Personal Reflection on Election Day and Voting…
Growing up in the 1970s in New York City, the Monday before Election Day was a special day to me because it was Black Solidarity Day. For the uninitiated, Black Solidarity Day was a day when Black people in the United States were encouraged to come together for two purposes. The first purpose was a day of absence— absence from work, school, commerce, etc. It was intended to show through our absence the tremendous impact that Black people have on the infrastructure, operations, and soul of America. It was a day meant to show impact. The second purpose was a day to come together in community to educate, and celebrate Black people and Black culture. From teach-ins to community gatherings, it was a day to fortify a Black community that has lived under siege for over 400 years. It was a day to share knowledge and to be in and build community. And then with clear view of the next day as Election Day, we could participate and engage with another tool of change and community building: voting.
Voting in and by itself was never the full story. What Black solidarity day taught me growing up was that there were many different tools that could be used to make change toward creating a just society, and voting was one of them. There was no singular strategy, effort, act or movement upon which everyone would agree or that would be the perfect solution to achieve, equity, liberation and justice; but rather, there were many tools at our avail that we could use to advance the work of freedom, and voting was one of them.
Few tools are perfect, especially for the host of issues that we need to fix. Voting in itself won’t fix racism, sexism, classism and a structural caste system that impacts life outcomes for groups of people. Voting in itself won’t fix pay equity, violence, injustice and brutality. No one tool can do all of that. Nor should we expect it to. The reasons that people vote are varied, and the efficacy of the action contested. However, voting has remained one of the indispensable tools in the struggle to achieve equity and justice in America.
The right to vote in America has been deeply and brutally contested. Voter suppression has ranged from the literal killing of Black people who tried to vote, to poll taxes, to current day disenfranchisement efforts. The tactics used to deny the right to vote have been and continue to range from the crude to the sophisticated. But while these tactics are not new, neither is the resilience of communities that leverage all of their tools and resources and efforts to fight for dignity, equity and freedom.
Like many holidays the intention and efforts around Black Solidarity Day may fade, but the significance and lessons never depart from me. It was a day to fortify, strategize, plan and build so that among other things whatever the outcome of my vote, I would remain clear-eyed in the quest for freedom and equity in society. It was a day to remember, hone and expand the range of tools needed for community building and liberation. A dear friend once said to me, “in the afterlife when you meet Harriet Tubman and she asks you what you did with your freedom, what will you say?” Rather than debate if there is an afterlife and who will be in it, I took her question for the poignant provocation for which it was is intended – what am I doing with my freedom? As the daughter of a woman who picked cotton in a sharecropping system of the United States, I am always compelled by that the question “what am I doing with my freedom?” In this moment, with Black Solidarity Day rapidly approaching, I remember that I have a myriad of tools and opportunities to use all of them, and voting will be one of them.
The Office of Equity, Inclusion, and Social Justice encourages The New School community to vote. Voting is one of the tools that can be used in an aspiring democratic society to help advance equity, inclusion, and social justice.
We encourage you to be safe while voting. Between the Covid 19 pandemic, and the myriad of other social dangers presented, please make a plan to take care of yourself and others as you exercise your right to vote. Below you will find recommendations from the Center for Disease Control for staying safe from Covid 19 while voting, as well as resources from the American Civil Liberties Union to protect your right to vote.
We encourage every member of our community to recommit to creating an inclusive environment at The New School and every community of which you are a part. Remember that inclusion does not necessarily equal comfort and conformity; recommit to it anyway.
We encourage you to fortify yourself. Know that you are a part of a community that values and supports you.
We encourage you to exercise compassion for yourself and others, including those who may hold diverse views and experiences. While I state unequivocally that human value and dignity are inalienable, and that Black Lives Matter, let’s use our spaces of learning and creating to hold space for diverse ideas, engaged dialogue, and critical self-reflection.
We recognize that not all members of our community will be eligible or able to vote. As such, regular classes will be held and the university will remain open. Faculty should not count as absent students who miss class due to election related participation. Further, all faculty, staff, and students are encouraged to participate in their chosen election related activities on November 3rd. Supervisors should provide maximum flexibility to staff for time off due to voting or other election related activities. Further time for participation in election related activities by staff, regardless of their duration on November 3, will not be counted against leave time.
The results of this election season will have profound personal and institutional impact. The issues foregrounded during this election season are personal, polarizing and volatile. And while this election will be historic, regardless of the results The New School will remain an inclusive environment that prioritizes equity, inclusion and social justice. Our mission is neither driven by nor limited to a single election season. We are steadfast in our commitment to dismantling structural stratification and to advancing social justice.
Our work of building an equitable inclusive community and ultimately a more just society began long before today and will continue beyond Election Day. I hope you will join me in voting, and in using all of the tools at our avail to build our community.
Resources
https://www.aclu.org/know-your-rights/voting-rights/#someone-is-interfering-with-my-right-to-vote
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/election-polling-locations.html