Laura Rock: A Proud Community Activist With A Determination to Help Others!

By Jenn Goeddeke

LAURA ROCK IS AN OUTSTANDING LOCAL ACTIVIST/FEMINIST with a passion for passing on her message to others.

Recently elected as a precinct delegate in Oakland County, she has been busy spreading the information on various candidates and encouraging everyone to get involved in local politics: To get out and vote! In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Rock teamed up with other volunteers and they made masks for two months solid. Together, they created over 1000 masks and gave them all away. Unfortunately, the project came to a halt after going through three sewing machines.

Rock provides inspiration to others beyond the political arena. Her goals include “finding a middle ground politically so that both parties can work with each other and form compromises. We need to come together as a community, help our neighbors out and make things work better overall.”

Rock is also a recovering addict, a suicide survivor and a liver-transplant recipient (in 2008). Essentially, Rock describes herself as a ‘champion’ for recovering addicts. Her own personal recovery has involved attending support groups (such as AA), and individual therapy plus some psychiatric treatment.

ROCK IS ADAMANT ABOUT REMOVING THE STIGMA IN SOCIETY regarding mental disease and addiction. She is involved in efforts to resolve clashes between mental health issues and the justice system because she firmly believes that many people substitute alcohol and drugs for actual treatment. For some, this may be due to a lack of affordable health care options. Rock is optimistic that many non-violent crimes that hinge on mental health or addiction issues may eventually be decriminalized.

In her spare time, Rock sings in a band called Old Empire. Due to the current pandemic restrictions, the band meets once a week to rehearse via Zoom. Also in the band is Rock’s fiancé, Gabriel Dodson, who is another precinct delegate. They spent 82 days in a row performing songs online, but then, according to Rock, they just “ran out of juice!”

Meanwhile, the band helped raise over $1,700 for Oak Park’s beloved Forgotten Harvest. Additionally, Rock volunteers for a few other projects, including Voices of Michigan, Six Feet Over, Planned Parenthood and Her Choice Advocacy. In Rock’s own words: “I will never stop the conversation regarding justice and reform!”