Joining the DAR

My paternal grandmother studied my family’s genealogy and discovered DAR eligibility. She didn’t live long enough to pursue membership, her daughter wasn’t interested, and I’m her only granddaughter who cares about this.

Yesterday, I saw a quote from the president of the United States referring to the American Revolution as the Anglo-American Revolution. It did not sit well with me, this third-generation immigrant who has no ancestral claim to even mention this war, much less rename it to suit his white supremecist ideology. I immediately wondered if the DAR supports this racist rhetoric and decided that I should find out from the inside.

I’ve considered beginning the process for roughly twenty years but always had more pressing matters to attend to. Our democracy is failing us in real time, and I feel that now is the time for me to turn to an institution that has always had integrity and has always been a champion of teaching our history to children, sponsoring spelling bees and essay contests across the nation. I’m qualified to judge those essay contests, and I want to add my voice to the strength of the institution’s voice.

I reached out to my local chapter last night and have already received a response. I understand that it’s a long and complicated process, but I feel obligated to join this society who has a voice people actually listen to. I’ll keep y’all posted on my progress.

Speaking of progress, when I spoke to my mother today, she told me that the lineage is also there on her paternal side; I have a cousin who is already a member. This should speed things up considerably as my mother has done the genealogy work on her paternal line further back than that.