When Sam Getsinger was about 8 years old, her family would often visit the local theater on weekends to see its free film screenings.
She generally remembers the trips fondly, but one movie stands out in her memory for provoking outrage: the story was set in an orphanage, and Getsinger remembers feeling “incensed” over the plight of the children living in it.
So, the next day, a young Getsinger went knocking from door-to-door in her Louisiana neighborhood –— where she was living at the time — asking adults to consider adopting rather than having their own kids, so less children would experience the hardships of the characters in the movie. Looking back on it, Getsinger sees this as her first act of public advocacy.
Getsinger was born in Jefferson City, Missouri, but her family moved around a lot. She eventually settled into Lake Orion, Michigan, located just north of Detroit, with her husband. The couple would often go camping together at the D.H. Day Campground on the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
When Getsinger’s mother passed away in 2003, the family used some of the inheritance money to purchase a log home in Bingham Township, which became a seasonal residence for the family. They liked Leelanau County so much that when Getsinger retired from teaching kindergarten in 2015, they decided to move up and live here full time.
Soon afterwards, Getsinger said she was approached by the Leelanau Democrats to run as their candidate for District 2 county commissioner in 2016. Her bid for office was unsuccessful, but Getsinger said she learned a lot about how people can engage in local government. This led her to form Leelanau Indivisible soon afterwards.
“People can contribute by attending their local government meetings. By knowing what’s going on in the county, you can learn what local government can do to enhance the lives of its citizens. This became a big passion of mine,” Getsinger said. “In 2016, I started Leelanau Indivisible to let people know more about local government and how they could also play a part where they lived.”
Leelanau Indivisible is a local group in the national Indivisible movement, which formed in 2016 in response to Trump’s election and the nation’s perceived move to the far right, Getsinger said. However, Getsinger says Leelanau Indivisible welcomes everyone to their events and they Democrats, Republicans, and independent voters in their ranks.
To help promote greater community engagement, Leelanau Indivisible hosts local speakers like Taylor Moore, who founded Food Rescue of Northwest Michigan; Carl Ganter of Circle of Blue, a nonprofit news organization reporting on freshwater issues; and members of Leelanau Christian Neighbors, the Grand Traverse Band, and many local businesses and nonprofits.
“We look for speakers who lift others up, create jobs, and make the community a better place to live,” Getsinger said.
In Getsinger’s opinion, the county is too divided, and Leelanau Indivisible seeks to foster cooperation between the two parties. For example, she said, they hosted a “Braver Angels” event where five local Democrats and five local Republicans sat down together to speak and hopefully rediscover some of the common ground that brought Americans together in the first place.
Leelanau Indivisible meets via Zoom at 10 a.m. on the second Saturday of the month. Getsinger said that the group’s next meeting will be held Nov. 9, in which organizers will ask virtual attendees what direction they want the group to go in after the elections. Getsinger said a link to the meeting will be posted on the organization’s website, leelanauindivisible. com.
In a way, Getsinger sees her involvement with Leelanau Indivisible as a continuation of her previous experiences as a young advocate for adoption, a kindergarten teacher, and political candidate. She hopes to encourage people to become active participants in their communities and government, both through volunteering and voting.
