— not just Republicans or Democrats, liberals or conservatives. manteau en peluche As they had done in Dallas, my parents hung out at the Unitarian church, less for the religion than for finding a community of other liberals. The kids at church, including my oldest friend, Jill Whitten, whose family had moved to Austin from Dallas a few years earlier, had welcomed me to town, and they were up-to-date on all the political activities, especially the protests against the War in Vietnam. Kids were planning to wear black armbands to school in solidarity. Listening to music in my bedroom, I considered whether I too might wear an armband. I was still relatively new to Austin and had spent most of my time just trying to adjust to a new school. We lived in the country, outside of town, and I didn’t know how the other kids would react to my political statement. Like a lot of other seventh graders, the last thing I wanted to do was draw attention to myself. But in the end, I decided that it was a good thing to do, regardless of what my classmates might think. manteau en peluche When I was twelve, we moved to Austin. If Dallas was the heart of right-wing conservatism, Austin was the motherland of the resistance. Unlike Dallas, where we never fit in, Austin was full of folks who shared our views and lifestyle. Mom threw herself into all the things she could never have done in Dallas and seemed to be having a blast. manteau en peluche Rather than investment opportunities for property developers or wealthy individuals, these organizers want homes to be safe shelters in which people are able to live affordably and build their lives. manteau en peluche