Tim Owens' Story With Move On

My Grandpa's journey through finding his voice

Tim Owens’ Story With Move On

Cause: Letting voices be heard

Avenues used: Proof reading and editing

Tactics used: Conjoining with Move On

It all started when Tim was 18 years old and got drafted into the Vietnam war. Let me point out that he was not yet allowed to vote for what he believed in, as the voting age was still 21, and was forced into fighting a war that he did not believe in. He was a newly wed husband and father and suddenly all of his life shifted.

Tim Owens before he got drafted

People grew furious because of this fact, and protested while their husbands, brothers, fathers and sons were sent off to Vietnam. This war brought out a bitter divide within the USA because of three main reasons. Some citizens thought that going into the war lacked clear objectives and was deemed unwinnable, others opposed the devastation and violence of the war and even more people thought that the United States going to Vietnam was an ‘intervention in a foreign civil war.’ For the next few years, Tim took messages from the mainland and drove them in a speedboat to the US military ships stationed out in the harbor in Vietnam. His service in this war had a profound impact on his entire life. He never felt like his voice had been heard.

Tim is not one to go out and protest for change within the community. He doesn't like crowds and the idea of protesting scares him. It is not his thing, but he was able to find an outlet for activism in his life. After those years of being silenced and not having any say in the systems, he found Move On. Move On is an organization where ‘millions mobilize for a better society-one where everyone can thrive’. He applied for the editorial role for all of the petitions passed through Move On. He spent his retired days editing, proofreading and organizing over 60 petitions a day. Not only was this a huge dedication on his behalf but for the organization and the causes that the petitions were directly impacting. When a petition is properly done, it can cause systemic change. Petitions are written and directed through an individual, official, legislative body or in court, and form a request that grants a favor, enables candidates to get on a ballot and pressure representatives to vote in a certain way. This is a sturdy tactic in order to conduct change in the community, and Tim Owens was able to put his interests into this mode of activism. Activism can be done from the comfort of your own home if you are not able to contribute in larger crowds.

Sources:

https://front.moveon.org/about/?utm_source=front&utm_content=nav

https://www.britannica.com/topic/petition-law

https://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/vietnam-war-history

https://www.fpri.org/article/2017/04/united-states-went-war-vietnam/#:~:text=Johnson's%20anxieties%20about%20U.S.%20credibility,Vietnam%20from%201964%20through%201967.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opposition_to_United_States_involvement_in_the_Vietnam_War#:~:text=Many%20Americans%20opposed%20the%20war,and%20appeared%20to%20be%20unwinnable.