An illustration shows the clash between government policies and community activists. Community activist and former Clarke County School Board of Education member Kirenna Gallagher has committed her life to being an involved member of the community. “Show up to a (BOE) meeting, and take your three minutes. I would love for more people to take their three minutes, even if the three minutes is just standing there and staring, making people uncomfortable,” Gallagher said. “Because those are your three minutes, you can do whatever you want to with (that time), like being present or making it easier for someone else to be present.” Illustration by Sylvia Robinson
Even amid political divides and frustration, Athens residents like Kirrena Gallagher and Dr. Marilyn Vickers show that impactful change starts with involvement, not complaints.
If a community wants change, it must contribute to solutions rather than complain from the safety of its couches. Armchair advocacy only encourages political distrust when involved activists are needed most.
One such local activist is Kirrena Gallagher, former Athens Land Trust Vice President, former Clarke County School Board of Education member and current Athens-Clarke County Commission candidate. Gallagher began her activism with the Athens Teen Pregnancy Prevention Task Force in 2005, learning the importance of promoting change whether elected or not.
“It’s one thing to complain about a problem, it’s another to address it,” Gallagher said.
She joined the BOE in 2020 to influence needed change, motivated by negative experiences she faced as a parent and student. Gallagher continued pushing into local politics, resigning from the BOE in 2022 to run for County Commission. Though she lost, she ran again for the BOE in 2024.
At the end of the day, armchair advocacy only encourages more political distrust.
Another example of engaged community action comes from Athens’ Five Points, where the United States Contract Post Office in ADD Drug closed after over 45 years. Community member Dr. Marilyn Vickers started a petition against the closure that gathered 1,842 signatures in days.
“The whole community center around Five Points has been very important to me for decades,” Vickers said. “We have good communities in Athens, they’re worth supporting… we have to try whatever we can.”
As of Dec. 16, 2025, no resolution has been reached, but Vickers continues contacting State Representative for Georgia House District Rick W. Allen in support of the bipartisan Contact Postal Unit Transparency Act, which would hold parties accountable for CPU closures nationwide. Despite her efforts, she faces govern- ment policy that feels untouchable.
Given America’s unstable political climate and government gridlock— illustrated by the federal shutdown from Oct. 1 to Nov. 12, 2025—it’s understandable that people feel powerless. Yet Athenians like Vickers and Gallagher prove anyone can change their community and yield meaningful results, even when politics feel divided.
For anyone looking to spark change, the first step is knowing community needs and collaboratively identifying action steps. Voicing negative opinions may seem easier, but creating solutions is simpler than it appears—it only requires getting involved.
