Vote Like Your Life Depends On It
As we head into primary election season here in New York, voting has been on my mind. It was a major topic of conversation at the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU) Convention in Atlanta in May because we are witnessing history in the making — or rather in the unmaking.
The voting rights that Black Americans fought and died for in the civil rights era of the 1960s are now under attack like never before. The conservative majority on the Supreme Court began dismantling the 1965 Voting Rights Act about a decade ago, but a recent decision has accelerated the attack on voting rights.1 In the lead-up to midterm elections, Southern states with a history of racial discrimination and voting disenfranchisement have capitalized on the Louisiana v. Callais Supreme Court decision to quickly redraw election districts to minimize the votes and representation of people of color.
President Donald Trump has tried to suppress the vote by limiting mail-in voting and requiring voters to present ID at the polls. Although the anti-voter bills have stalled and courts are likely to rule executive orders unconstitutional, the Trump administration’s attack on voting rights and the integrity of our electoral system will likely do damage and disenfranchise voters in this election cycle and beyond.2
Living History
I was so struck by meeting Claude Cummings, Jr., the president of the Communications Workers of America, at the CBTU Convention. He showed me and other NYSNA nurses a copy of the poll tax receipt he paid when he voted in 1946. It was a harsh reminder that it was not even one generation ago that we won the laws that we now have in place to protect citizens’ right to vote without violence, intimidation, barriers to participation and fines. The people who fought and died for voting rights were not only our grandparents and parents but our peers.
I felt blessed to stand in another pivotal moment for civil rights while I was with our CBTU siblings. Regardless of personal beliefs, I found it very comforting being surrounded by many people of faith who can relate biblical parables to what we are going through today. When one of the pastors at the convention reminded attendees that “God can move mountains, but we need to bring the shovels,” I heard the unionists around me let out a collective cheer of recognition and affirmation.
“Shift Happens”
We are not the people who shrug and stand idly by and say, “Stuff happens.” We are the people who believe that “shift happens.” We are the people who — when confronted by change and seemingly insurmountable challenge — rise above, take action and are able to shift the outcome. Through organizing, we make shift happen.
Throughout the convention, my CBTU colleagues reminded me that when we work for a righteous cause, we can make a difference. And we already are making a difference — whether volunteering to get out the vote, advocating for a budget that puts the needs of working people first, or speaking out for our most vulnerable patients and for healthcare justice, nurses are the people who take action so that shift happens.
We know it takes the work of many hands to make a change. I am so proud that NYSNA President Nancy Hagans, RN, BSN, CCRN, was elected to the CBTU executive council as a director at large so that we can continue building with this inspiring coalition of union members from around the country who are united for economic, social and racial justice.
As much as the convention was uplifting and a place to gather and feel the solidarity in the room, it was a reminder that we can and must foster that feeling year-round in our union as well. It wasn’t long ago that we fought hard for NYSNA members’ democratic rights as union members — to have transparent elections with one member, one vote.
NYSNA members have a proud tradition of supporting democracy and voting rights — in our own union and beyond. Now is the time to make “shift happen” and vote like our lives depend on it.
Sources:
1 https://www.lwv.org/blog/scotuss-final-blow-dismantling-voting-rights-act
2 https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/status-trumps-anti-voting-executive-order