. 10, Indigenous Peoples Day, and reach out to neighbors and friends around the country urging them to vote in the November mid-term elections and give Congress a purple heart — one that overcomes the red and blue divisions that have gridlocked the passage of laws that can ensure that no person goes hungry.

Indigenous Peoples Day honors those who first called the United States of America their home, including those who shared their food with the first settlers from England. It seems the perfect day to launch a movement to unite the American people through a shared commitment to ending hunger for all people in our country. We can take a first step that day by wearing something purple and showing up in public in what I call “Walks for What We Want” in Washington.

To win a Purple Heart in wartime takes courage. On July 4 of this year, I had the honor of thanking my neighbor Jack Nakamura for his service as a member of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team in WWII. Jack received two Purple Hearts. His courage inspires me to take action now in this time when national political tensions are so strong that it feels much safer to be silent and invisible. I invite you to join me.

In addition to courage, we need creativity to reach out and move people to vote for representatives and senators who may not be members of their preferred political party. If we turn out in groups in Walks for What We Want, we have a chance to create a political climate in which people feel supported to vote to express their highest values. Wear purple or bright colors so we look like the rainbow of hope we truly are.

Creative signs can seize the imagination and go viral, replacing conflict with consensus and compassion. “If trees can turn purple in November, so can we!” will appear on one sign I plan to carry during a demonstration I’m organizing at my Kaneohe retirement community on Monday, Indigenous Peoples Day, to encourage support for Biden’s comprehensive plan to end hunger in America.

Create your own positive message to support that plan, and organize groups of friends to walk in your neighborhood starting on Oct. 10. If you want more inspiration, I suggest reading Marianne Williamson’s “A Politics of Love.” Step out of your comfort zone so we can celebrate a purple Congress on Nov. 8. We can make Thanksgiving happen every day for everyone. Yes, we can.

Leilani Madison is an author who taught in the English department at Hawaii Pacific University until retiring in 2010.