Celebrating AND Making Democracy Work
December 1, 2021
As December rolls around, many of us are looking forward to religious observances and holidays such as Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa. We may plan to commemorate World Aids Day on December 1 and Pearl Harbor Day on the 7th, and to celebrate Human Rights Day on December 10, commemorating the 73rd anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 10, 1948 - see Kathleen Montgomery’s article on our home page for more on that last one!
Most of us are also likely to be looking forward to some time off, and to time with family and friends – all good.
In California Leagues we are also turning our thoughts to Program Planning for the League of Women Voters of the United States (LWVUS).
Program Planning in League is a grassroots process in which Leagues all over the country will make recommendations to the LWVUS on work to be done in the 2022-24 biennium.
One thing we know already is that there will be a tremendous focus on Making Democracy Work, because that is where Leagues have been putting much energy in the past biennium, working on:
- Voting rights;
- Improving elections;
- Money in politics; and
- Redistricting.
The LWVUS has been actively supporting:
- The For the People Act;
- The Freedom to Vote Act; and
- The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.
But the work is far from done!
Recently LWVUS President Dr. Deborah Turner and LWVUS CEO Virginia Kase Solomón joined a coalition of civil rights organizations from across the country in days of action at the White House and on Capitol Hill to showcase the need for passage of legislation to strengthen voting rights now.
In fact, both of them have been arrested while protesting, along with other leaders in these protests, following in the footsteps of our League “foremothers” who were arrested for protesting at the White House during the fight for women’s suffrage.
So – here’s to some good times in December – but also to continuing to cause “good trouble” in the never-ending task of Making Democracy Work!
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Becky Newman
