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A massive movement to defend democracy is shaping up in America. Democracy as we have known it is under the greatest assault ever. The possibility of corporate dictatorship has never been more serious. This movement to defend democracy is about life-or-death. It is expressed every day by tens of thousands of us in the fight for voting rights, climate control, ending police violence, for Black Lives, healthcare for all, immigrant and homeless rights and more. This movement will not and cannot stop until people have their rights.
Underlying the assault on our lives and democracy is the unstoppable robotic revolution which under a profit-driven system means fewer of us will work and more of us will face poverty. The growing poverty produces worker strikes and uprisings that are a threat to the powerful. Police terror and vigilante violence are growing, funded and supported by powerful billionaires and corporations who aim to secure their profit-making. We the people fight for our lives. Our movement must expand into every part of our country.
Below we highlight some of the young voices and others fighting to get Congress to pass the voting rights legislation.
On December 6, college students from Arizona began a hunger strike for democracy. Organized on a non-partisan basis, the group aims to force the hand of President Biden and politicians in both parties to pass federal voting rights legislation. As word of their strike got out, shouts of “our movement is growing” were proclaimed as young people from Texas, Montana, Florida, Utah and Virginia joined them as they moved their protest to the doors of the White House. Students won a victory when Congressional representatives agreed to meet with them in early January, 2022. Their strike is now on hold.
“I remember that just as food is essential for sustaining life, our vote is necessary to sustain democracy,” said radio host Joe Madison who joined the students’ White House protest.
He began his hunger strike for democracy on November 7 with these words, “Today, I am beginning a hunger strike by abstaining from eating until Congress passes, and President Biden signs, the Freedom to Vote Act or the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.” As we go to print, Joe Madison is on the 50th day of his strike.
Voices from student hunger strikers for democracy:
“I am on day 9 of the hunger strike for democracy. I feel like I’m losing energy, but I would rather suffer like this 20 times over than have to deal with a nonfunctional and unaccountable democracy.”
“The Freedom to Vote Act is about getting dark money out of politics and protecting our freedom to vote. Without it, our democracy will crumble — and our futures hang in the balance.”
“In this country there are so many things that prevent people from being happy such as worrying about health care costs or education costs. Wondering whether or not you’ll have a job the next day, and so all of that is a direct result of a broken system . . .”
“I just feel so much more powerful as a young person and American citizen . . . I didn’t think anything would happen out of all of this and we [won a] meeting now … [and] the White House has heard about it. Kind of crazy I guess. . . “
Other hunger strikers and supporters have this to say:
Harvard University professor and longtime elections reform activist Larry Lessig joined the students outside the White House. Lessig spoke about the urgent need to pass reforms aimed at protecting access to the vote, stopping gerrymandering, and reforming dark money rules. In an interview with The Independent, he said, “The threat is that this election [in 2022] will cement the United States as a minoritarian democracy. What this means is that a minority of America now has the power to block a majority. . .” Read the Latest Breaking News article here.
Joe Madison recalled that he worked with the NAACP to register Black voters when President Joe Biden, then a member of Congress, came to a campaign stop to help. “If Joe Biden can show up registering people to vote he can damn well show up to protect that vote,” Madison said to a roaring cheer from activists. “This is not a public policy issue. This is a nonpartisan issue,” he said. (Latestbreakingnewsvideo.com)
In January, Martin Luther King Jr.’s family is using his birthday and the federal holiday to push for Congress to pass voting rights legislation. Beginning in Arizona on Jan. 15, the late King Jr.’s birthday, members of his family will call on organizers, faith leaders, and everyday people to cross physical bridges in their communities as a form of protest to restrictive voting laws. The demonstrations will culminate in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 17, Martin Luther King Day, where the King family will call for no celebrations of the holiday until the Biden administration and Congress succeed on voting rights policy.” (The Daily Beast).
Let’s join the movement for a truly democratic America. Let’s do as the family says. Let’s get involved.
Sandra Reid is co-editor of the People’s Tribune, serving as Production Manager. She is also the founder and coordinator of Speakers for a New America, a speakers bureau affiliated with the People’s Tribune and its sister publication, the Tribuno del Pueblo.
