By Michael Martin, Leadership/Membership Development Director If, like me, you have belonged to the Grange since you were a child or teen, there is something about the Grange’s “pull” on you that keeps you active and involved. Maybe you can’t “put your finger on it,” but there is definitely something “in your gut” that sustains your Grange membership. Believe in yourself. Believe in your gut-level emotional ties to the Grange. Believe in your Grange family and believe in your Grange heritage.
In today’s culture of disbelief and the ever-seeking-something-new remedies for life’s woes, our Grange heritage keeps us centered on the important things – family, faith, hope, and charity. Contemporary society needs the steadfastness of the Grange. The lessons about leadership that are inherent in our ritual and teachings are sorely lacking, it seems, in popular culture.
The steadfastness and harsh reality of the founding of our Order has been documented for all to read. Grange leaders today would benefit from pausing to look back on the dogged determination it took to create, manage and sustain our organization. In the Grange’s early years, the daunting task of focusing the divergent perspectives of farm families in different regions of the nation into a national message of humanitarian demands for those who feed and clothe a nation fell to a determined group of Patrons. They forged a national message, hewn from thousands of local voices that changed the landscape of a nation. Creature comforts for those living in remote areas, equitable costs for producing and distributing the crops and products necessary to feed and equip a fast-growing nation, all emerged from our Order.
The Grange has continued to improve life in local communities for nearly 150 years. Yet the mainstream media and most citizens are blissfully unaware of the profound impact brought about by humble, hardworking folk. Rural communities, dependent on volunteers for governance, protection and recreation, would have foundered without the civic leadership of Grangers. Grange members become leaders in our Fraternity and then utilized the skills they honed in the Grange to build community beyond the Grange hall.
Ours is a great story. A Greek philosopher is credited with saying, “those who tell the stories rule the world.” Public perception of the Grange is built upon the stories that people tell about us. If we do not exert the leadership to determine what those public stories will be, we become victims of uninformed anecdotes and our organization is perceived, perhaps, far differently than we would appreciate.
Who is telling your Grange’s story? It is up to us to craft our story and share it with the public. Grange leaders must overcome the inertia of remaining internally focused on ourselves. We must feel compelled to champion our cause boldly; share our good work widely. We must make certain those beyond our halls know and appreciate us for our example of civil discourse and for gender equality long before women accessed the ballot box in public politics. We must focus a spotlight on the leadership abilities of Grange youth, not in the context of youth groups, but in the context of our multi-generational organization. We are prideful of Grange youth as organizational leaders, not just leaders of their peers.
The Grange offers people something they are seeking and have a hard time finding; faith. People don’t want more information. They are up to their eyeballs in information. They want faith – faith in an organization’s goals, our success, in the story we tell…people are seeking what we offer. It is our job, and that of our leaders, to promote the wholesome values of the Grange. We are patriotic; we honor our Nation’s flag. We are a moral people; we pray for one another, across the denominations. We are focused on the greater community, not just on our own selfish interests.
Leaders lead by telling stories that give others permission to lead, not follow. The ultimate act of leadership is learning how to get out of the way. First, leaders must help others find their bearings, but once the vision is clear and understood, leaders need to realize they are NOT the story.
The great story of the Grange is not so much a story about change; it is, rather, a story about continuity. Continuity of a sense of family and community. Continuity of gender and generational equality. Continuity of the bedrock lessons so beneficial to all – faith, hope, charity, fidelity. Our task is to share our great Grange story with all who will listen or may not realize they would benefit from hearing. The late, great poet Maya Angelou said, “there is no greater burden than carrying an untold story.” Let us each, as Grange leaders, tell our story. |
Jack Silvers, Master of the Washington State Grange and National Delegate from 1971-1983 and on the National Executive Committee from 1976-1992 passed away July 21, 2014. He was born on September 27, 1922 in Yakima, Washington to George and Mabel Silvers. He graduated from Zillah High School in 1940 and attended Washington State University for two years before being called back to the farm during the war years.Jack was a fruit grower on Buena Heights. Always interested and involved in the community and legislative activities, Jack joined the Buena Grange in 1944. Jack was a member of Big Y and Snokist for 60 years, beginning in 1945 at Zillah. Jack joined the Zillah Masonic Lodge in October of 1946. Jack was instrumental in starting the Grange Library Museum at Central Washington Agricultural Museum Association in Union Gap. He is also a life member of Washington State Horticultural Association and honorary member of Future Farmers of America and Future Homemakers of America.
