Three Athens women set out to make change in their community through activism

By: Jacob Motta
Posted on: Friday, March 24, 2023

< < Back to three-athens-women-activism

ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) — A group of people gathered in Athens Wednesday to protest what they said was Chase Bank’s continued support of the fossil fuels industry.

The group was a mix of all ages and lined the street in front of the Athens County Courthouse. It was just one group across the state organized in part by the advocacy group Third Act Ohio as apart of a day of national rallies.

Three of the women there Athens women part of the Third Act Ohio Working Group Coordinating Committee set out to make change every day. 

Heather Cantino, Judy Smucker and Carrie Gibbons helped organize the group along Court Street as members of the Third Act Ohio Working Group Coordinating Committee. They are three of the committee’s closest members to Athens.

They said they want large banks like JPMorgan Chase to stop funding fossil fuel projects, which significantly contribute to human-caused climate change.

Climate change is a huge issue for Smucker.

“We do know that climate change is the number one – to me it’s the number one issue, if we don’t wake ourselves up to what’s happening in our climate nothing else matters.” she said.

“Young people have been carrying the burden unfairly of doing more of the climate activism,” Cantino added.

Third Act Ohio as a group encourages people over the age of 60 to get out and participate in rallies and activism like Wednesday’s protest. Most of the activism is related to climate change, equality and a better future for the next generation.

Heather Cantino and Judy Smucker have known each other for more than a decade, and they met new member Carrie Gibbons just over a year ago.

All three women got started in activism at an early age, according to Cantino.

“I started as a kid I grew up in a household where we went to rallies and marches in the civil rights movement and my mother was an activist against nuclear weapons,” said.

Judy Smucker found her way into activism in college.

“I read Silent Spring when I was in college, and that was my first introduction to say somethings not right here,” Smucker said.

Carrie Gibbons had multiple authors that opened her eyes and got her into activism.

“I don’t know if I was around 11 or 12 and I started reading Jane Goodall,” Gibbons said. “I could not get enough of her and I think that was a huge turning point for me — Silent Spring when it came out E.F. Schumacher’s Small is Beautiful, I mean these things did a lot to frame where I wanted to go” 

These sparks ignited a passion for all three women to pursue a better future through peaceful activism.

They said they plan to stay active with Third Act Ohio to work toward a better the future, fighting for environmentalism and women’s rights. Though the group reaches out to people over the age of 60, they said anyone can join them.