I would imagine a lot of protests are happening this week. Chicago and Baltimore for sure and who knows what else is planned.
I have been to a lot of protests in my life. I’ve protested for civil rights and for single payer health care. I’ve protested against the Vietnam War and the death penalty.
I’ve protested holding candles, linking arms, marching and standing still. I’ve protested using call and response, song, chants and silence.
I’ve seen a lot of things at protests- some wonderful things like puppies and toddlers, strangers becoming lifelong friends, and some horrible stuff — beatings, bullying and blood.
One thing I’ve never seen happen at a protest (and maybe it did happen and I just didn’t see it) was anyone registering voters. There are a lot of ways to make your voice heard, from a whisper to a scream. Undoubtedly I see this different from most, but to me a protest is a whisper, people voting, especially in large groups, is a scream.
Both ways are great. Any way you make your voice heard is great, I just think that this is the time to scream, to pump up the volume, to talk hard.
So here is my message to all protesters: register some voters while you’re there protesting. If you’re just joining in a protest it's as easy as picking up a few voter registration forms from your local Post Office. If you’re planning a protest set up a table to register voters.
One requirement to attend a protest could be that you have to be a registered voter. Whoa! See how serious I am about this? With a big protest you might get a few thousand new voters that way. Then give everyone a blank registration form and ask them to get another person to register to vote. You can turn whisper into a scream, you can make your voice be heard and make sure others are heard as well.
This has been a public service announcement from the DK Fans of 90 for 90 group, ;-)