Tustin resident Alvita Hayes and countless others like her from across the county gathered this weekend to write in to their elected officials and raise awareness to the issues that are important to the people of Orange County.
Hayes, who is a member of the “100 Black Women of Orange County” spent the day writing about Black mental health, voter suppression, gun violence and human trafficking.
“I feel like all of the political parties that are representing the community need to be aware of what is important to the community,” said Hayes.
The Great American Write-In, originally created in 1986 by Women For: Orange County, has run every year except skipping a few during the pandemic.
This year, the event welcomed around 60 participating organizations with the help of their new sponsor, the Orange County affiliate of the National Organization of Women: OC Now
An array of organizations put up booths bringing awareness to issues that are important to them and citizens from all across the county came to learn about public policy and write in on issues important to them.
Costa Mesa resident, Patty Turrell, 63, who attended the event with the Women’s Journey Foundation was there to advocate for women’s equality, highlighting the importance of directed speech by saying:
“It’s everything, and I think it actually motivates politicians to get behind certain things,” said Turrell. “We put them there and they should be doing their job.”
The event is non-partisan, with organizers welcoming any organization with the exclusion of racist, sexist and anti-choice groups.
When asked about the importance of passing on the tradition of holding elected officials accountable, event organizer Felicity Figueroa said, “It’s really important. That’s why we have a student table.”
Figueroa added that the group offers incentives to local teachers through the form of extra credit for students and an award a $100 check to the teacher who sends the most students in order to make sure local students have the opportunity to get involved.