What have TOS stalwarts, Betty and David Bland, been up to since they retired as National President of the TS in America and Manager of TPH at the TS’s National Center in Wheaton, Illinois, respectively?  Going to jail, for one thing!

At International TOS Conference, July 2013:

Betty Bland, first left above

David Bland, top centre =>

Betty and David moved to North Carolina to be close to relatives and rest on their laurels after so many years of hard work; however, it didn’t work out that way.  As soon as they moved, the state passed a constitutional amendment restricting marriage rights to heterosexuals. Well, for David and Betty, those were fighting words.  They became embroiled in work to defend the recognition of sexual orientation as a human rights issue demanding simple social equality before the law.

The Blands’ involvement in politics grew into activism for social justice, income equality and fully supported public education.  They have held many political gatherings in their home, with David becoming the Treasurer and Board member of the State Democratic Party and Vice-Chair of Wake County's Democratic Party.

They both got themselves into a little trouble with the law when they participated in the political demonstrations called “Moral Mondays” – rallies with up to 10,000 people of all stripes protesting the oppressive actions of the new legislature.* Their activism landed each of them in jail, David in 2013 and Betty in 2014.  After a number of court dates and postponements, David’s charges of civil disobedience and trespassing were ultimately declared unconstitutional by the courts.  The punishment for Betty’s 2014 arrest was 25 hours of community service – just like throwing Betty into her favourite briar patch.**

On left: David is giving a speech at a Moral Monday protest.

Betty worked her hours off serving as Treasurer of the Theosophical Order of Service and as volunteer for Safe Haven for Cats, a stellar no-kill, cat rescue, spay and neuter, adoption facility.  She says she has fallen in love with working with and for the cats, doing fundraising and promos, and she has been asked to serve on the organisation’s Board. They knew talent when they saw it. So many little whiskered lives have been saved: over 130 cats and kittens were adopted during the six weeks around Christmas!  She has spent many a morning cleaning cages and loving the kitties, in addition to promoting the organisation’s services at a town street-fair and other events.  

Betty with a Siamese at Safe Haven Cat Refuge. This cat had been used for breeding. She was declawed, sickly and very thin. She has recovered well since then.

Here we see Betty (on the right) with other staff members at Safe Haven. Note the TOS T-shirt Betty is wearing!

Betty and David also participate in the adult learning classes at North Carolina State University in a program called OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute), taking classes on philosophy, religion, politics, history, and current issues.  As Program Committee member, David has been instrumental in having inter-religious sessions including Islam, Jain, Sikh, Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, and Hindu. Although there are people of all these faith traditions living in the area, many are not well-known or adequately appreciated, so this is a good step toward building better relations in the community. David’s involvement has earned him a place on the Advisory Council for OLLI.

Both participate in a group called Congregations for Social Justice, an organisation that works for interreligious, inter-racial harmony and justice. They also attend Naturalisation swearing-in ceremonies for new citizens by giving them a friendly welcome and assisting them with registering to vote. Betty and David are committed to seeing that these new citizens from all walks of life receive a warm reception into their new home country. This involvement reflects Betty’s and David’s commitment to the First Object of the TS.

Besides community activities, they have started a local TS study group that has grown to about 9 members. Their TS group has already identified feeding the homeless as their TOS project and will buy and pack lunches for over 70 homeless people in this very month of March. David teaches a scholarly Sunday school class, and Betty plays hand-bells, sings in the choir and is on the governing body of their Episcopal church.

Other than these few distractions, Betty and David can be found rocking on their porch enjoying the generally moderate weather, and waiting for the next visit from their two rambunctious grandchildren.

Moral Mondays are protests in North Carolina in response to several actions by the government of that state elected into office by the citizens of North Carolina in 2013. The protests are characterised by engaging in civil disobedience by entering the state legislature building and then being peacefully arrested. The movement protests many wide-ranging issues under the blanket of unfair treatment, discrimination and adverse effects of government legislation on the citizens of North Carolina. The protests in North Carolina launched a grassroots social justice movement that, in 2014, spread to Georgia and South Carolina and then to other U.S. states. 

**a character in Uncle Remus Tales