Persisterhood Oral History Project – Spotlight #2 Michele Hornish and Linda Meigs
Celebrating Our Stories for Women’s History Month
For Women’s History Month, the Grassroots Connector is spotlighting women in our movement by sharing stories from the Persisterhood Oral History Project. This project captures and preserves the powerful experiences of women who stepped into politics because they could not stay silent after the 2016 election and in response to ongoing challenges to freedom, justice, and democracy. By gathering and sharing these stories, Persisterhood is protecting women’s history and ensuring it is never erased. The project’s vision is simple but bold: to create a living archive where women’s voices are heard, remembered, and celebrated — now and for generations to come. Click here for a video summary of the project.
For our 2nd spotlight article we are featuring the stories of two women who explain how activism has changed the course of their lives.
After the 2016 election, Michele Hornish began searching for a meaningful way to use her skills as an attorney and professional photographer in response to the shock and disappointment she felt that night. Watching friends online struggle to understand how government worked and how to take effective action, she realized many people needed clear, practical civic guidance. Encouraged by her husband, she combined her legal background and communications experience to create a website and weekly newsletter focused on helping people take small, concrete political actions. Guided by the belief that consistent small deeds can create large change, she launched the project in November 2016 and has continued publishing “Small Deeds Done” ever since.
Linda Meigs describes how her political journey began at the 2017 Women’s March in Washington, D.C., which she attended with her husband and family and found deeply energizing and inspiring. Calling lawmakers daily soon grew into organizing postcard-writing gatherings and building community activism. Encouraged by others involved, she eventually decided to run for office herself, embracing the spirit many women felt in 2018: “Last year I marched, this year I ran.” The Women’s March, she says, completely changed the course of her life and set her on a path of sustained political involvement.
Michele Hornish - Small Deeds Done are Better than Great Deeds Planned
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Linda Meigs - Women’s March Changed My Life
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Get Involved
This project is for every woman who has taken even one small step to protect democracy — whether writing postcards, attending events, speaking up at the dinner table, or simply worrying about the future of our country. No matter your age or degree of involvement, every action and every act of courage is part of a larger story unfolding right now, and that story deserves to be told by the women living it. You’re not just witnessing history — you’re helping shape it.
If you’d like to share your story or join the Persisterhood team, the first step is attending an orientation session. We have two upcoming sessions:
If you are reading this article after these dates, check out the Persisterhood Oral History Project website for additional dates.
I met Linda when she and her husband moved to Charlotte, NC early in 2024 to help with the election. She is a powerhouse!