Participation matters. Voting matters. On Tuesday, November 8th, it's go time at the polls. Do your civic duty.
In 2020, we tapped three Heartbreak community members to write on the importance of voting. Ellen London, Rebecca Pacheco, and Abeo Powder wrote powerfully on the subject. The occasion in 2020 was the 100 year anniversary of women's suffrage, the movement that granted some women the right to vote for the first time. It would take years for women of color & Native women to receive equal voting status. We now head to the polls with the rights of women diminished since 2020 making these messages even more urgent and resonant. Make your voice heard this Tuesday, November 8th. We the People Run this Democracy.
Rebecca Pacheco:
"When I was in 4th grade, my mom became a U.S. citizen. The moment is crystalline in my memory. I remember what she wore: white pantsuit, navy and white-stripped blouse, and pearl earrings, the big ones reserved for significant life events. Weddings and funerals happen in churches, but the hallowed feeling of this day existed separately from religion. God could bear witness—she is always welcome at these functions—but the sacredness of becoming an American citizen superseded the type of God to which anyone prayed, the color of their skin, the first language they spoke, or the culture in which they were born. My mom borrowed one of my textbooks to study for the test, and as she departed for the swearing in ceremony, I felt a mixture of solemnity, celebration, and pride. I would go to school that morning, and by the time I arrived home that afternoon—hungry for a snack, book bag slung over one shoulder, singing Paula Abdul all the way from the bus stop—my mom would be an American." Continue reading.
Ellen London:
"You can see it coming from a few blocks away: a busy intersection. Approaching fast, you check the stoplight overhead. Green? Good to go. Yellow? Gauge your pace – can you make it safely? Better speed up to make it or slow down to wait. Red? Take a beat. Reevaluate.
You check all four lanes, then the sidewalks – because it’s not just speeding cars you have to worry about: other runners, dogs on too-long leashes, and bikes that fly through red lights without so much as a tap on the breaks.
You consult your watch. An endless loop of time versus distance versus effort versus time versus distance versus effort. For a moment you are moving forward and reevaluating everything, both.
As runners, we are no strangers to intersections. We thrive in their chaos, have learned to make it work for us: the relief of an unexpected break, the adrenaline from a long-anticipated walk (no, run!) signal.
And as we stand now at the intersection of so many things – a global pandemic, racial injustice, and a major economic downturn, to name just a few – us runners are uniquely positioned to harness our insatiable appetites for forward motion for change." Continue reading.
Abeo Powder:
"Now more than ever, we must rise. Rise into action, for the sake of our neighborhoods, our communities, our nation. As we strive for the change we are incredibly overdue for and in dire need of, we must rise to the polls. In our push for change, it is our responsibility to make sure that we vote for and elect individuals who will support and join this push and do so passionately, diligently and with vigor." Continue reading.
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