This past Saturday, August 8th, we gathered at the Cayton Children’s Museum for the League of Women Voters’ Unite & Rise for Voting Rights! The event, part of the national initiative to defend democracy, commemorated the Voting Rights Act.
League President Maria Rodriguez structured the afternoon in three parts.
First, several members of the Singing Resistance led us in song. As Sylvia and Jean said, “It’s impossible not to feel a jolt of hope while joining others in song.” Accompanied by tambourine and guitar, we harmonized “This Little Light of Mine” (arranged by Harry Dixon Loes in the 1940s). Next was Jordan Mudd’s Minneapolis anthem, “I Send My Hope.” The lines “I send my strength to those resisting everywhere” especially resonated with the assembled group.
As a transition to the civic action part of the program, Jean led us in a rousing rendition of Crys Matthews’s “Anvil”: “They take my vote away. I’m here to tell them not today!”
Maria inspired us by underscoring the League’s mission to provide nonpartisan election information and its nationwide voter registration. With increasing voter turnout as our collective calling, we recommitted to talking to more people about the joyful urgency of voting to save democracy.
One nonjudgmental conversation at a time, supported by the League’s respected materials, can positively affect the youth vote, as well as disaffected, disillusioned, or underinformed voters. “While solitary efforts can be hard, together we can move mountains,” she reminded us.
To practice listening to others and convincing people to vote, we played Erika Bell’s ingenious parlor game, Civic Bites. The prototype of the game—played a few weeks ago at Coffee & Connection—divides topics of conversation into Spicy, Fresh, Savory, and Sweet “Bites”—prompts to inspire fruitful discussions. Spicy cards might push folks further outside their comfort zone, as we examine our own behavior or biases.
In my group, we heard from former Santa Monica mayor Ruth Goldway and a Youth Coordinator for Kiwanis, both of whom gleaned hope from their interactions with teens and young voters. We discussed the importance of educating ourselves on the “down ballot” candidates (the school boards, county commissioners, sheriffs, and State Reps responsible for most decisions that affect our daily lives). We acknowledged that the gutting of the VRA hurts Southern voters in higher proportions than those of us in California, which means they need our support, including downballot Southern candidates. Anti-democracy tactics are front-lined in the South and exported to the rest of the country.
Every discourse ends on a Sweet note, with prompts asking individuals to share feel-good stories of triumph and connection. I shared the Thousand Miles to Memphis Voter Registration goal of registering 100,000 new voters in the gerrymandered state of Tennessee.
We all left the program empowered by what we’d learned and practiced, and full of gratitude for the powerful nonpartisan work the League of Women Voters provides.
In the words of Jordan Mudd: “May we walk forward toward the work we’re called to do!”
Jessica Cole