Margaret Mead famously said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” Richard Murray, accompanied by his wife, Jocelyn, took a trip to his roots back East because he felt he could make a difference. He remarked, “When I stood on the Capitol steps looking across to the Supreme Court building, I understood that I had a moral obligation and responsibility to exercise my First Amendment rights and honor my predecessors.”
After a tour with the military during the Vietnam War era, Richard discovered the Methow Valley via a recommendation from his brother, who had picked apples in the Okanogan Valley. Jocelyn left the East Coast after two years of college, then homesteaded in Northern B.C. for five years before getting a nursing degree and coming to the Methow.
Richard bought the benchland property above the Twisp River that he and Jocelyn currently live on in 1979, but it wasn’t until 1993 that he met and married Jocelyn, who had her property on Davis Lake. Together, they put in an orchard of old apple varieties such as New Town Pippins and Winesaps, which still exist today.
During COVID, Richard delved into his family ancestry using apps like Ancestry.com and Family Search, information from the family bible, querying relatives, and checking census records in Maryland, where he was raised. He could trace his ancestry to pre-revolutionary times and even discovered relatives who died in the Revolutionary War.
Armed with this knowledge, he and Jocelyn decided to combine a trip visiting relatives on the East Coast with a trip to the delta area of Port Tobacco, Maryland, where Richard’s ancestors originated. “I always wanted to go back to see where the family lived since I was never told about their history growing up,” he said.
Jocelyn and Richard spent five days touring graveyards, trying to make out mostly illegible inscriptions on the older grave sites; poring through church records, and attempting to find evidence of where Richard’s ancestors might have lived. “Walking where my people walked was enough,” Richard said, “even though not much was left from the 18th century.”
Going back to his roots and discovering how his ancestors had fought in the Revolutionary War for freedom from a despotic king inspired Richard to journey to the Capitol. He originally wanted to connect with Congressman Dan Newhouse, but when that fell through, he applied for a permit to protest. He wanted to honor his relatives who had fought in the Revolutionary War and World War II to “preserve liberty and justice for all,” and for the principles of the 14th Amendment that says, “No State shall deprive any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law.” He believed these values were being challenged.
Protestors are assigned a designated site at the Capitol. Although Richard’s in-laws had warned him that he might get in trouble if he left this site, equipped with a sign that said, “Veterans Against Fascism,” he toured the Capitol Mall, even to the steps of the Capitol building where black SUVS containing Legislators lined the curb. “No one said boo,” he said.
If he met a Capitol policeman, he thanked them for their service, and if anyone asked him what he was doing he said, “I’m a veteran and I’m honoring my relatives who died in the Revolutionary War and fought in World War II against fascism and I’m exercising my First Amendment rights.”
Richard went home satisfied that he had accomplished something. “It was a positive experience,” he said. I went from feeling like a guy carrying a sign to getting my message out.”
