John Lewis and the Ongoing Fight for Voter Rights

US Representative John Robert Lewis passed away last month, but this afternoon, he’s all I can think about. Today I watched John Lewis: Good Trouble, a documentary by Dawn Porter, which chronicles Rep. Lewis’s sixty years of activism and shares a great deal of wise words. John Lewis (1940-2020) spent much of his life fighting for civil rights, first side by side with Martin Luther King, Jr., and later during 17 terms as a congressional representative for Atlanta, Georgia. As a student, as an adult, as a Congressman, he lived a life dedicated to making things “right.” While out for my walk a few weeks ago, I had been mesmerized by his story, as presented in a podcast in Oprah Winfrey’s Master Class series (http://www.oprah.com/own-master-class/john-lewis). That was my first introduction to Congressman Lewis, him telling his stories right into my ear…his stories of commitment, of violence towards him and others, of his dedication to the practice of non-violence, and his unwavering belief that we the people have the power to make things better for all. I listened to the podcast about a few weeks before he passed, days before I took my teenagers out to a Black Lives Matter march. He’d already made an impact on me.

In the podcast and in the film, I was stunned to hear his detailed first-person accounts of the Freedom Rides, of desegregating lunch counters, of Selma, and the March on Washington. How he continued to follow the principles of nonviolence and believe in peace and love. The film does a fantastic job of mixing interviews and documentation of John Lewis with archival footage, and interviews of those whose lives he had touched. Watching him watch videos of these famous incidents was moving and inspiring. I had seen the movie Selma and recently showed it to my kids, so the story of that march was fresh in my mind, even though it was not something either my kids or I had learned about in school. John Lewis was arrested over 40 times in his life, for nonviolent protests. Relatives of mine think all protesters should stick to the sidewalk, and not inconvenience traffic. I can’t get over that, even though our local march (150 people strong) was required, by the motorcycle cops attending us, to stay on the side of the road for “our safety.” It is a busy, hilly thoroughfare – wearing masks, we obeyed. Still, I keep thinking, what can I do?

“If you see something that is not fair, not right, not just, you have a moral obligation to do something about it.” – John Lewis

Following the film, I watched a panel discussion, led by the organization VoteRiders (https://www.voteriders.org). Their mission, from their website: VoteRiders is a non-partisan, non-profit organization founded in 2012 with a mission to ensure that all citizens are able to exercise their right to vote. VoteRiders informs and helps citizens to secure their voter ID as well as inspires and supports organizations, local volunteers, and communities to sustain voter ID education and assistance efforts. It’s frustrating and horrifying to hear about the ongoing voter suppression in certain states (calling you out, AZ, GA, WI, FL, MI, NC…). Voters are so confused by changing rules about what they need to do to register or to be able to vote on Election Day, some become discouraged and choose not to vote. Some believe their vote won’t matter anyway. Some arrive with full intention but are hampered by new requirements to provide ID or a physical address. Why does a legal citizen need a physical address to be able to cast a vote? The county where they are registered should be enough. Why is there still only one day – in some states – that people are allowed to vote? I’m thankful for new processes in my county, in California, that allow me to vote EARLY, even a week before the official date. Now there are multiple places where I can go to cast my vote, instead of just someone’s garage or a school in my neighborhood. These changes make a world of difference to people who might not get time off or be able to shift their schedule to get to the polling place. Now, with stay-at-home requirements, offering mail-in and absentee ballots should reduce the lines that were seen at polling places back in 2015. And yet in other states, polling places have been reduced, especially in lower income areas or areas with a high population of Black voters. We see it. It has to stop. VoteRiders is doing their best to work within these systems as they change – to inform voters of the requirements, to help them get to polling places, to make sure they have the chance to exercise their right and their civic duty to vote. It’s noble work. I’m applying to help them with phone bank and letter writing campaigns, while I have some time in the next 90 days. (VoteRiders accepts donations and volunteer assistance of all kinds. Their phone number is 844-338-8743). Working within the system may be all we can do before November 3, 2020 – get people to the polls to allow their voices to be heard. More importantly, though, how do we make the suppression STOP?

“Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble.” – John Lewis

Make noise. Get in good trouble. The murder of George Floyd has brought a time of reckoning. People are taking to the streets to protest not only police brutality against Black people, but the systemic racism and imbalance that allows it to happen, allows the protests to “fade away” when there isn’t any more news coverage. The digital age, the divisiveness of the current administration, and yes, greater awareness (thanks to non-stop infotainment) is sending people of all races to the streets, to the primaries, to their companies. The list of demands created by #WeSeeYou and presented to “White American Theatre” confronts systemic practices at established American theatres, pointing to specific things that happen and ways to change them. A petition signed by over 50,000 BIPOC artists accompanies this list. 50,000 people from onstage and backstage are making noise for change. American Theatre cannot go back to “normal.” While theatres are closed due to the pandemic, theatre companies, producers, and owners have plenty of time to reconsider and rework their practices and their seasons, their accessibility and their philosophies. There’s work to be done. https://www.weseeyouwat.com

Perhaps the traditional invisibility of older women can work to my advantage. It’s actually a superpower, when used correctly. I can infiltrate, study, learn. The Wall of Moms in Portland, protecting the protestors and the police as federal agents descended under trumped-up orders – those Moms used a superpower that is mine, too. The “Mom voice.” Don’t make me count to three! Stop It. Right. Now. That “I mean business” voice immediately makes the target of the voice revert to guilty childhood. Moms linking arms and singing and chanting together meant business. What if they’d all shouted, “that’s ENOUGH! Go to your room! Now!”

I asked the panelists what advice they have for white allies. Michael Bennett, activist and former NFL player, told me to listen. To get to know the stories, because I haven’t experiences them myself. “Get into the morality of it,” he said, the morality of goodness on behalf of human nature. Not for good business practices (to make money), not to assuage my conscience. For the people. Like John Lewis says, for “the soul of America.” Michael told me to talk with people who have been marginalized and help them share their stories. Specifically, right now, I can apply this in my work by advocating for and including BIPOC artists and audiences. I can reach out to potential voters in states where injustice is happening and help them exercise their right to vote. I will amplify those voices in my circles of influence, and be the change I want to see in the world. What will YOU do? Like John Lewis, let’s make some noise. Let’s make some necessary trouble for change, and hold only love and peace in your heart.

 “You are a light. You are the light. Never let anyone — any person or any force — dampen, dim or diminish your light … Release the need to hate, to harbor division, and the enticement of revenge. Release all bitterness. Hold only love, only peace in your heart, knowing that the battle of good to overcome evil is already won.” ― Lewis on being human in Across That Bridge: A Vision for Change and the Future of America